Evaluation of Airport Environmental Carrying Capacity: A Case Study in Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China

Abstract

In order to clarify the comprehensive operational capabilities of the airport and better plan the sustainable development mode of the airport, this paper studies the evaluation method of airport environmental carrying capacity. First, this paper proposes the concept of airport environmental carrying capacity by taking into account the complex characteristics of airports affected by multiple factors and then selects 16 representative evaluation indicators to construct an indicator system based on the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Response (DPSR) framework. Finally, the accelerated genetic algorithm-projection pursuit model is established to model a comprehensive evaluation index, which is used to calculate the airport environmental carrying capacity (AECC). The results of the case study show that the AECC of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) decreased year by year from 2008 to 2017, which is in line with the coordinated development level of CAN. By analysing the changing mechanism of AECC and indicators, we get 6 key influencing indicators that led to the continuous decline of AECC and put forward some political suggestions to improve the AECC.