A Simulation and Queuing Model for the Study of En Route Air Traffic Systems,

Air traffic congestion at airports and along major jet routes are the primary sources of concern with the airspace system. This paper describes 2 related mathematical models to study these problems. The first model is a simulation of en route traffic. It defines a quantity called the congestion index and relates this to the level of air traffic and the level of investment in the airspace system. The second model is a queuing model used to study congestion and average flight delays at points of jet route intersections. The models consider only high altitude IFR flights but allow for parameterization of plane speeds, separation criteria, available jet routes, and airport operations capacity. The models do not look at holding and takeoff patterns around an airport. Author