Air Traffic Flow Management Concepts

Engineering concepts to capabilities

Among Metron Aviation’s most significant contributions to aviation are the operational advances in design, development and deployment to improve Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) in the National Airspace System (NAS). A steady stream of new innovations has moved from initial concept to operational capability through Metron Aviation’s Concept Engineering and Development (CED) process. Success in bringing new concepts into actual operations requires a thorough knowledge of current operations, an understanding of the needs of industry stakeholders, the creativity to conceive new and better approaches and experience in overcoming the technical, cultural and operational obstacles that keep most ideas in the laboratory.

Metron Aviation is uniquely positioned to create and develop such new concepts. By combining fundamental aviation research in collaboration with NASA, a deep and broad engagement with the operational community through the Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) workgroups, experience supporting the FAA Command Center in real-time operations and a long history of developing and deploying the core ATFM systems used by the FAA, Metron Aviation has a proven track record in executing innovative concepts.

Current concepts include:

  • Adaptive Compressions (AC) increases the effective capacity of airports and reduces departure delays. Since inception, AC has eliminated nearly 47 million minutes of delays and saved flight operators $4.8 billion in operating costs.
  • Slot Credit Substitution (SCS) provides much more flexibility for airlines to manage schedules to meet business needs.
  • General Aviation Airport Program (GAAP) brings the benefits of ATFM planning to airports with a high percentage of unscheduled traffic and seasonally affected airports.
  • Airspace Flow Programs (AFP) provides FAA traffic managers with the ability to better manage en route traffic during severe weather events. AFP went from concept to successful field delivery in 18 months and post-deployment estimates from 2006-2007 show benefits to the aircraft operators and the flying public of almost $190 million, compared to less than $5 million in design and development costs.

Metron Aviation consistently and rapidly turns groundbreaking concepts into functional capabilities that optimize safety, efficiency and capacity, while also bringing cost-saving measures to customers.