Methodology for Estimating Airport Capacity and Throughput Performance Using PDARS

This study develops a methodology for assessing airport performance and establishing airport efficiency metrics for runway and airport utilization. We focus on the estimates of landing time intervals for each consecutive pair of aircraft for each runway and then aggregate micro aircraft-landing data to runway level, airport-configuration level and airport level. By combining two databases, Performance Data Analysis Reporting System (PDARS) and Aviation System Performance Metrics (ASPM), we are able to explicitly consider traffic mix, the effects of traffic demand and the impact of weather conditions on landing time intervals. A normal-lognormal probability distribution for landing time intervals is introduced. The performance of the proposed distribution and probability distributions found in the existing literature are compared for five major airports in the U.S. Then, we develop a comprehensive methodology for reliably estimating airport performance and establishing airport-efficiency metrics for runway and airport utilization. The proposed methodology should assist the FAA System Capacity Office in improving measurement and analysis of airport performance. Furthermore, if integrated into ATAC’s PDARS tool, the proposed methodology would improve estimation of airport performance and could be automated for daily reporting.