AGGREGATE STATISTICS OF THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM

In this paper, we conduct a high-level review of aggregate statistics of the National Airspace System (NAS). First, we identify states, control actions, and performance measures that best characterize the NAS. Then, the most readily available data sources are identified. To provide a working familiarity with the data, descriptive statistics are applied to the most relevant data from the period January, 2000 to October, 2002. We identify weekly, monthly, or seasonal trends that reveal illuminating properties of the NAS. Histograms, comparison plots, and geographic plots are used to visually display the NAS statistics. Geographical concentration of traffic flow management initiatives show regions regularly afflicted with demand-capacity imbalances. Lastly, we conduct a careful study of special event days. It is well known that holidays and catastrophic events can have a severe impact on local traffic conditions. But only some of these have an impact on nation-wide traffic. Moreover, the ramifications are often observed just prior to, or just after an event. We examine a variety of special events for magnitude and temporal scope of impact. We do not make any conclusions about how well or efficiently the NAS is working on any given day.