Increasing runway capacity

Abstract

Today's major urban airport operates at saturation too frequently but can be upgraded to increase substantially aircraft movement rates by means of a number of system changes. These changes provide for reduced separations between aircraft, use of additional parallels, and more precise control of terminal traffic. There are incremental steps which can be taken to improve the current situation. However, to achieve substantial increases in operating rates with acceptable safety levels, it is necessary to introduce a new landing aid, reconfigure runway designs, use higher quality flight control equipment, and provide ground-air-ground data links and better surveillance for traffic flow organization and conflict monitoring. These features can be used to retrofit current airports or to design new airports. The flexibilities afforded by a new landing system can also reduce noise pollution by permitting flight path geometries not now achievable. The capacity of a single runway can be increased in the near term by approximately 40 percent without changes in current separation standards. In the longer term, it is expected that single runway capacity can be more than doubled with the introduction of improved guidance, flight control, air traffic control automation, and surveillance. Airport acreage can be utilized more efficiently by closer spacing of independent IFR runways.