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Over the past few decades, the domain of airline and airport ground operations has been extensively studied by numerous researchers. Many of these studies have focused on optimizing various aspects of airline and airport ground operations using operations research techniques. We provide an in-depth review of the literature in this domain comprising 199 scientific papers. We have employed bibliometric and network analysis tools to complete a systematic literature mapping, identifying 7 key functional areas in airport ground operations: airport gate assignment, boarding process and strategies, turnaround process, baggage handling, ground workforce planning and scheduling, aircraft taxiing and ground movements, and ground support equipment handling. For each area, we explore problems, modeling approaches, and solution methods. Furthermore, the review identifies specific future research directions relevant to the 7 key functional areas of ground operations. The overarching prospective research paths center on algorithmic advancements, adaptability to uncertainty, integration between subdomains, and inclusion of external aspects.
Dahanayaka et al. (2026) studied this question.