This study addresses apron minimization in the airport aircraft gate assignment problem and examines the approaches of different algorithms to this optimization problem. Three different algorithms are used to determine which gates to direct available aircraft at the airport: the greedy approach, first-come, first-served (FCFS), and simulated annealing. These algorithms were coded in MATLAB, and their performances were compared by testing them on randomly generated and real data sets. The random data sets constituted the control group of the study, while the real data sets were used to simulate real-world scenarios. Each algorithm was applied to the data sets to achieve apron minimization, and the obtained results were recorded. Experimental findings demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of different algorithms on apron minimization. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature by comparing the contributions and performance of the algorithms on apron minimization for the airport aircraft gate assignment problem. The obtained results enable the development of more efficient and effective gate assignment strategies and the improvement of airport operations.