‘Free flight’ for air traffic in Europe

In an earlier study, the author attempted to give some quantitative estimates of the problems that free flow might face in Europe. The study was based on a traffic sample from the Eurocontrol Route Charges Office for a busy day in 1991. More recently, they generously made available a similar sample for a day in 1997. Using these new data, the study has been extended to cover wider aspects of the free flow problem. The central problem is that of ensuring safety. This will require a mechanism to detect collision threats and safely to resolve the problems. Possible tools are ground-based surveillance and/or airborne systems. This paper will use computer modelling to predict the loads that these detection and resolution systems must face.