Article
citation information:
Gołda, P. Selected decision
problems in the implementation of airport operations. Scientific Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series
Transport. 2018, 101, 79-88.
ISSN: 0209-3324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20858/sjsutst.2018.101.8.
Paweł GOŁDA[1]
SELECTED DECISION
PROBLEMS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AIRPORT OPERATIONS
Summary. The article presents the key processes taking
place in the area of the airport’s plate. The need to look for effective
methods and tools supporting decision-making in the area of improving the
efficiency and effectiveness of airport operations is pointed out. In addition
to efficiency, reliability and the level of costs generated, work safety is an important aspect in the organization of airport
operations. Work safety during the implementation of airport operations is one
of the basic factors affecting the design and organization of airport systems.
A graph of the airport panel structure is proposed and the decision problems
regarding the taxiing of the aircraft on the apron and handling of the ship
after landing are indicated.
Keywords: air traffic management; model; simulation; air traffic control
1.
INTRODUCTION
Most airports are extremely busy
environments, which operate at the peak of their capabilities. Congestion at
airports and in airspace causes frequent delays, which additionally burden
already tight schedules. Nevertheless, as the medium- and long-term predictions
by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) show, aircraft traffic
will increase significantly.
The demand in societies for material
goods multiplies the number of flights between countries and companies.
Significant companies in the world market often have their own aircraft, and
the use of aircraft as a means of transport is as common as using a bus or
rail. All these elements mean that maintaining the high efficiency of airport
processes is a necessary condition for the proper
and competitive functioning of airports.
Constant advances in technology give
these changes speed; as a result, airports must implement newer methods and
tools to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. Nevertheless, among the
ubiquitous efforts to reduce operating and exploitation costs, while increasing
the efficiency of airports, one cannot forget the safety of the working
environment, employees and, most importantly, passengers. An important area of
transport system research is transport ecology and the construction of
appropriate models in this regard. [9].
The design of airports and the
organization of their work requires the identification of the basic components
of the airport process, such as:
- The “air” side, including the
approaching landing phase and the landing operation itself, as well as the
take-off
- The “ground” side, including
the taxiing of aircraft on the apron and ground handling tasks
- The “terminal” side, including
passenger service tasks
These elements create a causal
sequence, or a series-parallel structure, which determines the quality of
services provided by the airport, their efficiency,
reliability and price. As seen the data in Figure 1, the average delay value of
aircraft during one taxi operation based on the 34 largest airports in Europe
is as long as 4.8 min.
Fig. 1. The average
delay value of aircraft during one taxi operation for
the top 20 airports in Europe.
Source: own work based
on [2]
Aircraft taxiing operations on the
apron integrate the flight phase (including its components and its problems,
such as arrival and departure sequencing) and the phase of the ground handling
of aircraft and passengers in terminals [1]. For this reason, the design of
the taxiway system and organization of the taxiing process on these roads is a two-sided
problem, which is clearly visible in the literature on the subject [1,4,5,10,12,14,16].
The article presents decision
problems related to the organization of taxiways for aircraft after landing and
the assignment of positions for passenger
service, followed by preparing the aircraft for the next flight.
2.
ANALYSIS OF PROCESSES REALIZED ON THE APRON: A LITERATURE REVIEW
Work safety, along with
efficiency, reliability and the level of generated costs, is one of the basic
factors affecting the design and organization of airport systems. This
particularly applies to processes taking place in the area of the apron, where,
in a small space, with a high density of resources and significantly reduced
visibility, transport processes are carried out and generally significantly
intensified. Working conditions in the area of the manoeuvring area are
conducive to hazards related to collisions or accidents to which not only
individuals, but also loads and infrastructure are exposed.
Despite interdependences
related to security, capacity, weather constraints and the individual goals of
stakeholders, today’s air traffic management (ATM) system is already
highly optimized. We are constantly looking for tools that will support
decision-making in this area. The development of an appropriate tool requires,
however, the ability to recognize and effectively analyse issues concerning,
among others:
- increasing the capacity of the airport
- planning the positioning of aircraft on the
apron
- taxiway lengths
- selection of the number of runways
- optimization of taxiing routes of aircraft
on the apron
- take-off and landing sequences, including
analysis of rapid exit routes
- maintaining high security stocks
- efficiency and effectiveness of airport
processes in the aspect of airport operations safety
In many works, the problem of
analysis and evaluation of ground operations at airports in various aspects is
being raised. For example, the authors Atkin, Burke and Ravizza in [1] present research on the
organization of the taxiing process of aircraft on the apron. The basic
problems in the organization of the taxiing
process of aircraft on the apron include, among others: minimization of delays
caused by congestion on manoeuvring areas, shortening the time of landing and
take-off operations by appropriate planning of aircraft and displacement
routes, increasing performance at the airport and minimizing the negative
impact of air transport on the environment.
