A comparison of control techniques in a semi-automated air traffic control system

The process of bringing in and landing aircraft at the nation´s larger airports is under great pressure to be improved. The capacity of a runway, measured in operations per hour, is a parameter of special interest, particularly when the demand exceeds that figure. The paper discusses an investigation of the performance of two alternative methods of controlling the flow of aircraft in a terminal approach area. The basis for the development of the control strategies and a discussion of their inherent characteristics are presented, and runway capacity and other important measures of performance are investigated.