Selection of the Most Beneficial Flight Training Venue in the Airline Industry Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

The airline industry is a highly regulated industry where every aspect of operation requires adherence to regulations and policies mandated by the government. Safety is the core value-offering of fast and reliable air services, and this is achieved in part by the robust training requirement for pilots. Pilot training and qualifications are achieved with the use of full flight simulators. The significant costs involved in the use of the simulator, other additional costs involved, and the need to minimize pilots' time away from flight duties while undergoing training, require an effective selection process to decide on the most beneficial training venue. Not much research has been done on this topic area and the research gap necessitates a study of this nature. The goal is to provide a criteria analysis to support the simulator training venue decision process with the use of analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The analysis resulted to a selection among the alternatives that provide the best training venue for pilot training based on the evaluated criteria. It proved the applicability of the AHP when deciding on available alternatives based on set criteria. This study will contribute to the management of training requirements conducted by airlinetraining organizations and help their heads/managers/decision-makers in utilizing decision-making tools and processes when choosing the best alternative among available training resources.