A Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm Approach for Optimization of Multi-Objective Airport Gate Assignment Problem

Abstract

Gate assignment problems (GAP) are one of the most substantial issues in airport operation. The ever-increasing demand producing high occupancy rates of gates, the potential financial loss from imbalances between supply and demand in congested airports, and the limited scope for expanding facilities present challenges that require an advanced methodology for optimal supply allocation. In principle, tackling GAP involves seeking to maintain an airport’s maximum capacity through the best possible allocation of resources (gates). There are a wide range of dependent and independent resources and limitations involved in the problem, adding to the complexity of GAP from both theoretical and practical perspectives. In this study, GAP is extended and mathematically formulated as a three-objective problem, taking into account all resources and restrictions, which can be directly linked to airport authorities’ multiple criteria decision-making processes. The preliminary goal of multi-objective formulation is to consider a wider scope, in which a higher number of objectives are simultaneously optimized, and thus to increase the practical efficiency of the final solution. The problem is solved by applying the second version of Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) as a parallel evolutionary optimization algorithm. Results illustrate that the proposed mathematical model could address most of the major criteria in the decision-making process in airport management in terms of passenger walking distances, robustness, and traditional costs. Moreover, the proposed solution approach shows promise in finding acceptable and plausible solutions compared with other multi-objective algorithms (BAT, PSO, ACO, and ABC).