Surface Management

Departure Flow Management

Overview
Departure Flow Management (DFM), which is being developed for the FAA by Metron Aviation, will provide FAA traffic management controllers with the capability to automate the coordination of departure releases into congested airspace.

Product Features
Replaces current manual APREQ process Automation of the process allows TMCs to focus on strategic traffic management Allows for more release options and fine tuned restrictions

DFM will replace and enhance the current manual process, typically referred to under the acronym APREQ (Approval Required). In the current process, an ARTCC or TRACON TMC puts a restriction on local departures, specifying that they must call for approval before releasing a flight into a congested airspace. Tower controllers then call the TMC whenever they have a flight that needs an approval, specifying the earliest time that the flight can take off. The TMC then looks at the traffic flow in their scope and tries to find a place to fit the departure in the traffic flow; a space that is unused by either en route flights or previously scheduled departures. Next the TMC calculates and records the time that the departure should take off to meet this gap in the traffic flow, and communicates this time to the tower controller.

Using DFM, this process will become much easier, faster, and more efficient. With DFM, the TMC only has to enter a restriction into a DFM client. DFM will make all of the calculations and will show tower controllers which of their flights are restricted and all of the possible release times available for those flights. The tower controller will use DFM to reserve their desired slots. The ARTCC TMC will have the ability, but will not be required to monitor, control, and adjust the traffic flow plan. From their perspective, the APREQ process will be on "autopilot".

DFM GUI

Benefits
The potential benefits of DFM are great. Most importantly, the automation of this process will free ARTCC TMCs from the time consuming task of answering phone calls and making release calculations. The TMCs will be able to focus on more strategic opportunities for traffic efficiencies. Additionally, tower controllers will no longer be beholden to the delays of the manual process which frequently include waiting on hold for a release time. Furthermore, tower controllers will be given more release options which will allow them to build more efficient taxi queues. And finally, the automatic identification of restricted flights will allow TMCs to specify more fine tuned restrictions. Currently, TMCs are limited in their definition of restriction parameters to those that can be easily tracked by tower controllers, such as arrival airports or departure fixes. With DFM, a flight will be restricted if and only if it is truly a part of the root congestion issue.

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