Managing the Gate Assignment Problem in the Hub Airport with Satellite Halls: A Transfer Demand-Oriented Approach.

Abstract

This study focuses on managing the gate assignment in the hub airport with both main terminal and satellite halls. We first formulate the gate assignment problem (GAP) as a binary linear programming model with multi-objective functions, where the practical constraints, e.g., gate time conflict and gate compatibility, are considered. Then, we incorporate the impact of gate assignment on transfer passengers and formulate the transfer demand-oriented gate assignment problem (TGAP) as a nonlinear model. A linearization approach and a heuristic approach are designed to solve the TGAP model. A case study is conducted based on the practical data of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, where a comparison between the results of GAP and TGAP by the two proposed approaches is demonstrated. It shows that the proposed TGAP model and solution approaches can not only enhance the service for transfer passengers but also improve the gate utilization efficiency in the hub airport.