Delay and Capacity Issues at the US Airports - Term Paper Example

Delay and Capa Issues at U.S. Airports Delay and Capa Issues at U.S. Airports Abstract U.S.A’s aviation system is the most complex and the largest system in the globe. From FY 2003 through FY 2O06, it has been estimated that there were about 250 million landings and takeoffs and this amounts to about 62.5 million airport operations per annum. Due to these mammoth operations, there have been always delay and capacity issues faced by the majority of the airports at U.S.A. This research essay evaluates the causes for such and also discusses in detail what are the various measures initiated to tackle the same and offers some recommendations to the issue. Delay and Congestion Issues at U.S Airports U.S.A’s aviation system is the most complex and the largest system in the globe. U.S’s airspace system contains 3364 airports, 14,934 air traffic controllers and 315 air traffic control facilities. U.S airports handle approximately 171,200 aircraft operations per annum, which include landings and takeoffs each day. From FY 2003 through FY 2O06, it has been estimated that there were about 250 million landings and takeoffs and this amounts to about 62.5 million airport operations per annum. . From FY 2003 through FY 2O06, there were about 1,306 reported runway incursions and however, it is a console to note that no fatalities have occurred from these collisions. (FAA 2007).Despite of this mammoth size and intricacy, commercial aviation is considered to be the safest form of transportation in U.S.A. Despite these complexities, U.S.A has witnessed only one commercial accident since 2002. This is mainly due to FAA strategic goals to minimise the rates of general and commercial aviation related grave accidents, to minimize the peril of probable runway collisions, and to minimize cabin injuries created by turbulence. (GPO, 2006, p238). Though there has been a steady increase in air traffic in US in recent years, congestion-associated issue does not yet seem to be a pervasive issue for the country’s aviation administration. It is to be noted that majority of delay is caused not by congestion but by inclemental weather. According to FAA data, volume –associated delays amounted for less than fifteen percent of all delays in each of the four years just before 9/11 incident and volume related delays have in fact declined over the past decade. A further, weather associated delay is frequently accounted for over seventy -percent of all delays. However, according to US Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration (US DTFA), present delays seem to happen only at some major airports in US. Delay and capacity issues at U.S airports are also impacted by the following factors viz. runway capacity, aircraft waiting room capacities, the available number of parking positions, the number of gates and their respective capacities. (Czemy, 2008, p11). Capacity issues at U.S airports are not necessarily restricted to limited runways but also due to inadequate or non-availability of terminal gates and taxiways that can restrict the number of operations per annum apart from runway capacity itself. Likewise, the capacity of airspace around many of the U.S busiest airports may have limited accommodation capacity for both departures and arrivals, particularly with seven major airports in the same province like Chicago, Northern California, Southern California, Philadelphia, New York and South Florida. Delays in departures may also happen if there is enroute congestion. Likewise, operational flexibility may be impacted by environmentally sensitive or military airspace, which are close by. Source: http://www.faa.gov/airports/resources/publications/reports/media/fact_2.pdf FAA study has recognized LGA and EWR, and the New York Metropolitan Area needs further capacity expansion in 2007. These airports have witnessed exceptional delays for a major length of time. However, redesign of the airspace may provide additional capacity temporarily but may not offer a permanent solution to the issue. The study also has stressed that additional capacity is to be provided within the New York Metropolitan area. (FAA.Gov). According to FAA, air traffic demand in U.S.A is expected to triple by 2025. Further, U.S 2006 budget has earmarked $3 billion as Grants-in-Aid for Airports program (AIP) which is intended to offer funding to U.S airports for capacity enhancement and to improve safety. Thus, AIP funding will try to reduce delays in US airports as there will be construction of additional taxiways or runways, extension of present runways and improvement and construction of terminal buildings. Thus, by providing additional runways and by introducing enhanced technology will assist to reduce flight delays. Further, under Free Flight Program (FAA) which offers air traffic management tools to air traffic controllers to instruct planes to their target more competently. Definitely, these technology advanced tools will minimise air traffic delays, congestions and the cost of flying in the near future. (GPO, p 241). Common factors that are responsible for delay at U.S airports can be classified into the following: Seasonal and weather changes like during vacation times Night curfews Accidents and Strikes Starting issues like in the early morning times as there might some more delays. Delays due to other parts of the airport system like delays at other airports, delays due to ATC and airline delays. The delay factors may vary from an airport to an airport. According to National Air Traffic Controllers Association, one another major reason of delay is the over scheduling of hectic U.S airports, which is the major reason of the spike in delays in U.S.A. The above association also made an observation at Newark Liberty International Airport on 5 September 2007 and found that there were about fifty-seven flights expected to leave between 9 am to 10 am and even in a perfect scenario, the airport could manage only forty-five departures and hence, 12 flights were either canceled or delayed. Further, it is to be noted that about 10,000 flights each year spend more than two hours waiting on the runway before departing .