Airport Characterization for the Adaptation of Surface Congestion Management Approaches

Surface congestion management has received increased attention worldwide, largely due to its potential to mitigate operational inefficiencies and environmental impact. Most prior efforts have focused on demonstrations of a proposed congestion management approach at a particular airport, and not on the adaptation of a particular approach to a range of airport operating environments. This paper proposes a methodology for generic adaptation of surface congestion management approaches. Data and case studies from Boston Logan International Airport, New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport are used to illustrate the diversity in operating environments. The paper then proposes techniques for characterizing airport surface operations using site surveys and operational data. Finally, it shows how these characterizations can be used for the adaptation of a given congestion management approach to different airports. Keywords-surface congestion management; departure planner; surface manager; deployment; performance characterization.