Unified Optimization of Traffic Flows Through Airports

We present a novel integer optimization approach to optimize, in a tractable and unified manner, the airport operations optimization problem. This includes solving the entirety of key air traffic flow management problems faced at an airport: (a) selecting a runway configuration sequence, i.e., determining which runways are open at which times and in which mode they operate; (b) assigning flights to runways and determining the sequence in which flights are processed (i.e., when they take off or land); (c) determining the gate-holding duration of departures; and (d) routing flights to their assigned runway and onward within the terminal area and the near-terminal airspace. The key contribution of this paper is the modeling of these problems, which until present have been studied in isolation, under a framework that is both unified and tractable. This allows the possibility of obtaining system-optimal solutions in a practical amount of time. Furthermore, the approach is implemented on historic data sets from both Boston Logan International and Dallas/Fort Worth International airports. Computational experience indicates that significant reductions in delays, fuel use, and emissions can be achieved from this optimization and that computational tractability is such that real-world instances can be solved within five to 10 minutes.