A Study on the Alternate Airport Selection Critreia

대체공항 선택요인에 관한 연구

The atmosphere condition at Kimpo International Airport occasionally prevents the aircraft from landing and forces them to fly to an alternate airport, especially in October and November during a year. Many airlines designated foreign airports instead of Korean airports as alternate airports in the case of the bad weather condition preventing use of Kimpo Airport. This paper addresses 1) economic comparison of candidates for the alternate airport, 2) what are the criteria for the alternate airport selection and the relative importance among the criteria and 3) evaluation of candidates for alternate airport using Brown and Gibson's pair-wise comparison method. It is found to be possible to reduce costs related alternate flight by 36% using Korean airports rather than using Japan's Hukuoka Airport. However, airlines weigh more on the factors such as service level of ground handling, accommodation for passengers and ground access convenience than costs. Among Korean airports, Kimhae International Airport is found the most favorable airport as the alternate airport for Kimpo International Airport.