Evaluating reliability in airport baggage handling: a time-based assessment of the individual carrier system

The Individual Carrier System (ICS) represents a critical component in airport baggage handling, necessitating rigorous reliability assessments during both its developmental and operational stages. This research introduces an innovative methodology for ICS reliability evaluation centred on baggage transport time. Here, transport time is articulated as an amalgamation of ideal transport time and sequential queuing durations. Building on these foundational models, we have devised a reliability simulation framework that assimilates both deterministic system parameters and stochastic input variables. This integrative approach facilitates the determination of pertinent reliability indices and associated failure probabilities. To underscore the practical implications and robustness of our methodology, we delve into a real-world ICS test system. Our findings illuminate the nuanced interplay between average pallet wait times and total pallet input numbers. Furthermore, we chart the trajectory of the reliability index in relation to initial loading intensities. Such insights bear significant ramifications for both the architectural design of ICS and their operational efficiency within airport environments.