Fundamental Characteristics of Decentralized Air Traffic Flow Control in High Density Corridor

Fundamental characteristics of decentralized separation control in a high density air corridor are discussed. A high density air corridor is expected to be an air space where aircraft capable of airborne self-separation are allowed to fly into the same direction. Some decentralized control algorithms are indispensable for its operational safety and a large traffic throughput. In this study two types of self-separation algorithms are investigated through numerical simulations: one is based on the relative velocity vector, and the other is based on the lateral position. The former algorithm is developed based on the free-flight algorithm, and the latter one is based on the assumption that all aircraft intends flying along the corridor. It is clarified that the velocity vector based algorithm leads many aircraft to perform superfluous maneuvers into lateral direction, which results in far larger conflict risk and operational inefficiency than those obtained by the lateral position based algorithm that achieved conflict free operation with high throughput throughout the all numerical simulations. It is concluded that a selfseparation algorithm for a free-flight should not be directly applied for a high density air corridor operation because this algorithm cannot achieve sufficient self-separation during overtaking. Through numerical investigations it is proven that the flight intent has a significant role, and that the lateral position based algorithm has a strong capability to achieve safe and efficient operation of a self-separated high density corridor.