RISK AND CAPACITY IMPACTS OF ATC SEPARATION RULES

Some of the most significant factors in determining runway capacity ar e air traffic control regulations. Interaircraft separation regulation s have been established to provide maximum safety to the travelling pu blic. Thus any modification of these regulations, in an attempt to inc rease capacity, must have sufficient benefits to outweigh any increase in risk. A simulation indicated that the required separation between two arriving aircraft of 5,490 m could be reduced to 4,570 m, with a m odeled 15% increase in capacity and a 1.5% increase in risk. Further s imulations indicated that parallel runways spaced as close as 914 m ap art could be operated independently, with capacity increases of betwee n 38% and 95% and no estimated increase in risk. Reducing the present requirement to separate arriving aircraft from departing aircraft by 3 ,560 m to 1,825 m was estimated to result in a 25% increase in capacit y with only a 1.5% increase in risk.