Conceptual Questions in Air Traffic Control Design

Abstract

ATC system organization is discussed with regard to safety, capacity and delay. The derivation of explicit relations between these is believed possible. This could form a framework for system improvement studies. Adoption of quantitative safety goals would be helpful. Improvements in runway capacity and terminal operations and determination of minimum spacing between parallel runways are discussed. The overall system is viewed as a lightly coupled but heavily loaded system. Tighter coupling to shift delays to the ground and to decrease airborne delays due to occasional en route saturation is reluctantly viewed as necessary. Expansion of terminal capacity is urgently needed to reduce total delay and to reduce need for overall system coupling. Various analyses are needed to understand the organic functioning of the system and to properly frame conceptual questions which need resolution.