1. 2008
Airport capacity and
delay-
Airport Planning & Management
As air traffic levels continue to grow over time, additional demands placed
upon the national airspace system will strain the system’s airport capacity.
The key to keeping pace with future demand is by planning ahead, and to
help with that planning that looks over the horizon at the capacity
challenges ahead.
Nabil Diab
Everglades University, Florida, USA
2008
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2. ASC640- Airport Planning & Management- Supervisor: Prof. Mark Cervasio
Airport capacity and delay
Capacity refers to the ability of an airport to handle a given volume or magnitude of traffic
(demand) within a specified time period. Four distinct elements in a capacity analysis:
 Airspace
 Airfield
 Terminal
 Ground access
Airport and Airway Safety and Capacity Enhancement Act of 1987 (ACEA) gave highest
priority for AIP funding to capacity-enhancing project.
FAA now stipulates that AIP grants can only be issued for capacity enhancement if the airport
certifies that all of its elements can handle the increased traffic.
Airfield Capacity
Airfield capacity is the rate at which aircraft movements on the runway/taxiway system
result in a given level of delay defined by:
 Throughput capacity
The rate at which aircraft can operate at the airfield without regard to any
delay
 Practical capacity
Subjective value judgment about how much delay is tolerable.
Acceptable level of delay : A judgment that recognizes that some delays are:
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3. ASC640- Airport Planning & Management- Supervisor: Prof. Mark Cervasio
o Unavoidable
o Too expensive to eliminate
o Few aircraft will encounter a higher level than normal
o Number of operations that can be expressed in terms of the
maximum acceptable rate incurring an average delay.
o An airport is severely congested when average delay exceeds 9
minutes.
o Practical capacity is always less than throughput capacity.
Practical hourly capacity (PHOCAP)
Total combined capacity measure of runway, taxiway, and gate
areas.
Practical annual capacity (PANCAP)
Level of operation that results in not more than four minutes
average delay per aircraft in a normal peak two-hour operating
period.
Airport acceptance rate (AAR)
Used by airport radar traffic control centers to calculate the desired
interval between successive arriving aircraft.
FAA measures of delay
o Air Traffic Operations Management System (ATOMS)
Records aircraft delayed by more than 15 minutes.
Includes cause:
Weather
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4. ASC640- Airport Planning & Management- Supervisor: Prof. Mark Cervasio
Terminal volume
Center volume
Closed runways or taxiways
National Airspace System equipment interruptions
o Airline Service Quality Performance (ASQP)
Collected from airlines with 1% or more of total domestic scheduled passenger
revenue, includes all delays, by phase of flight.
Managing capacity
Factors for managing capacity:
o Airfield characteristics
Most critical determinant is runway configuration
o Airspace characteristics and air traffic control
Mile-in trail or minute-in-trail restrictions
Least disruptive traffic management initiatives, however, least
accurate.
Traffic management systems
 Software that assists the management of a smooth flow of aircraft
to and from airports with minimum delay
 Metering aims to match the arrival of aircraft to the ability of the
airport to handle the volume
 Meteorological conditions
 Demand characteristics
Spacing standards between aircraft on take-off
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5. ASC640- Airport Planning & Management- Supervisor: Prof. Mark Cervasio
ATC required to double departure times from 60 s to 120 s after a heavy jet
Managing demand
Promote more effective or economically efficient use of existing facilities rather than
adding true capacity
o Administrative management:
Limiting or diverting traffic reduces the need for capital improvements at airports
with capacity problems
Includes restricting access by setting quotas on enplanements or the number and
type of operations
Slots
A block of time allocated to an airport user to perform an aircraft
operation
Term was originally used to identify the authority of an aircraft to
conduct an IFR operation at a high density airport
Slots are controlled by FAA, but can be bought, sold, leased, or
transferred within FAA limitations and approval
Purpose is to alleviate congestion at high demand or high density
airports
Slot auctions allow peak-hour access only to those users willing to
pay a market-determined price
Slots represent one of the most significant barriers to entry in the
airline business
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6. ASC640- Airport Planning & Management- Supervisor: Prof. Mark Cervasio
The high density rule governing slots was implemented in 1969
and formalized in FAR Part 93
Diversion of traffic
Moves traffic (primarily general aviation) to reliever airports
Reduces delay by allowing for greater uniformity of aircraft mix at
an airport
Balances the use of aircraft among several metropolitan air carrier airports
Rehubbing: Using transfer hubs to redistribute operations to less busy
airports
Economic management
Aviation economists favor allocating airport access by demand management,
which relies on a pricing mechanism
Most commonly favored economic management methods of reducing delay:
Differential pricing
Three NYC metropolitan airports reduced congestion by applying
a peak hour surcharge
Slot management
Slot
Block of time allocated to an aircraft to perform an airport
operation
One of the most significant barriers of entry in the airline
business
High density rule
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7. ASC640- Airport Planning & Management- Supervisor: Prof. Mark Cervasio
Implemented in 1969
Formalized under FAR Part 93
Originally only applied to IFR, which allowed
airlines to operate more aircraft under VMC
When weather deteriorates to IMC, airlines
were required to reroute or cancel flights
that exceeded capacity limit
FAA recalls any slot not used 80% of the time over
two months
Allocations
Administrative determinations
Negotiations among airlines
Reservation system
Allocate GA and charter slots on a first come, first
serve basis
Auctions
Advocates argue airport access should be treated as a
scarce resource and priced accordingly
Allow peak-hour access at a market-determined price
FAA has modified FAR Part 93 to incorporate special rules that
allow slots to be purchased, sold, traded, or leased by any party
Technological and weather solutions
Value of technology is measured by its ability to achieve:
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8. ASC640- Airport Planning & Management- Supervisor: Prof. Mark Cervasio
Increased capacity
Higher efficiency or throughput
Greater safety
Improved reliability
Greater accuracy
Lower cost
Greater convenience
National Airspace Architecture
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Intended to be the sole means of future navigation and landing guidance
Coupled with the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and the
Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS)
Decision Support System (DSS) architecture
For air traffic controllers and traffic management coordinators
Provides more functions, information, upgraded displays, and better data
exchange
Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS)
Replacing TRACON equipment
Supports current radar, traffic and weather advisory, and
navigational assistance services
Operational and Supportability Implementation System (OASIS)
Commercial-based DSS
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9. ASC640- Airport Planning & Management- Supervisor: Prof. Mark Cervasio
Incorporates functions currently provided by the graphic weather
display, flight service data processing equipment, aviation weather
processor, and direct user access terminal service
Low Level Wind shear Alert System (LLWAS)
Doppler radars positioned at different locations on and around an airport
Measure wind velocity and direction
Automated Surface Observation Stations (ASOS)
Similar to Automated Weather Observation Systems (AWOS)
Some aviation users have criticized ASOS, because:
It cannot replicate the observations of distant phenomena, such as
thunderstorms
It doesn’t provide a trend analysis of whether conditions are improving or
deteriorating
Sometimes the information transmitted is in error
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