On the other hand, Nikoleris, Gupta
and Kistler in [14] present a detailed analysis of the level of emissions of
harmful exhaust components during subsequent phases of taxiing operations. They
show that aircraft stop and start operations, resulting from congestion on
taxiways, are responsible for about 18% of the
total fuel used for taxiing. In turn, the operation of engines in the minimum
range and rolling of the plane at a constant speed and braking are the
operations responsible for the emission of a large part (about 35%) of the
exhaust gas. To conduct the tests, data on ground operations are used and
broken down into the following phases: stopping, turning back, accelerating,
braking and moving at a constant speed. The results
obtained in this and in other similar studies can be used to construct the
objective function of the task of organizing the process of aircraft
taxiing on the apron, taking into account environmental aspects and, at the
same time, translating them into increased traffic flow and shortening taxi
time, which are associated with reducing emissions [3,13].
Gotteland, Durand, Alliot and Page [5]
deal with the issue of ground traffic optimization using the example of Paris
Charles de Gaulle Airport, noting that ground operations at such a loaded
airport are an essential factor in port performance. The authors have presented
the formulation of the optimization task, whereby the time in which aircraft
travel the route between the gates and the runway is minimized. The proposed
optimization model includes time and distance separation, as well as the
maximum number of take-off and landing operations that can be carried out on
runways. It has been proposed to map the uncertainty of aircraft speed on the
apron and the time separation model. The structure of the airport was
represented by a graph. The task is solved using the genetic algorithm and A*:
1-to-n strategy for a fixed aircraft flight plan. The correctness of the
solution algorithms’ operation is verified with the use of simulations with
real data. The authors emphasize the high computational complexity of the
problem.
The above-mentioned tests and
computational experiments indicate that it is possible to construct a tool
supporting the management of taxiing operations for a major airport. An
important aspect in this respect is the selection of appropriate algorithms [6,7,8,11].
The analysis in many studies shows that methods based on evolutionary
algorithms have a large application in this field.
3.
MAPPING THE STRUCTURE OF THE APRON
3.1. General
assumptions
The airport structure is
distinguished by the air side of the airport, aerial ground equipment and
centralized airport infrastructure. The air side of the airport is an area
permanently designed for aircraft take-offs and landings
together with devices used to service this traffic, for which access is
controlled. On the other hand, aerial ground equipment comprises devices
installed for the purpose of safe aircraft navigation. These are:
radiocommunication devices, radiolocation devices, radio navigational devices,
visual navigational aids, and automatic measurement systems for meteorological
parameters, e.g., RVR visibility, cloud bases. Centralized airport
infrastructure includes devices and objects used for the ground handling of
aircraft.
The airport apron is a paved element
at the airport where aircraft are placed after landing and taxiing (Figure 2).
Fig. 2. Positioning
points of aircraft after landing and taxiing
Source: own work based
on [15]
3.2. Graph of the apron structure
For the
purposes of the research, it is assumed that the structure of the apron, on
which operations related to the take-off, landing and taxiing of aircraft on
the apron are performed, can be presented in the form of a graph, understood as
a set of elements and a set of relations between these elements. It is
assumed that the connections between all distinguished points of the apron
structure will be taxiing routes for aircraft.
It is assumed that the structure is defined as
follows:
GPL=<K,L> (3.1)
where:
GPL -
the structure of the apron on which
the aircraft is moved,
K -
a set of points distinguished in the
airport structure for defining taxiways for aircraft on the apron,
L -
a set of taxiway sections between
the highlighted points of the apron structure.
For the purposes of developing the
model structure, it is assumed that the structure elements will be numbered
with the index k. Thus, K
will be a set in the form:
K={1, 2, …, k, k’,…,
} (3.2)
where is the cardinality of the set K.
Among the elements of the K
set, three types of nodes can be distinguished, namely: touchdown points,
parking points and intermediate points of taxiways of aircraft in which planes
change the direction of movement or have a temporary stop resulting from the
traffic situation on the apron (e.g., due to a touchdown
point taking place).
Thus, if:
-
α(k)=0, then the element with the number k (kÎK) is the touchdown node in the aircraft traffic
system on the apron
-
α(k)=1, then the element with the number k (kÎK) is the intermediate node in the aircraft
traffic system on the apron
-
α(k)=2, then the element with the number k (kÎK) is the parking node in the aircraft traffic
system on the apron
Taking into account the above, it
was assumed that:
– PP
= {k: a(k)=0, kÎK} will be a set of touchdown point
numbers
– 
} will be a set of intermediate point
numbers
– 
} will be a set of parking point
numbers
Sets
PP,
PS and PO are, by definition, sets of disjointed pairs,
i.e.:
PP Ç PS = Æ; PP Ç PO = Æ, PS Ç PO = Æ
and
PP
= K
\(PSÈPO); PS = K \(PPÈPO); PO
= K
\(PPÈPS);
It is also necessary to identify
connections between the highlighted points of the apron structure. It has been
assumed that, for the purpose of building the model,
direct connections between individual elements of the apron structure are used,
i.e., connections occurring between:
-
touchdown
points (nodes) and intermediate points (nodes)
-
various
indirect points (nodes) of taxiways
-
taxiing
intermediate points (nodes) and parking points (nodes)
The
symbol L is the set of sections between the points of the airport
plate structure.
