The Point Merge System (PMS) is one of the approaches that offer systematic sequencing in terminal maneuver area (TMA) which was developed at the EUROCONTROL Experimental Centre in 2006. The Parallel-Point Merge System (P-PMS) is used in TMAs with high air traffic density as a combination of two PMSs with opposite directions. However, it is difficult to optimize arrival sequences in such a system because of the additional separation requirements at common points as well as at merge points. Additionally, it is important to operate at maximum efficiency with parallel runway systems when using the runway reassignment process. Reassigning arriving/departing aircraft to a different runway, however, can significantly affect delays and fuel consumption depending on the difference in taxi-in/out times. This effect is overlooked in most aircraft sequencing and scheduling optimization studies with PMS. This study proposes single and multi-objective programming models for a TMA with P-PMS to minimize total fuel consumption, total flight time, and total delay including taxi-in/out times. The models were implemented on the current layout of Istanbul Airport having two PMS with two merge points, three common points, and five parallel runways. The considered traffic scenarios included both dependent and independent runway operations for mixed arrival–departure sequences. The results revealed that arrival–departure sequencing considering taxi-in/out times resulted in shorter delays up to 77.5% and low level of fuel consumption up to 8.7%.
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the performance of the most popular multi-objective programming scalarization methods in the literature for the aircraft sequencing and scheduling problem (ASSP). These methods are the weighted sum method, weighted goal programming, the ε-constraint method, the elastic constraint method, weighted Tchebycheff and augmented weighted Tchebycheff.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the ASSP for a single runway case was modeled using mixed-integer programming considering the safety and operational constraints and the objectives of the minimization of total delay and total flight time for a sample airport. The objectives were then combined by using the multi-objective programming scalarization methods and various expected times of arrival–departure samples were run for the mathematical models. Finally, the methods were evaluated in terms of the number of nondominated solutions, superior nondominated solution and the average solution time using the Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to Compromise Solution method, which is a popular multi-criteria decision-making method.
Findings
Augmented Weighted Tchebycheff was found to be the most effective approach to ASSP in terms of the evaluation criteria followed by Weighted Tchebycheff and then weighted sum method.
Practical implications
The methodology presented in this study could provide more efficient air traffic management in terminal maneuvering areas when multiple objectives need to be optimized.
Originality/value
Although there are studies including the comparison of several scalarization methods for other problems, the comparison of the methods for ASSP has not yet been handled in the literature. As there are several stakeholders in the air traffic system, ASSP includes several objectives, and as a result, this problem can benefit from analyses using this comparison.
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