Key Performance Indicators for Landside Processes at Airports - Which to Choose and What to Gain?

For airport performance reviews ICAO, EUROCONTROL and several other institutions have defined so called Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The specifications are, so far, limited to airside processes and have their focus on long-term performance evaluation. This paper extends the concept of KPIs to landside processes and makes them available for real-time airport steering, for example in the context of Total Airport Management. The goal is to provide the airport with in-time and forecasted information on specific processes thus allowing early intervention in case of upcoming disruptions. As basis for the new KPIs, the existing airside indicators are examined in regard to potential adaption possibilities for landside processes. The former timeframe is modified for pre-tactical planning and set to the day of operation. Requirements for real-time measuring as well as forecasting are taken into consideration, throughout considering ICAO guidelines. Using the so gained selection criteria, five KPAs (Key Performance Areas) and nine KPIs were chosen. For each one a clear definition and calculation method is developed and an overview of data availability is presented. To determine the impact of applying KPIs for day-to-day airport operation as well as to identifying target values, a first prototypical implementation has been installed using a microscopic terminal simulation. The results confirm the assumption that relevant performance improvements can be gained if the selected KPIs are considered as suggested