An investigation of flight delays at Penang International Airport / Azrina binti Hamid

Project paper (Bachelor of Civil Engineering) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang - 2007

Delays of flight is unavoidable and affects quality in air traffic system, and addressing it has become more challenging due to more stringent demands on the air transportation. These problems should be overcome since the volume of flight passengers are increasing every year. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that constantly occur at the Penang International airport that cause flight delays or even worst may lead to airport congestion. By conducting site visits and interview session, data was collected and problems that can affect flight schedule were recognized. Evaluation was based on flight movement schedule every day, weather condition and passenger movement and it was carried out by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software Version 12. Results indicate that late departure(8%) and late flight arrival(12%), cargo(2%), adverse weather condition(8%), mechanical(2%) and technical(6%) problems are the contributor of delays. This finding suggests that the delay of flights should be addressed with implementation of new technologies and development of advanced infrastructure at the airport. Further studies on degree of interdependence of flights within networks would help to better explain the distribution of congestion delays across airline networks. -Author