Centerlines - March 2009 - (Page 9) A S S O C I AT E S ’ C O R N E R Air Traffic Control Modernization and its Impact on Airport Operators THERE HAS BEEN a lot of discussion about the modernization of our Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. This effort, known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, is often thought of having an impact on air traffic controllers, pilots, airlines and the flying public. Very little is said about how NextGen – the most significant changes to how our national airspace system operates – impacts airport operators. NextGen entails a number of initiatives to alleviate the stress that increased air traffic has placed on the current ATC system in terms of safety, security, efficiency and the environment. Three rapidly ap- pacity and traffic volumes for airport operators. Surveillance accuracy of aircraft and vehicles on the ground is improving through more prevalent use of transponder multilateration, improvements to and more widespread use of surface movement radar and the coming Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) infrastructure. The result will be greater awareness of the location of aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface. This precise picture of ground operations will enable airport operators to improve runway, taxiway and gate utilization in all weather conditions and better anticipate and manage traffic flow. Sharing highly accurate surveillance information among key airport stakeholders through an airport automation software tool will foster greater the national airspace by reducing up-line ground delay programs for improved arrival and departure times at airports serving JFK. Improved situational awareness may encourage some airlines to adopt “just-in-time” operations where key decisions are made in real-time with more accurate information. Airport operators would need the same data to manage schedule, gate assignment and servicing changes. The underlying theme to these changes is that airport operators will have more critical, highly accurate operational information than today. Airport operators who embrace this information will find additional ways to use the data to improve airfield asset utilization and operational efficiencies and most importantly, improve the customer’s flying experience. ■ ANTONIO LO BRUTTO VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER SENSIS CORP. At Sensis Air Traffic Systems Division, Lo Brutto is responsible for leading the development of next generation aviation data systems. As general manager, he oversees all aspects of the business relating to Air Traffic Management technologies. He currently holds several patents on radar processing. THE management of aircraft navigation, from take-off to landing and back up again in both space and time (hence 4-D), will provide significant efficiency gains in reduced fuel use, noise, emissions and flight times. proaching NextGen developments that will have the greatest impact on airport operators are: • Improvements in aircraft navigation (4-dimensional trajectory descent) procedures. • More accurate surveillance of aircraft and vehicles. • Extensive sharing of real-time information of ground operations among all airport stakeholders (airlines, air traffic control, FAA, and the operator). The management of aircraft navigation, from take-off to landing and back up again in both space and time (hence 4-D), will provide significant efficiency gains in reduced fuel use, noise, emissions and flight times. This will create greater caCollaborative Decision Making (CDM). Stakeholders can use this shared information to better manage interdependent operational aspects of the airport, such as traffic flow through congested regions, deicing, gate allocation, pushback sequencing, and the overall customer experience. An early example of this CDM scenario is taking place at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport where the stakeholders will be using shared surveillance and flight information to assist in reducing delays and emissions and ease congestion. CDM can also help the airport quickly recover from operational events caused by weather and other disruptions. Achieving these operational efficiencies at JFK can ripple through WEBLINK The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) plan to modernize the National Airspace System (NAS) through 2025. You can view one of the most recent reports from the FAA at: http://www.faa.gov/ news/fact_sheets/news_story. cfm?newsId=8768 www.aci-na.org | CENTERLINES 9 http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsid=8768 http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsid=8768 http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsid=8768 http://www.aci-na.org
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