Impact of critical hub airport configuration in the next generation air transportation system

Approximately 69 percent of all US passenger enplanements occur at 30 (hub) airports, which are located in major metropolitan centers. Projections and forecasts show that most of the hub airports will need to undergo significant redevelopment in order to accommodate the predicted traffic volumes. Even though closely spaced parallel approaches increase the throughput capacity, an optimal taxiway layout is necessary to minimize gate-runway time and reduce incursions. This paper presents an airport layout which aims to minimize ground incursions. The airport configuration has been modeled and various scenarios have been tested using different traffic scenarios. The results show an increased level of safety with just a 30% increase in taxi times.