Demonstration of reduced airport congestion through pushback rate control

Airport surface congestion results in significant increases in taxi times, fuel burn and emissions at major airports. This paper describes the field tests of a congestion control strategy at Boston Logan International Airport. The approach determines a suggested rate to meter pushbacks from the gate, in order to prevent the airport surface from entering congested states and to reduce the time that flights spend with engines on while taxiing to the runway. The field trials demonstrated that significant benefits were achievable through such a strategy: during eight four-hour tests conducted during August and September 2010, fuel use was reduced by an estimated 12,250–14,500 kg (4000–4700 US gallons), while aircraft gate pushback times were increased by an average of only 4.4 min for the 247 flights that were held at the gate.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2014.05.014
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856414001384
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/66521
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/09658564
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Simaiakis, Ioannis
  • Khadilkar, Harshad
  • Balakrishnan, Hamsa
  • Reynolds, Tom G
  • Hansman, R John
• Publication Date: 2014-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 251-267
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
  • Volume: 66
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0965-8564
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09658564

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air traffic control; Airports; Field tests; Fuel consumption; Traffic congestion
• Candidate Terms: Airport congestion
• Identifier Terms: Logan International Airport
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Energy; Operations and Traffic Management; Terminals and Facilities; I15: Environment; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01535434
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: NTL, TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 27 2014 10:47AM