De-icing of planes and investment planning via simulation

Before and during the opening of the Airport Munich II there were various planning problems to be solved. In most of the cases, it was not possible to go back directly to existing data. But because of experiences with airports already being in operation, analogies could be set up to be used as a basis for planning. Additionally, technological improvements compared to existing solutions should be reached. Here, the authors describe the solution of a partial problem, i.e. the investment decision concerning the process of de-icing the planes at the Airport Munich II. In addition to the determination of the necessary number of de-icing vehicles it had to be investigated whether there existed further possibilities to influence the process of de-icing in a positive manner. The safety in flying is considered as the most important criterion. Additionally, ecological and economical objectives have to be taken into account. In order to solve this planning problem a simulation model was developed and implemented in cooperation with the sector for production-planning and -control maintenance of the Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Frankfurt. With this model different process designs were studied considering the given uncertainties of the existing information. As a result of the investigation a dominant investment alternative could be suggested. If the basic conditions should change in the future, after respective slight modifications, the model is suitable to support the finding of an optimal result.