} (3.3)
Thus, L = LPPS È LPSP È LPSSÈ LPSO È LPOS
where:
- 
} a set of
taxiway sections connecting touchdown points from a PP set and intermediate
points from a PS set
- 
} a set of taxiway sections connecting
intermediate points from the PS set and touchdown points from the
PP
set
- 
a set of taxiway sections directly
connecting the highlighted intermediate points from the PS set
- 
} a set of
taxiway sections connecting intermediate nodes from the PS
set and nodes from the PO set
- 
} a set of
taxiway sections connecting parking nodes from the PO set and intermediate nodes from
the PS
set
For the purposes of research, it is
assumed that the defined taxiway sections are bidirectional and that, between
two nodes, according to the previous assumption, at most one connection is
identified.
4.
DECISION PROBLEMS FOR COMPLETING
AIRPORT OPERATIONS
4.1. Decisions
regarding the taxiing operation of an aircraft on the apron
Aircraft taxiing operations on the
apron are an important element in the aircraft’s handling process on the
apron. As part of taxi operations, aircraft move within the airport using a
network of roads for various purposes. The times of these operations have an
impact on the time of succession and the time of take-off and landing.
Therefore, they may limit the capacity of the airport.
Important aspects in the
implementation of airport operations are the take-off and landing procedures.
These procedures include several stages, of which the most prominent are
(Figure 3):
-
Stage
1 – This is when the captain of the aircraft asks for permission to taxi
in order to take off and receives information about the runway in use and
permission to taxi.
-
Stage
2 - The aircraft is taxing on taxiways up to the designated place in front of
the runway (if the traffic situation so requires, the departing aircraft will
be stopped in a safe place for other airport operations). At the place of
stopping and waiting for a start, an engine test may be performed.
-
Stage
3 - In the absence of contraindications concerning the execution of the
take-off operation, the permit to take off is issued, if the situation did not
allow for the issue of such a permit in Stage 2.
-
Stage
4 - A landing permit is issued, if there are no factors preventing the landing
operation
-
Stage
5 - At this stage, a permit is issued to taxi the aircraft on the apron.
-
Stage
6 - Information about the aircraft parking place on the apron is provided.
Fig.
3. Important stages during airport operations
Source: own work based
on [15]
Among the decision problems in the
area of taxiing operations of an aircraft on the apron, the following should be
mentioned:
-
the
runway during arrivals and departures
-
length,
maximum permissible wingspan and maximum permissible total weight of the
aircraft for each taxiway
-
location
of the intersection between the two taxiways
-
specific
rules for the use of taxiways in special conditions, such as wet surfaces, poor
visibility and daytime limitations
4.2. Decisions regarding the operation of the aircraft
In larger airports, the aircraft,
after taxiing to a parking place designated by the air traffic coordinator for
its service, is connected to the passenger terminal by means of a mobile
sleeve. After taxiing to the parking place, the aircraft is serviced. All
vehicles and aircraft that use and move on the apron must have an air traffic
control permit. In addition, vehicles are required to follow the ICAO
regulations and applicable rules at the airport.
Aircraft service is carried out
according to a specific sequence of activities (Figure 4).
Among the decision-making problems
in the area of servicing the aircraft after taxiing to the parking place are:
-
assignment
of a parking place
-
handling
(low cost)
-
type
of service
Fig. 4. Aircraft service
diagram
Source: own work based on
[2]
5.
CONCLUSIONS
Congestion at airports and in airspace causes frequent delays, which
additionally burden already tight schedules. Nevertheless, as the medium- and
long-term ICAO predictions show, aircraft traffic will increase significantly. Currently used tools supporting the management
of safety, throughput and organization of air traffic are beginning to
encounter many problems. These are determined by many constraints, including
weather constraints and individual goals of stakeholders. That is why
today’s ATM system requires constant analysis and the search for more
effective methods to solve these problems.
It is therefore necessary to conduct
research into and analysis of issues including:
-
identification
of types and tasks of airport facilities in real systems
-
identification
of tasks at airports
-
identification
of types of processes and activities carried out at airports
-
identification
of security threats
-
identification
of methods, principles and tools for measuring and assessing airport performance
Discussing the methods for building
targeted models of real airport processes, including the development of
mathematical models of aerodrome objects and processes enabling the assessment
of airport performance, requires the identification of effective algorithms for
solving them. An important area of research involves methods based on the
simulation tests of airport processes, taking into account safety and
efficiency.
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Received 17.07.2018; accepted in revised form 28.10.2018
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Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series Transport is licensed
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