The derivation and analysis of the passenger peak hour: an empirical application to Brazil

Abstract

Many different definitions are currently used to define a design `peak’ hour at airports, such that the majority of passengers receive adequate service levels and only an acceptably small proportion experience the impact of congestion. The evaluation of level of service provision depends on this definition. Previous definitions have either used a nominal hour below the absolute peak or have taken a representative hour from the schedule of flights. This paper endeavours to define this level of traffic empirically. Data for 48 Brazilian airports covering a five-year period are analysed to develop a methodology for and determine the appropriate peak hour for design standards. This empirically derived traffic level is regressed against annual traffic levels to establish a relationship that should enable the forecast of design peak hour demand with changing annual throughputs.