Air Traffic Flow Management

Optimizing aviation operations through CDM

Metron Aviation has been synonymous with modern Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) since its inception 15 years ago, when the FAA and airline decision makers came together to demonstrate the value of shared information and cooperative planning, also known as Collaborative Decision Making (CDM). Since then, Metron Aviation has worked closely with both the FAA and the aviation community to provide a steady stream of software and procedural improvements to make travel safer, more predictable and more efficient.

ATFM is the science of improving aviation operations by using up-to-date flight information to anticipate future traffic demand, and strategically controlling aggregate flows of flights to keep demand within safe and manageable bounds. ATFM in the U.S. is founded on the free exchange of the best-available information between flight operators and FAA traffic managers, to create an accurate projection of future traffic demand and system capacity. Sophisticated decision support tools let traffic managers identify potential air traffic problems before they develop and take corrective actions in advance. This preemptive traffic management ensures that traffic flow stays as efficient, predictable and safe as possible.

Effective ATFM depends on meeting the operational needs of both the service providers and the flight operators. Flight operators need efficiency, predictability and the flexibility to manage business needs even when weather or adverse events disrupt schedules. Service providers need visibility, predictability and control. The ATFM toolset and procedures designed and developed by Metron Aviation, meet the needs of traffic managers by allowing the best mix of departure time controls and en route routing directives to distribute excess demand over both time and space, while providing flight operators with the ability to re-plan their schedules within allocated resources.