Q.

Estimation of number of passengers who crossed Delhi airport on 1 day (24 hours) on Jan
17. No Covid scenario, 1 runway, T3 terminal. You cannot use google to do any research.

Possible approach: First, we have to look at the limiting factors or the boundary conditions
that will determine the maximum number of passengers that cross the airport. There are 2
limiting boundaries.

# 1: Each flight take-off and landing has to have a space of some time, else there will be a
crash. So you can assume that every 10 minutes, a flight will either land or take off. This 10
mins is an assumption. You can take 15 or any other number. Remember, the number is not
important. What the interviewer is interested is to see your logic. If we take 10 minutes,
then the maximum number of flights (both landing and take-off) will be: 24 hours x 60
mins/10 mins = 144 flights.

#2: When a flight lands, it has to go to the gate to offload the passenger. If there are no
available gates, then the flight has to wait in the waiting area for a gate to be vacant. Here
you make the second assumption – say, the number of Gates are 50 (again an
approximation).

When a flight parks at the gate, the passengers first will get off, then the cleaning crew will
come, the baggage will be offloaded/loaded, the food has to be brought in, and then the
new passengers has to come inside the flight. This entire process will vary depending on the
size of the plane.

The domestic flight has approximately 150 seats and the international has 300 passengers.

So you can assume that it takes domestic flight about 2 hours for the entire process of
disembarking and new passengers embarking. And for an international flight, it will be 3.
hours as there are more passengers.

This means that 1 gate can handle about 24 hours/2 hours = 12 flights if it handles only all
domestic flight. And the same gate if it has to handle international flight only can handle a
maximum of 24 hours/3 = 8 flights. We assume that international flights are normally from
10 pm – 4 AM = 6 hours. It means 1 gate can handle 2 international flights. This brings us to
an estimation that per gate: 2 international flights consuming 6 hours, and balance 18 hours
for 9 domestic flights.

If each gate can handle 11 flights, and we have 50 gates, then the total number of flights
that can handled will be = 11 x 50 = 550 flights.

Now we see the limitation. The single runway only allows a maximum of 144 and so that
becomes your limitation. In reality there are 3 runways in Delhi and so in reality it can
handle 144 x 3 = 432 flight. But for this assignment, we have assumed 1 runway, and so our
limitation is 144 flights.

So now we have less flights and more gates. You can make an assumption now that 20 gates
can handle both domestic and international. And 30 gates can handle only domestic. …

I will not write the further explanation but this is the approach that will take you to a final
number.

You can refine this calculation further by adding more variables: Some gates are meant for
cargo and no passengers, some are private small jets which take up runway time but does
not occupy a gate as the passenger is taken in a bus to the arrival hall, international flight
can be subdivided in 2 types of aircraft: Boeing and Airbus, each with different passenger
seats. Other variable: occupancy rate.