Modeling and designing aircraft taxiing patterns for a large airport

Abstract

At large airports, aircraft takeoff and land simultaneously on multiple runways. As a result, taxiing is a complex and, at times, lengthy process. Planning for aircraft taxiing is an essential design element for the expansion of runways, taxiways, and terminals. Unnecessary taxiing should be reduced. In this study, we develop a taxiing model and calculate the taxiing time. We observed aircraft traffic patterns and listened to the communication of air traffic controllers (ATCs) in order to develop a taxiing model. The developed model was applied to Narita International Airport. We begin by estimating the time required for taxiing at Narita International for 2014. Next, we propose two strategies to reduce the taxiing time. The first strategy involves changes in departure times with controlled intervals between them. In this strategy, the average taxiing time is reduced by 16.5%. The other strategy requires adjustments in the time from the aircraft departure from the terminal to the start of taxiing. In this strategy, the maximum taxiing time is reduced by 11.5%, and the intervals between the terminal departures and taxiing were more uniform.