Model for ground crew scheduling problem at small airports: case of Serbia

Abstract

Present-day airline industry is quite a competitive field and crew scheduling represents one of the crucial problems due to significant impact on the airline's cost. The crew scheduling problem is based on the assignment of crew members to operate different tasks of route. The main goal of this paper is to provide an analysis and a solution to one of the biggest problems detected on a small airport in the Serbia - the problem of ground crew scheduling. The paper presents the main characteristics, goals and limitations of a real-life problem identified at this small airport. In order to solve the problem, we developed a dynamic discrete simulation model. The model is developed in a spreadsheet environment of Microsoft Excel. Some of the main limitations found in the development of the model are strong constraints and multiple goals. The model presented in the paper is designed as a useful management tool for smaller airports and is aimed at the improvement of operative processes.