Stability and performance of intersecting aircraft flows under sequential conflict resolution

This paper considers the problem of intersecting aircraft flows under sequential conflict avoidance rules. Using an Eulerian standpoint (aircraft flow through a fixed control volume), new air traffic control models and scenarios are defined that enable the study of long-term airspace stability problems. As a generalization to the basic aircraft flow model discussed previously, this paper considers conflict scenarios involving arbitrary encounter angles, different times to conflict, and different aircraft flow speeds. It is shown that airspace stability, defined both in terms of safety and performance, is preserved under sequential conflict resolution algorithms. Performance bounds are derived for the aircraft flow problem. For more than two intersecting aircraft flows, simulations indicate that flow stability may not be guaranteed under simple sequential conflict avoidance rules.