A reusable conceptual modelling framework for airport runway operations: application to Penang International airport

Airport runway operations are highly dynamic and require careful modelling and analysis, which can be effectively addressed using discrete event simulation (DES). Although DES has been widely applied in airport-related studies, most existing research focuses on isolated runway processes rather than the complete operational flow. To address this gap, this paper develops a reusable, structured, and software-independent conceptual modelling framework that captures the full sequence of runway operations from aircraft arrival to departure, incorporating prioritization logic and infrastructure capacity constraints. Based on this framework, a DES model was developed for Penang International Airport using real flight data, such as arrival times, traffic mix, and aircraft type distributions, together with operational parameters obtained from the literature. The model was validated against observed traffic patterns and applied to evaluate key performance metrics under various scenarios. Results highlight the significant impact of traffic changes on runway performance and support informed capacity planning and policy development.