Scheduling Models and Algorithms for TMA Traffic Management

In this paper, models and algorithms for real-time control of the TMA are proposed. We consider two cases: in the first one (static) we assume that there is a set of aircraft to be sequenced for which we know in advance their entry time in the terminal area; in the second one (dynamic), the entry times of future aircraft are unknown and the sequence of aircraft is recomputed whenever a new aircraft approaches the terminal area. For the static case, we model the sequencing problem as a Cumulative Traveling Salesman Problem with Ready Times and propose two lower bounds for testing heuristic solutions. For the dynamic case, where only a limited knowledge of the arrivals is assumed, we add to the basic model a set of constraints which allow the controller to maintain given patterns of the landing sequences previously generated. For both cases, heuristic algorithms are proposed and computational results are discussed.