LANDINGS AT LOGAN-AIRPORT - DESCRIBING AND INCREASING AIRPORT CAPACITY

To understand how greatly new computer-based Decision Support Systems can benefit air traffic control, we study air traffic delays for landi ng aircraft at Boston. First, we develop an empirical model for presen t day Landing Time Intervals (LTIs) between aircraft in terms of two f actors that significantly affect them: the landing runway configuratio n and the weight-class categories of the aircraft. Next, we develop th ree increasingly rich models of Boston's terminal airspace and apply, on airflow data, sequencing algorithms meant to expedite the landing o f incoming aircraft. Comparing sequences suggested by the algorithms t o those now used by controllers, we estimate that better sequencing ca n reduce delays by 30% in some instances. However, such improvements m ust be balanced against the effects such algorithms would have on work loads and other aspects of the air traffic control environment.