One of the largest unresolved problems for increasing capacity of the National Airspace System (NAS) is to efficiently use the terminal area airspace, particularly in metroplex regions that contain multiple large airports. The theoretical maximum throughput can only be computed by considering all of the arrival, departure, and surface operations not just at one airport, but at all the airports in a metroplex. When computed, such a theoretical maximum is reduced by stochastic real-world events: variations in winds, the presence of convective weather, unplanned actions of pilots and controllers, and many other realities. The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that, to be useful, such an algorithm must necessarily provide decision support to controllers in real time. Any one of these problems is difficult enough, but their combination makes the problem seem practically intractable. In this paper we present our approach to handling these issues. Our preliminary findings, using one of the New York airports as a test case, show up to an 8% increase in performance can be achieved relative to the current system.
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