Airport Ground Movement Optimization Revisited: Coupling Airport Runway Spacing to Multi-Objective Routing and Scheduling Through Genetic Algorithms

A routing and scheduling optimization approach for the airport ground movement problem considering runway spacing is introduced. An integrated modeling that considers both the routing of aircraft and runway required separations, is implemented through Aircraft Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithm AMOA* and a correct spacing validation module, coupled by a genetic algorithm in search of real-world feasible, yet optimized solutions, for a modern-day aviation setting based on London's Stansted Airport. The proposed genetic algorithms successfully optimize taxiing time and fuel consumption for different airport traffic scenarios while fully respecting runway separation constraints. The difference between algorithms is emphasized to stress the risk of over-evaluation of savings by overlooking real-world operational conditions in the modeling phase of the problem.