Analysis of Aircraft Delay Factors at Jeju International Airport

Abstract

Jeju International Airport is experiencing heavy congestion and delays due to the rapid increase of passengers. As of 2019, delays occurred in 24,052 aircraft, which account for over 14% of all flights operated. This delay rate is about 1.5 times higher than the average delay rate of 9% at domestic airports. The factors which bring delays at Jeju International Airport may include saturation of runway capacity, poor weather conditions, and limitations in facility layout. However, there are insufficient empirical studies on how these factors have affected aircraft delays. This study analyzed the effects of airport operation characteristics, weather conditions, and aircraft operation characteristics on aircraft delay using tower-log data of Jeju International Airport and Aeronautical Climatological Statistics of Jeju International Airport of Aviation Meteorological Office. The result of the analysis shows, aircraft movements per day, aircraft movements per hour, time of day, wind, route and aircraft occupancy rate have a statistically significant effect on aircraft delay, and the relative importance of variables appeared in the order of aircraft movements per day, wind, visual, and aircraft occupancy rate. In addition, these variables were analyzed to have a statistically significant effect on the delay time of aircraft. The results of this research are expected to be used as a basic data for aircraft delay management in airport planning and operation, and contribute to improve methodology of the feasibility study for airport projects.