A Study of Arriving Aircraft Sequencing and Spacing Methods based on Flight Time

Abstract

Sequencing and spacing of arriving aircraft is an important task in terminal air traffic control. In this report, we applied FTR (Flight Time Restricted) algorithm to a terminal area model. The FTR algorithm is derived from the FCFS (First Come First Served) algorithm, which is the most straightforward arriving aircraft sequencing and spacing algorithm. To handle restrictions in the terminal area model, the algorithm imposes the upper limit of delay time on aircraft arriving in the designated direction. Compared with the FCFS algorithm, the results of the FTR algorithm give good agreement with the ones from the air traffic control simulation experiments. For the purpose of examining the results from the algorithm, we conducted computer simulation experiments. In the experiments, the algorithms are applied to many arriving traffic models. In terms of the feasibility for the restriction, the FTR algorithm proved to be more suitable than the FCFS algorithm.