Schedule activated management system for optimizing aircraft arrivals at congested airports
First Claim
1. A method for optimizing aircraft arrivals at congested airports, comprising the steps of:
- obtaining by an Air Traffic Service Provider (ANSP) basic flight information for all flights scheduled to arrive at an airport during a specified operational period, said basic flight information including for each flight a requested Tactical Arrival Time (TAT) and a flexibility measure for said TAT;
creating from said basic flight information target TATs for each of said flights;
offering said target TATs to airlines controlling said flights;
negotiating with said airlines until acceptance of TATs for said flights;
issuing said TATs, each TAT for a flight being issued prior to departure of said flight.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system is provided for managing the inbound flow of aircraft to an airfield by ensuring that aircraft are sequenced before departure into an arrival stream. Sequencing uses operational data obtained from airlines and then provides a methodology for sharing this data with the air traffic control (ATC) agency. The outcome is a daily arrival schedule providing a predetermined operational arrival time for each aircraft movement. The operational data used by the system relates to airline punctuality, taxi times at departure airfields and actual flight times predicted on a flight-by-flight basis by airline flight planning systems. This information is combined to effect a predictive arrival time at a desired navigational fix. When used in conjunction with an optimised sequencing process for the final arrival time, the system then creates a Tactical Arrival Time (TAT) for an individual flight. Airlines share proportionally in a measure of departures from requested TATs, such measures being optionally weighted.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for optimizing aircraft arrivals at congested airports, comprising the steps of:
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obtaining by an Air Traffic Service Provider (ANSP) basic flight information for all flights scheduled to arrive at an airport during a specified operational period, said basic flight information including for each flight a requested Tactical Arrival Time (TAT) and a flexibility measure for said TAT;
creating from said basic flight information target TATs for each of said flights;
offering said target TATs to airlines controlling said flights;
negotiating with said airlines until acceptance of TATs for said flights;
issuing said TATs, each TAT for a flight being issued prior to departure of said flight. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A Schedule Activated Management System for optimizing aircraft arrivals at congested airports, comprising:
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means for obtaining by an Air Traffic Service Provider (ANSP) basic flight information for all flights scheduled to arrive at an airport during a specified operational period, said basic flight information including for each flight a requested Tactical Arrival Time (TAT) and a flexibility measure for said TAT;
means for creating from said basic flight information target TATs for each of said flights;
means for offering said target TATs to airlines controlling said flights;
means for negotiating with said airlines until acceptance of TATs for said flights;
means for issuing said TATs, each TAT for a flight being issued prior to departure of said flight. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification