Real-time optimal delay minimization algorithms for aircraft on a same runway and dual runways

Abstract

In this paper, scheduling problems of aircraft minimizing the total delays on a same runway and on dual runways are studied. In contrast to the algorithms based on mixed-integer optimization models in existing works, where the optimality and the real-time performance are usually unable to be dealt with at the same time, our work focuses on the interaction mechanism between aircraft coupling with delays and two real-time optimal algorithms are proposed for the four scheduling problems by fully exploiting the combinations of different classes of aircraft based on parallel computing technology. When $100$ aircraft on dual runways is considered, by using the algorithm in this paper, the optimal solution can be obtained within less than $10$ seconds, while by using the CPLEX software to solve the mix-integer optimization model, the optimal solution cannot be obtained within $1$ hour.