Capacity-constrained airports rely on complex separation rules to ensure aircraft depart safely and avoid wake turbulence. The enhanced optimised spacing delivery for departures solution builds on the work done on optimised spacing delivery in SESAR wave 1 (PJ.02-01-02) to develop a more accurate and efficient delivery tool to support the implementation of complex separation rules in capacity constrained airport environments.

The enhanced optimised spacing delivery (eOSD) tool improves the efficiency of spacing delivery between consecutive departures by using big data and machine learning techniques to calculate more accurate predictions of aircraft behaviour, such as rolling distance/rotation point, departure speed/climb profile and predicted trajectories. eOSD may also benefit from advanced meteorological sources, including the SWIM METforWTS service, to gain more accurate and reliable wind nowcasts and forecasts on the initial departure path.

This more accurate spacing/separation delivery will lead to further reduced spacing between consecutive arrivals for the majority of aircraft pairs.

Overall, the enhanced optimised spacing delivery for departures solution will lead to a benefit in terms of increased runway throughput capacity due to the reduced, optimised spacing between departures.  As spacing is based on more flight specific behaviour/performance and as a result are better tailored per aircraft pair, there is a potential positive impact on safety.

BENEFITS

Increased runway throughput