Optimization model and solution method for Operational Aircraft Maintenance Routing Problem

The Operational Aircraft Maintenance Routing Problem (OAMRP) determines the route for each individual aircraft while incorporating the operational maintenance considerations. This problem is significant to airline companies as it determines the routes to be flown in real aspect life. Most of the studies incorporate some operational considerations and neglect the rest, resulting in generation of routes that are not feasible to be implemented in reality. In this paper, we study OAMRP, with two objectives. First, to propose a model that considers all operational maintenance requirements. For this purpose, we formulate a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model by modifying the connection network. The proposed model is solved using commercial software, but only for small size problems. Second, a solution algorithm is developed to solve the model efficiently and quickly while tackling large scale problems. The performance of the proposed solution algorithm is validated based on real data obtained from EgyptAir carrier. The results demonstrate high quality solutions and significant savings in the computational time. This performance is evidence that the proposed model and solution method can be potential tool for solving real OAMRP.