LOADING OPERATION EFFICIENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL AIR EXPRESS AT A SPOKE AIRPORT

Loading operation efficiency at airports plays an indispensable role in international air express service performance. The authors comprehensively examined the priorities of factors that affect loading operation efficiency for air express services at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan. The reviewed results from surveying practical experts using a rank pair-wise comparison (RPC) revealed that load factor and load planning consistently ranked higher and more crucial among 15 elements regardless of flight properties. Long-haul services to the North American hub were most concerned with inventory control of unit load devices (ULDs). Regional feeder services attached importance to the ground operations workforce as well. Feeder services for cross-continental deliveries additionally focused on the arrangement of apron bays. The authors used the TOPSIS, i.e., technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solutions, to evaluate flights by three freighter types. Considering that the studied company performed more consistently on the top crucial factors, the sub-criteria that belong to the negative subset and are affected by the external units played a dominant role in these evaluated flights.