Abstract
The runway configuration management (RCM) problem governs what combinations of airport runways are in use at a given time, and to what capacity. Runway configurations (groupings of runways) operate under runway configuration capacity envelopes (RCCEs) which limit arrival and departure capacities. The RCCE identifies unique capacity constraints based on which tarmacs are used for arrivals, departures, or both, and their direction of travel. When switching between RCCEs, some decrement in arrival and departure capacities is incurred by the transition. A previous RCM model (Frankovich et al., 2009) accounted for this cost through a required period of inactivity. In this paper, we instead focus on the introduction and assessment of a model capable of marginally decreasing RCCE capacities during configuration transitions. A transition penalty matrix is introduced, specifying the relative costs (in terms of accepted arrival and departure capacities) for switching between RCCEs. The new model benefits from customizable transition penalties which more closely represent real-world conditions, at a reasonable computational cost.
Highlights
The dynamics of a metroplex—a grouping of airports in close geographic proximity—are governed by a complex underlying framework of airport regulatory guidance, competition, and feasibility constraints
When addressing the RCM problem, it is important to understand the larger scope of Air Transportation System problems surrounding it
Despite uncertainty in the system, flight demand and weather conditions are input into the RCM problem deterministically based on forecasts
Summary
The dynamics of a metroplex—a grouping of airports in close geographic proximity—are governed by a complex underlying framework of airport regulatory guidance, competition, and feasibility constraints. An intuitive response to the forecasted increase is to expand existing or build new airports This approach, is not always practical or possible. An expensive and time-consuming task, but more critically it is often geographically infeasible due to space limitations It is a paradox of the air transportation system: highdemand areas in greatest need of expansion are inherently populated city centers or urban areas without required space to expand. To alleviate congestion while maintaining connectivity to desired destinations, airport operations are tuned as closely to optimal conditions as possible. This goal introduces several challenging subproblems, including the focus of this research: forecasting runway configuration management RCM decisions.
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