Case Study: Virgin Australia improves gate utilization and on-time performance with Simio simulation

Virgin Australia improves on-time performance to 87.9% with Simio

Virgin Australia, the second largest airline in Australia, faced a challenge at its Melbourne Airport hub. A proposed new gate plan risked negatively impacting the airline's leading on-time performance (OTP) and customer experience due to reduced operational flexibility and increased aircraft queuing. To quantify these risks, Virgin Australia partnered with simulation vendor Simio.

Using Simio's discrete event simulation software, a detailed model of the airport's operations was developed and run through hundreds of replications. The Simio model identified the negative impacts of the proposed plan and allowed Virgin Australia to test alternative scenarios. A final, optimized gate plan was recommended and adopted; it successfully mitigated the risks to OTP and passenger experience while still increasing overall gate utilization.

Virgin Australia