Can Google Search Data Help Nowcasting Air Passenger Volume? A Study of Hong Kong International Airport

A security control system is the key element of an airport because each passenger must undergo a security check before boarding. The security check must be performed efficiently, but, on the other hand, a high level of security must be maintained. The article presents a security check model at the airport. A set of variable input data describing the model has been presented and data received by the user as a result of its use. The security check model was developed in Flexsim Software. It was based on the model of security check implementation, for which algorithms for the management of the security check point operation schedule were used. The article describes two basic patterns of implementing the security check process: one-stream and two-stream. The security check process has been divided into zones (queues). The developed model was implemented for the management of security check points at the Wroclaw Airport. For sample input data (system characteristics and the stream of passenger reports), measures of system efficiency were determined: the average duration of the passenger's stay in the security check system, the number of work hours of security check operators depending on the adopted management strategy. The developed model can be used in existing security control systems and it can also be used to evaluate the operation of a system being designed.