Model, Visualize, and Analyze Runway Throughput and Capacity

Estimating runway capacity is fundamental to all airport planning. For capacity constrained airports, optimizing the usage of runway resources is a primary objective. AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer is the perfect tool to assess current and future throughput of an airport’s runway system. It achieves this objective by decoupling the runway system from both the airspace and the remaining airfield. AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer overcomes the limitations of existing analytical capacity assessments by applying the Monte Carlo simulation method to propagate uncertainty from input parameters to throughput estimates. The decoupling of the runway system allows for many traffic sequences to be analyzed in order to obtain a robust throughput estimate while respecting constraints on fleet mix, Level of Service, arrival/departure ratio, and schedule times.

What Makes AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer Unique

Analyze traffic

Determine optimized traffic sequence and test future traffic demand in terms of runway capacity shortfall or excess.

Assess runway performance

Evaluate the runway system throughput and delay under various conditions (while respecting constraints on fleet mix, level of service, arrival/departure ratio, and schedule times).

Optimize operations

Study the impacts of factors like fleet mix, required aircraft separation, runway layout and mode of operation, location and use of entries and exits, level of service and acceptable delay, and preferential treatment of certain flights.

Seamless integration

The AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer module can be used as a standalone application but for the most accurate results it is best operated together with the Airside Aircraft and TMA/TRACON modules.

Features

Assess Runway Capacity and Optimize Flight Sequences

AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer is the perfect tool to assess current and future throughput of an airport’s runway system. It achieves this objective by decoupling the runway system from both the airspace and the remaining airfield.

• Obtain optimized traffic sequence
• Evaluate throughput of the runway system for various conditions
• Assess delay with respect to runway target times for various conditions
• Test future traffic demand in terms of runway capacity shortfall or excess

Use Existing AirTOP Models

AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer can re-use existing AirTOP model setup including the airfield layout, runway usage, and required separations with minor adaptation in most cases. Also, traffic schedules available in existing AirTOP models can be used. This compatibility greatly reduces the time required to set up and perform an analysis using the AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer and ensures consistency between the fast-time simulation model and the runway capacity model.

Explore Isolated Runway System Capacity

To establish the maximum runway throughput the AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer isolates the runway system, rendering the results independent of constraints in the airspace and other parts of the airfield. It is thus possible to analyze whether the runway system poses a bottleneck for the overall throughput and to estimate the subsystem capacity. An additional benefit is a vastly increased performance with respect to a fast-time simulation with aircraft movements not being simulated.

Generate Demand to Explore Capacity Limits

AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer can generate traffic samples considering various parameters such as fleet mix, arrival/departure ratio and possible slot intervals. This enables the user to analyze scenarios with higher demand than provided by the actual schedule. Maximized throughput estimates can also be used to declare the capacity of the runway system. This can apply, for example, to new airports or airports planning new runways.

Level of Service Constraints

AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer can consider Level of Service (LoS) constraints. LoS constraints define the maximum accepted delays with respect to the target runway times. The delay may represent the overall (average) delay accepted for all flights or the maximum delay accepted for each flight. The possibility to define conditions matching sets of flights provides additional flexibility. For instance, it is possible to provide different LoS for different air carriers.

Optimize Flight Sequences

AirTOP’s Runway Capacity Analyzer module arranges the flights in an optimum sequence, resulting in, for example, a maximized throughput. Various throughput estimates can be obtained, depending on the type of traffic data used for the calculations and the applied calculation methods. For generated traffic, the throughput can be analyzed for a fixed demand or maximized within certain constraints.

Uncertainty Analysis through Monte Carlo Simulation

AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer allows to optimize multiple sequences in parallel, for instance varying delay, runway exit usage, or touch down speeds. It also allows to add randomization of the analysis input at several levels. In combination, this provides the means to propagate uncertainty from the input parameters to the output using the Monte Carlo method.

Data Logging and Visualization

AirTOP Runway Capacity Analyzer comes with its own reporting system. Each run result represents a sequenced traffic sample, and the details of this sequence are fully accessible. Various statistics for each sequence and for all sequences are also available. Tabulated results and charts allow for quick validation and effective communication to stakeholders. Both sequence details and statistics can be exported for further processing.