Study of the Potential Effects of Gate-Hold Strategies on Arrival and Departure Operations at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Abstract

We employed discrete-event simulation with embedded multivariate statistical models for time and situation-dependent parameters to study the potential impact of regulating the release of planes from their terminal gates in peak periods to reduce congestion on ramps and taxiways at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a major U.S. hub for of the world’s largest airline, American Airlines. Gate-holding strategies are one of several operational strategies to reduce aviation’s carbon footprint. They have been shown to reduce fuel consumption, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, but past studies have concentrated on taxi times and fuel consumption of outbound aircraft without considering the potential disruptions on inbound traffic, which may be blocked from reaching their intended gates. We verified that reductions in outbound taxi times could be achieved without delaying the times when planes lifted off for departure but, depending on the gate-hold rules employed and the intensity of flight operations, more delays and gate changes occurred for arriving aircraft. Our models allow intensive examination of the tradeoffs involved in improving system performance with various strategies.