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Impact of Off-Block Time Uncertainty on the Control of Airport Surface Operations

Author

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  • Sandeep Badrinath

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139;)

  • Hamsa Balakrishnan

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139;)

  • Emily Joback

    (MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Massachusetts 02421)

  • Tom G. Reynolds

    (MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Massachusetts 02421)

Abstract

Congestion at major airports worldwide results in increased taxi times, fuel burn, and emissions. Regulating the pushback of aircraft from their gates, also known as departure metering, is a promising approach to mitigating surface congestion. Departure metering algorithms require models of airport surface traffic and knowledge of when a flight would be to be ready for pushback, which is called the earliest off-block time (EOBT). While EOBTs are known to be inaccurate due to several reasons, there has been little prior research on characterizing EOBT uncertainty and its impact on departure metering. We present a new class of queuing network models for the airport surface that are capable of capturing congestion at multiple locations. We demonstrate our modeling approach using operational data from three major U.S. airports: Newark Liberty International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. We analyze the current levels of uncertainty in the EOBT information published by the airlines and conduct a parametric analysis of the reduction in departure metering benefits due to errors in the EOBT information. Our analysis indicates that the current levels of EOBT uncertainty lead to a 50% reduction in benefits at some airports when compared with an ideal case with no EOBT uncertainty. Two approaches to departure metering are considered: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Airspace Technology Demonstration-2 logic and a new optimal control approach. We show that our queuing network models can help design and evaluate both approaches and that the optimal control approach is more effective in accommodating EOBT uncertainty while maintaining runway utilization.

Suggested Citation

  • Sandeep Badrinath & Hamsa Balakrishnan & Emily Joback & Tom G. Reynolds, 2020. "Impact of Off-Block Time Uncertainty on the Control of Airport Surface Operations," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(4), pages 920-943, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:ortrsc:v:54:y:2020:i:4:p:920-943
    DOI: 10.1287/trsc.2019.0957
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Diana, Tony, 2018. "An evaluation of the impact of wake vortex re-categorization: The case of Charlotte Douglas International airport (CLT)," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 41-49.
    2. Steven A. Morrison & Clifford Winston, 2007. "Another Look at Airport Congestion Pricing," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(5), pages 1970-1977, December.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Chen, Shuiwang & Wu, Lingxiao & Ng, Kam K.H. & Liu, Wei & Wang, Kun, 2024. "How airports enhance the environmental sustainability of operations: A critical review from the perspective of Operations Research," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    3. Guglielmo Lulli & Amedeo Odoni & Bruno F. Santos, 2020. "Introduction to the Special Section: Air Transportation Systems Planning and Operations Under Uncertainty," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(4), pages 855-857, July.

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