Waiting in a queue for take-off burns unnecessary fuel, generates delay and unpredictability and is frustrating for passengers. Fortunately, we encounter these queues less and less, due to a large extent to the way the departure management process is transforming departure time from an informed estimate into a precise art.

The departure manager (DMAN) tool takes into account the scheduled departure times, slot constraints, runway constraints and airport factors. In doing so, it improves traffic predictability, cost efficiency and environmental sustainability, as well as safety. By taking into consideration information such as the aircraft’s readiness to leave its parking stand, runway capacity and slot constraints, tower controllers can optimise the pre-departure sequence.

In order to calculate reliable sequences, DMAN needs access to accurate information about the status of individual flights and airport resources from different systems. The airport collaborative decision-making (A-CDM) platform supports this information exchange. For example, the airline or ground handler can provide the target off-block time (TOBT), while the tower controller uses tables which generate variable taxi times to achieve the target take-off time (TTOT). Information about departure slots or calculated take-off times (CTOTs) is sourced from the Network Manager, responsible for flow control across the whole of Europe.

SESAR’s baseline DMAN was validated in a series of live trials with a particular focus on delay reduction. Controllers were able to establish pre-departure sequences by using DMAN in conjunction with airport collaborative decision-making procedures involving local airport and airline partners. The system provides a baseline for further development of DMAN procedures, taking advantage of the wider adoption of airport collaborative decision making among stakeholders. The basic operational concept also supports DMAN integration with arrival manager (AMAN) and advanced surface movement guidance and control system (A-SMGCS).

The trials demonstrated improved performance in terms of predictability of off-block time by 7.8 %, with 85 % of flights achieving the five-minute window available. It decreased average taxi times by 9 %, and improved adherence to flow management slots, with 81 % of flights departing on their allocated slot compared with 76 % prior to DMAN. The solution contributed to average reduction of 14.6 kg of fuel per flight, and also supports enhanced tactical scheduling.

The solution has been implemented in the following airports: Amsterdam Schiphol, Milan Malpensa, Munich Franz Josef Strauss ,Nice Côte D'Azur, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, Rome Fiumicino, and Zürich Kloten.

SJU references: #106/Release 1

Benefits

• Improved predictability and stability of departure sequence, start-up approval time and off-time blocks
• Enhanced tactical runway scheduling
• Reduced waiting and taxi times and runway delays
• Significant reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions