Routing Flexible Traffic into Metroplex

This research introduces the concepts of metroplex and flexible flight. The dependency metric between the airports in a metroplex is illustrated. Moreover, this paper focuses on metroplex routing algorithm. The authors establish a network model and develop the routing algorithm for flexible flights which fly from their original airports to destination metroplexes based on the model. The routing algorithm is performed under the sector congestion constraint. A metroplex consists of several airports around a metropolitan area instead of one single airport. As a flexible flight follows the metroplex routing instructions and approaches the decision boundary of the metroplex, a scheduler in the Multi-center Traffic Management Advisor (McTMA) will decide which runway of which airport the flight will land in. Together the routing and the scheduling make a complete flexible flight operation.