(Tang 2007). It is to be noted that some airports in U.S have capacity issues at terminals and have introduced slot constraints to handle these. Further, the runway slot issue is more significant as it is usually much simpler to expand terminal rather than runway capacity. Further, many airports in U.S operate slot coordination systems not because they are subject to heavy demand but mainly to even out the flow of aircraft movements. (Czerny, 2008, p68). Bad Weather Inclemental weather frequently compels for the employment of IFR arrival and departure processes or reconfiguration of runways at an airport. This will end up in the reduction of the number of airplanes per hour that are able to land or takeoff at the affected airport. ATCSCC imposes a ground delay program (GDP) mainly to accommodate the degraded arrival capacity at the impacted airports which assigns a condensed number of arrival slots to airlines during the tenure when demand excels capacity at affected airports. GDP suite of mechanism is employed to keep congestion at an arrival airport just before take-off at acknowledged levels by issuing ground delays as it has been found safer than in-flight holding delays. For instance, on Valentine’s Day 2007, JetBlue events at JKF airport where more than 1, 30,000 travelers were remained in the planes itself as “hostages” due to bad weather for more than ten hours and then cancellation was announced. In December 2007, American Eagle planes and more than 101 American Airlines were diverted from California to Austin and other airports, and then sat on tarmac for at least five hours due to bad weather. (Rapajic, 2008, p27). GDPE (Ground Delay Program Enhancements) has drastically minimized flight delays due to compression – a mechanism that occurs occasionally during the process of a GDP. GDPE minimizes overall delays by recognizing open arrival slots because of delays or cancellation of flights and fills in the vacant slots by moving up the operating flights that can employ these slots. About 90,000 hours of scheduled delays were averted during the first two years of this program due to compression, ending in savings in cost of more than $150 million to the airline industry. (FDA, 2008, p1-24). IFR SLOTS ATC employs IFR slots during the peak traffic to encourage a smooth flow of traffic. It will restrict the number of IFR landings and takeoffs especially during the peak hours and offered the allocation of “slots” to airlines for each IFR takeoff or landings during the specified hours at some hours of the day and offered the allotment of “slots” to airlines for each IFR takeoff or landing during a specific 60 or 30 minute period. Further, in a recent move, FAA has proposed to offer an overhaul of the slot –reservation mechanism which contains an online slot –reservation system and a seventy-two hour reservation window. (FDA, 2008, p1-24). CAPACITY ISSUES AT U.S AIRPORTS DUE TO A380 A380 is the new aircraft introduced by Airbus, which is the largest passenger airplane in the globe. It can accommodate up to 853 passengers and has a double deck. It has a wingspan of about two hundred sixty-two feet, with a back fin having eighty feet elevation and takeoff load of 1.2 million pounds. U.S based Boeing is also expected to manufacture a 747 size aircraft like that of A380 as it received an order for such an aircraft in 2006. The size of the A380 really involves probable safety issues for airports in U.S. Thus , U.S airports, which want to allow A380 service should either alter their infrastructure or to introduce restrictions on operations like use of the runway on the A380 and other aircraft to make sure a satisfactory level of safety. U.S airports which want to receive A380 should necessarily increase the size of the A380 and also width of their taxiways and runways. Further, takeoff and landing of A380 also needed separation with that of other aircrafts as a research study points out that the air turbulence generated by the A380’s wake is stronger than the other largest aircrafts that are in use as of today. From the fire and rescue official angle, A380 also poses challenges due to its upper deck, larger size, the number of passengers and its fuel capacity. To accommodate this, A380 is equipped with certain safety enhancements like objects intended to minimize flammability and an external camera taxiing system to improve pilot’s vision on the ground. (Dillingham, 2007, p1). Probable operating limitations and the enhanced separation needs compelled to make sure the safety of the other types of aircraft and A380 at airports and during its flight could minimize the number of flights that airport can adapt. Moreover, availability of the gate, limited usage of gates near to A380 gates and probable jamming issues could reduce flexibility and create gate issues as some U.S airports, which may end in lesser flights due to A380 operations. (Dillingham, 2007, p2). To prepare for accommodating A380 in U.S airports, it is necessary to adopt alternate airport design standards, designing the airports to permit for entry of large aircraft and making poignant investment in existing infrastructure. Experts are of the opinion, if the above modifications are carried out, and then there will be no disruptions or delay at U.S airports due to takeoff or landing of A380. It is to be recalled that similar safety concerns were yelled out when Boeing 747 was introduced and these probable safety issues will be likely to be present for other, bigger or similar –sized airplanes, which will be introduced in the near future. (Dillingham 2007, p3). According to Airbus, A380 has been designed to accommodate about thirty-five percent more passengers and about fifty percent more cargo volume on the cargo flights per flight as compared to present existing aircrafts. In contrary, Airbus is countering that A380 could reduce the number of flights as it will engage in operating with higher capacity. As per U.S airport officials, if the number of A380 operations per day remains low, A380 impact on airport capacity should not be more significant, but it is likely to explode as the number of A380 flight increases. (Dillingham 2007, p4). Tarmac Delays in U.S Airports from September 2006 to August 2007 Year 2006 - Months No of delays of more than 2 