A ranking method for maintenance strategy selection of airport mechanical equipment using an analytic hierarchy process
Abstract
Despite the growing consciousness that the appropriate blends of maintenance strategies aid substantial reduction in plant downtimes, the extant literature fails to adequately explain how the critical maintenance criteria of mechanical equipment in airports could be ranked to impact the maintenance program positively. This paper offers the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to explain how the significant maintenance criteria from a technical perspective (i.e., adaptability and maintainability) and in relationship with customer viewpoints (i.e., funds availability and customer trust) impact rank determination. Expandability and maintainability were equally ranked first with a criterion weight of 0.36 each. Customer trust was ranked second (criterion weight of 0.17) and the least important criterion of funds availability was ranked third (criterion weight of 0.10). Thus, the AHP proposes the choice of either adaptability or maintainability to yield satisfying results as inputs into maintenance program development. Consequently, the AHP provides explanations on how the choice of maintenance criteria for an airport's mechanical equipment helps to solve the maintenance program development dilemma for maintenance engineers and managers.