An Enhanced PSO Algorithm for Aircraft Stand Reassignment Problem with Multiple Stand Sizes

A well-organized reassignment of aircraft stands in response to unusual disturbances, such as flight delays or cancellations, is a crucial aspect of efficient airport operation, particularly for airports with high daily flight volumes. In contrast to existing literature that emphasizes passenger satisfaction, this paper presents a novel approach that focuses on the objective of minimizing the total cost of recovery. To enhance realism, the model incorporates multi-size aircraft stands to account for practical constraints faced by airports. To efficiently solve the resulting multi-decision variable and multi-constraint model, we propose an Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization (EPSO) algorithm specifically tailored for this problem. The efficacy of the algorithm is validated using real-world disruption data from Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport. The results demonstrate that our EPSO algorithm outperforms other methods, providing the best solution for the targeted aircraft stand reassignment problem while slightly reducing the operating time.