2009
Network Cell Routing Model For Control of Throughput and Delay of Air Traffic
Alex T. Nguyen and J.S. Baras
Proceedings of The 28th Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC - 2009), pp. 2.B.2-1 - 2.B.2-6, Orlando, FL, October 25-29, 2009.
Abstract
Attempts to manage air traffic by either decreasing delay or increasing flow can have the reverse effect on the other. In the National Airspace System (NAS), flights typically depart at their chosen times, and flow management techniques are implemented in the air in an effort to maximize flow, which could lead to delay for individual aircraft. Other areas of the world allow flights to depart only at predetermined slot times knowing that there is a clear unobstructed path, leading to minimal delays but possibly underutilizing airspace.
We propose a new approach in leveraging the
highway cell transmission model (CTM) to the
airspace in the form of a multi-objective optimization
that trades between maximizing throughput and
minimizing delay. The model is posed as a multicommodity
traffic flow integer program where the
constraints are relaxed slightly from the CTM to
examine strategies for achieving optimal throughput
and delay.
In practice, the model is envisioned to initially run offline to determine a preliminary solution to the initial state of the system. Solutions for subsequent changes in actual state can be determined by running the model online for the incremental state change. Stochastic events such as convective weather clearing times or capacities can be included in the model to better see the benefits and impacts of pre-positioning traffic to take advantage of possible future clearing.