Called Pairwise separation, it was deployed last week as a world first at NATS’ Swanwick air traffic control centre. Early indications show that the technology will increase landing rates, something that would cut airborne holding and make a significant carbon reduction over the course of its deployment.
Pairwise works by introducing a totally new way of calculating the minimum separation be-tween arriving pairs of aircraft. Traditionally, separation is based on six categories taking into account an aircraft’s weight and the amount of wake it creates as it flies. Pairwise separation is calculated using the specific characteristics of each individual aircraft type. According to NATS, tailoring the separation in this far more granular way means air traffic controllers can safely reduce the gap between some pairs of aircraft and increase the overall flow of traffic.
Pairwise is part of the Intelligent Approach tool, developed jointly with Leidos UK and initially deployed at Heathrow as a world first in 2015. Its use of dynamically calculated time-based separation as opposed to static, distance-based gaps has cut headwind delays by more than 60% and reduced airborne holding by 230,000 minutes per annum, saving over 45,000 tonnes of CO2. Pairwise will add to these benefits.
Chris Norsworthy, NATS director airspace & future operations, said: “The introduction of Pairwise as part of Intelligent Approach is another world first and testament to our continuous efforts to improve the quality of the service we provide to our airport and airline customers. Delivering additional operational resilience for Heathrow will make a positive difference to airline punctuality, helping to improve the passenger experience and reduce carbon emissions.”
Intelligent Approach has since been deployed at Toronto Pearson and Amsterdam Schiphol airports where it has delivered similar improvements to operational resilience and environmental benefits.
Research on Pairwise separation was carried out by NATS as part of the SESAR Programme.