An optimization framework for terminal sequencing and scheduling: The single runway case

Abstract

This paper addresses the static aircraft sequencing problem over the entire terminal maneuvering area (TMA) under a mixed-mode, single runway operating scenario. In contrast with existing approaches that only consider the runway as a bottleneck, our approach optimizes flight sequences and schedules by taking into account the configuration and associated constraints of the entire TMA region. This problem is formulated as a 0-1 mixed-integer linear programming problem. Efficient preprocessing and variable fixing strategies, along with several classes of valid inequalities, are derived to tighten the continuous relaxation of the problem. Computational results on illustrative examples show the overall delay in the system can be reduced by nearly a 30% margin over the default FCFS policy and by nearly 10% over the runway sequencing policy.