A-pier Clean VOP: Developing a strategy for on-time cargo delivery to the aircraft under clean apron conditions

The introduction of MARS stands at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s new A-pier means a Clean VOP policy will be enforced. Under this regulation, vacant aircraft stands must be free of any cargo and baggage. In order to comply with this policy, KLM Cargo has to redesign its cargo handling procedure which is currently based on push logic. This paper explores the effects of various cargo handling procedures using pull and push-pull logic on KPIs such as on-time performance, space usage and distance covered. These handling strategies are simulated using a DES model of the future A-pier. The resulting KPI values are then analysed using the analytical hierarchy process, where weights are assigned to the KPIs by the problem owner. The resulting weighted scores indicate that a strategy employing a combination of a pull and push system is found to be most effective at ensuring cargo is delivered on time while respecting the Clean VOP regulations imposed by the airport authority.
Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics