Increased Arrival Capacity Through the Use of the ATC-Wake Separation Mode Planner

Abstract

Today’s wake vortex separation rules tend to become capacity bottlenecks at busy airports. Within the ATC-Wake project for the European Commission, an integrated Air Traffic Control (ATC) wake vortex safety and capaci ty system has been designed so as to provide the means to significantly enhance airport capacity. The system will enable Air Traffic Controllers to apply new weather based dynamic aircraft separation. One of the components of the ATC-Wake system is the Separation Mode Planner (SMP) that advices the ATC supervisor about safe and adequate separation. The SMP is used in the planning phase where weather and wake vortex forecast information is used together with aircraft separation rules to establish the arrival and/or de parture sequence. Weather nowcasting and wake vortex prediction and detection information is used in the tactical phase to monitor and control safe separation. Wind forecast data alo ng the flight path is used in the proposed methodology of the SMP to determine time frames suitable for reduced separation. Criteria on crosswind and associated safe separation minima are derived from safety assessment results. The methodology is illustrated using Nowca sting Wake Vortex Impact Variables (NOWVIV) wind forecast data and WAke Vortex Induced Risk assessment (WAVIR) results for Single Runway Arrivals. Analysis of a crosswind climatology provides insight in the potential benefits in terms of runway throughput or delay reduction.