Warnings about simulation revisited: Improving operations in Congonhas Airport

This paper highlights some of the primary concerns about simulation recently raised by academics and practitioners. These concerns influenced the creation of a successful simulation project that improves the check-in at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo, Brazil. Use of simulation was essential in Congonhas because, although significant growth in the number of passengers has occurred over the last decades, Congonhas has limited capacity for expansion due to its location. Two major airlines, which represent 88% of the market share of Congonhas, were considered in this study. Output results demonstrated that a majority of future customers will experience excessive wait times to check in. Therefore, improvement scenarios were proposed in order to meet comfort levels required by international organizations.