Gate Position Requirements at Metropolitan Airports

The number of gate positions required at an airport, or the number of flights that can be accommodated at a given number of gate positions, depends on how efficiently each gate position is used. The airlines' schedule and the airport's operating policies influence the efficient use of the gate positions. A simple stochastic model describing the behavior of flights relative to their schedule was developed based on empirical information. The model was then used to study the influence of a common scheduling practice of bank operation on the requirements for gate positions. It was found that a completely uniform schedule generates the minimum requirement. A procedure is presented to estimate the number of gate positions required at an airport.