Automatic Cargo Load Planning: Special shipments

The aircraft loading problem is a real-world combinatorial optimisation problem highly constrained. Indeed, loading the aircraft so the gross weight is less than the maximum allowable is not enough. This weight must be distributed to keep the centre of gravity (CG) within specified limits. Moreover, an aircraft has usually several cargo compartments with specific contours and structural limitations such as floor loading, combined load limits and cumulative load limitations. Finally, some shipments are particularly restrictive to transport, like dangerous goods, live animals and perishable goods. This paper is concerned with the incorporation of these latter constraints in a mixed integer linear program for the problem of loading a set of Unit Loading Devices (ULDs) and bulk into an aircraft. Experimental results for real data sets show that the model achieves better balanced solutions in only a few seconds compared to the solution obtained by load masters.