Simulation modeling and analysis of a new international terminal

This paper describes a project involving the development of simulation models for the new international terminal at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey. The simulation models helped evaluate the passenger and aircraft flow from the terminal entrance to boarding; identify the system bottlenecks as well as the system capacities. The models have also been used for operations planning, training and the demonstration of terminal activities. Since the overall objective of the project was to validation of the terminal design, the models included major passenger, aircraft, and baggage flow activities. The following project steps were conducted to achieve the overall goals: developed a dynamic-stochastic simulation model and an Excel driven user interface to analyze the new International Terminal at Istanbul Ataturk Airport and identify the service bottlenecks (the model was developed using ProModel); conducted experiments with the model in order to understand and evaluate the system performance; identified the system bottlenecks and recommended solutions to eliminate those bottlenecks and increase airport capacity and service levels; and conducted training sessions for the TAV staff for continuous use of the models.