Optimal assignment of aircrew trainees to simulator and classroom training sessions subject to seniority and preference restrictions

We develop an integer programming model and an exact solution methodology for assigning aircrew members to training sessions which they need to attend in order to fulfill the requirements for renewal of their flight capability. The aim is to find the optimal assignment that minimizes the number of unassigned trainees, while also satisfying a variety of seniority, preference, capacity and language compatibility restrictions. The proposed methodology partitions the aircrew members into distinct groups based on their seniority, making the optimal assignment decisions pertaining to each of these groups sequentially. We present extensive computational results demonstrating that the proposed methodology enables the solution of realistic size problems in moderate computational times.