Airport Traffic Simulation Using Petri Nets

Airport traffic consists of aircraft performing landing, takeoff and taxi procedures. It is controlled by air traffic controller (ATC). To safely perform this task he/she uses traffic surveillance equipment and voice communication systems to issue control clearances. One of the most important indicators of this process efficiency is practical airport capacity, which refers to the number of aircraft handled and delays which occurred at the same time. This paper presents the concept of airport traffic modelling using coloured, timed, stochastic Petri nets. By the example of the airport with one runway and simultaneous takeoff and landing operations, the applicability of such models in analysis of air traffic processes is shown. Simulation experiments, in which CPN Tools package was used, showed the impact of the initial formation of landing aircraft stream on airside capacity of the airport. They also showed the possibility of its increase by changes in the organisation of takeoff and landing processes.