This paper addresses a way how to profit from enhanced information sharing process envisioned in future Air Traffic Management (ATM) system (both SESAR and NextGen) and to help overcome some of the well-known ATM-related issues: the need for excessive tactical maneuvering resulting from poor strategic flow/trajectory management; and a lack of strategic information for user-preferred trajectory optimization onboard an aircraft. Satisfactory solution to both of these problems is crucial not only for ATM performance and flight efficiency, but also for overall air traffic safety. Related needs for new concepts and tools are even more urgent in envisioned ATM framework based on new separation modes and Self Separation environment. As shown in this paper, the revised notion of air traffic complexity and its applications may successfully answer some of these issues. Our work shows how a measure of air traffic complexity can be used for dynamic flight optimization and re-planning, and for improvement of strategic flow/trajectory management. We start with a general discussion of the meaning of complexity, then elaborate a set of requirements for such a metric, and finally offer a specific definition of an air traffic complexity metric. A set of examples is used to demonstrate the usage and the expected benefits.
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