A Mixed Integer Programming Approach to Air Cargo Load Planning with Multiple Aircraft Configurations and Dangerous Goods

Air cargo business is highly uncertain and dynamic. An airline needs to manage its air cargo loading operations with efficient cargo consolidation, accurate load planning, high level of safety precautions, limited cargo planning period and careful yield management in order to stay competitive and, in extreme situations, survive. To achieve these requirements for air freighters, a mathematical model and optimisation tool is developed to assist its air cargo load planning for the airline which handles about 327,500 tons of cargoes each year. A small improvement in its load planning, in terms of the best allocation and position of unit load devices to be stowed in an aircraft, can contribute substantially to its operational and financial performance. This study, applying in an cargo airline, aims to maximise cargo loading profit as well as improve the operation efficiency under the constraints of aircraft configuration, dangerous goods segregation, weight and balance, and flight safety. In future, the model can cater not only the cargo load planning of freighters but also passenger aircraft to improve the operational performance by considering over-sized cargoes.