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.