Assessing the efficiency of airports by considering health and safety issues: A pilot study for Turkey

Purpose: Airport management is influenced by several related critical decisions on financial and technical operations. Optimum utilization of resources, including assets and personnel, is critical to achieve better service quality for the passengers and an efficient airport. Due to its importance, this paper aims to assess the performance of airports based on security, safety, and possible work-related health problems by considering the uncertain and unclear number of passengers and their baggage. Design/methodology/approach: The efficiency of 30 airports in Turkey is evaluated with a basic Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model with two inputs and five outputs. Then, the model is redefined with an undesired output. High, medium, and low seasons are defined in the second DEA model to estimate the number of passenger baggage. The third model utilizes the principles of Fuzzy DEA (F-DEA) that aims to handle the uncertainty for the undesired output data.Findings: The results of three models confirm that the number and weight of baggage and consequently health and safety issues in airports should not be overlooked when optimizing airport efficiency. Utilizing the fuzzy theory has the potential to help managers to improve the operational efficiency of airports when dealing with an uncertain number of passengers and estimating the workload of baggage handlers.Research limitations/implications: No permission was given to make interviews with the ground handling personnel and gather real-life data to analyze task durations and workers’ body movements.Practical implications: Inputs, outputs, and undesired output defined in this study can be used to assess the airports in any other country.Social implications: The importance of health and safety issues for passengers, airport personnel, baggage handlers, and the residents who live close to the airports is considered.Originality/value: This study contributes to the airport performance assessment literature by considering the uncertain and dynamic data related to health and safety issues. This pioneering study, up-to-best knowledge, is the first to assess the airports in Turkey by DEA with the defined undesired output (baggage handler workload) and also utilizing the fuzzy model for the uncertain data.