hrs January 588 February 522 March 452 April 342 May 842 June 2027 July 1346 August 1055 September 706 October 600 November 553 December 466 (Tang, December 2007) USA’s best air carriers with have higher on time departure Hawaiian 92.9% Aloha 92.5% Southwest 80.1% Frontier 78.9% Airtan 75% (Tang, December 2007). USA’s Worst Air Carriers with have Worst on time departure Atlantic Southeast 63% Comair 66.3% US Airways 67.8% JetBlue 67.9% American Eagle 68.5% (Tang, December 2007). NEXTGEN NextGen is a proposal commenced in 2003 to renovate the air transportation system of U.S. by 2025. NextGen will be more elastic, flexible, adaptive, scalable and highly automated. In NextGen, information technology will be used in a more robust style with augmented capabilities in landing capabilities, cockpit, better navigation techniques and far more accurate and comprehensive knowledge of traffic and weather scenarios. NextGen will have the following salient features; Wider province precision navigation. Performance oriented services Adaptive security with appropriate layers Trajectory-oriented Operations at Airport Corresponding Visual processes Density Operations at superiority levels. Weather assimilated into decision making. Source: FAA, 2007, p20). NextGen offers benefits like efficiency enhancements at U.S airports with intended runway enhancements and for airports where other constraints and geographic impediments bar physical expansion of the runway or airfield. If NextGen in successfully implemented, about thirteen airports in U.S.A would come out of capacity restrictions at airports, which presently have capacity constraints and the details of the same is given as under: SEA, ORD and IAD airports have runway under construction, which will minimize the flight delays by the year 2025. Construction of a new runway has been started in 2008 in CLT which will reduce flight delays in the near future. Improvement in ATC and minimized delay at other airports will help MSP to derive advantages by minimizing flight delays. Due to introduction of NextGen, delays at airports like ORD, BOS and LAX is anticipated to be reduced shortly. To have airfield capacity improvements, environmental studies are underway at HOU, FLL, PBI, IAH, SAT, PVD and TUS. As demand for air traffic grows, U.S.A’s present air traffic control system will be attaining its capacity limits in the short future. The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) symbolizes a new system that will employ state- of- art technologies and procedures. FAA is required to transit into NextGen by prolonging with the current air traffic control system while acquiring updated technology systems on budget and on schedule. Thus, FAA has achieved a significant milestone in executing businesslike procedures and operations for managing and acquiring air traffic control systems, which have enhanced FAAs management of the present system and make the agency in a better position to manage the complex transition to NextGen. It is to be observed, in the past three years, FAA has exceeded its system acquisition targets. For instance, during the fiscal year 2006, FAA reported that its decisive acquirements were hundred percent on budget and over ninety-seven percent on schedule. FAA has also enhanced its administration of the air traffic control systems through enhanced initiatives to achieve cost savings by consolidating facilities and outsourcing. (GAO, 2008, P2). NextGen involves an enhanced dependence on automation, which dramatically transforms the responsibilities and roles of both air traffic management, and pilots who will take prime responsibility for maintaining safe separation and other tasks, which is presently managed by controllers. Thus, these proposed changes in responsibilities and roles will pave the way for human factor issues for the efficiency and the safety of the national airspace and other tasks presently executed by controllers. (GAO, 2008, p23). Conclusion and Recommendations Delay and capacity issues at US airports can be resolved by construction of either new or by extending the existing runways or making some improvements in the existing runways and by making improvements in the present ATC system. After 2004, six new runways were thrown open for operation at some of the busiest airports in U.S.A, which has actually assisted to minimize the necessity for additional capacity in the future. By advancing enhancement initiatives, there has been construction of many new runways and will be available for traffic before 2015. This will also help to address both capacity and delay issues at U.S airports. According to FAA study, eighteen airports around the nation are recognised as needing further capacity by 2015 and another twenty-seven by 2025. This has to be taken up on a war footing basis with the NextGen plan initiatives. Thus, the delay and capacity issues at U.S airports can be solved by implementing the following: Construction of new runways or additional runways Making improvements of the existing runways Construction of new commercial service airports. Construction of city airports at sea by making artificial islands wherever possible. (FAA, 2007, P26). References Czerny, Achim I. (2008). Airport Slots: International Experience and Options for Reform. New York: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Dillingham, Gerald L. (2007). Commercial Aviation: Potential Safety and Capacity Issues. New York: Diane Publishing Co. FAA (May 2007). Capacity Needs in the National Airspace System. Retrieved August 10, 2010, from http://www.faa.gov/airports/resources/.../reports/.../fact_2.pdf FAA. (September 2007). Runway Safety Report. Retrieved August 10, 2010, from http://www.faa.gov/runwaysafety/pdf/rireport06.pdf Federal Aviation Administration. (2008).Instrument Procedure Handbook. New York. Skyhorse Publishing. GAO (2008). Next Generation Air Transportation System. New York: Diane Publishing Co. GPO. (2008) Budget. Budget of the United States Government. New York: Government Printing Office. Rapajic, Jacana. (2008). Beyond Airline Disruptions. New York: Ashgate Publications. Tang, Wing Sze. (December 2007). Airports with lowest and worst delay. 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