Optimization of traffic flow to minimize delay in the National Airspace System

An investigation of the benefits of using optimization models to represent and improve national air traffic flow management is discussed. Review of transportation and optimization literature yielded no techniques that had been or could be directly applied to air traffic management on a nationwide scale. The literature search did identify some promising approaches. Necessary criteria for modeling traffic management in the National Airspace System (NAS) are outlined, and the strengths and weaknesses of the most relevant models and techniques in terms of those criteria are summarized