The Role of Road Transport in Scheduled Air Cargo Networks

Abstract

For the conduction of quantitative research on airfreight related topics, this contribution summarizes recent efforts to handle intra-continental airfreight surface transport operations in the context of an origin and destination routing model. The distinguishing features of this approach are the O-D scope in combination with the explicit use of period timetables of a sample week, not just weekly averages. Two forms of appearance on intra-continental short- and medium-haul routes – with a complementary and a substitutive function regarding cargo flights – are distinguished: Access and egress of consolidation/deconsolidation airports for delivery and pick-up, and airline trucking (“road feeder services”/RFS, “truck-flights”) of airway billed consignments between two airports. The methodology comprises an empirical characterization of the supply side of both the air cargo consolidation and the airline trucking markets, the subsequent modeling of surface transport links within a scheduled network in terms of the surface links’ network topology, attainable journey times and hours-of service regulation for truck driving, and the simulation of RFS load pattern in the context of a global air cargo model.