Ground control support to evaluate runway sequence modifications: Design and evaluation

• When an aircraft cannot comply with the original CDM plan, a modification of the original plan is required • Instead of using the FCFS principle and maximize throughput, traffic that complies with the original plan must be handled as close as possible to this plan: a best-planned-best-served principle • Our proposed approach is to develop planning functions to support the controller with real-time optimization of the taxi traffic flow, taking into account the CDM requirements and the best-planned-best-served principle • The development, implementation and evaluation of a proposed planning function that supports the controller in evaluating runway sequence modifications was presented • Instead of calculating one best solution an algorithm can calculate different solutions based on different rating criteria • Depict the different solutions, the controller can decide which solution best fits a specific situation • Initial GUI requirements were defined and based on these requirements a prototype was developed • The GUI prototype was installed on a computer with a touch-sensitive screen and scenarios were developed using actual data from Amsterdam airport • A total of 19 controllers participated in an evaluation • The evaluation demonstrated the need for support tools in a best-planned-best-served operation • A clear difference between the rating criteria implemented in the used algorithm and the criteria the controllers use, is the extra delay for the already delayed flight • Instead of trying to fine tune which rating criteria to use, a GUI can support the controller in balancing the consequences • The implemented GUI supported the controller in evaluating the consequences of the different sequence modifications