TY - JOUR PY - 2018// TI - Analysis of air traffic control operational impact on aircraft vertical profiles supported by machine learning JO - Transportation research part C: emerging technologies A1 - Verdonk Gallego, Christian Eduardo A1 - Gómez Comendador, Víctor Fernando A1 - Sáez Nieto, Francisco Javier A1 - Orenga Imaz, Guillermo A1 - Arnaldo Valdés, Rosa María SP - 883 EP - 903 VL - 95 IS - N2 - The Air Traffic Management system is under a paradigm shift led by NextGen and SESAR. The new trajectory-based Concept of Operations is supported by performance-based trajectory predictors as major enablers. Currently, the performance of ground-based trajectory predictors is affected by diverse factors such as weather, lack of integration of operational information or aircraft performance uncertainty. Trajectory predictors could be enhanced by learning from historical data. Nowadays, data from the Air Traffic Management system may be exploited to understand to what extent Air Traffic Control actions impact on the vertical profile of flight trajectories. This paper analyses the impact of diverse operational factors on the vertical profile of flight trajectories. Firstly, Multilevel Linear Models are adopted to conduct a prior identification of these factors. Then, the information is exploited by trajectory predictors, where two types are used: point-mass trajectory predictors enhanced by learning the thrust law depending on those factors; and trajectory predictors based on Artificial Neural Networks. Air Traffic Control vertical operational procedures do not constitute a main factor impacting on the vertical profile of flight trajectories, once the top of descent is established. Additionally, airspace flows and the flight level at the trajectory top of descent are relevant features to be considered when learning from historical data, enhancing the overall performance of the trajectory predictors for the descent phase.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0968-090X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2018.03.017 ID - ref1 ER -