Airspace Flow Program Modeling in the Future ATC Concept Evaluation Tool

The Airspace Flow Program (AFP) is a new Traffic Flow Management (TFM) control technique that has entered operation in 2006. AFPs use two existing technologies, Ground Delay Programs (GDPs) and Flow Constrained Areas (FCAs), to reduce demand on constrained areas of the airspace by issuing delays to be applied pre-departure. The operational use of AFPs during the 2006 severe weather season was received positively by the TFM community. However, there are significant aspects of AFP operational characteristics that differ from the previous airport-based GDPs. NASA's FACET model has already contributed significantly to the research and evaluation of TFM concepts. As the JPDO continues to refine its vision for the Next Generation Air Transportation System, additional capabilities in FACET will support its use as a critical tool for further NASA research. The development of an AFP model for FACET is an essential addition to support research and analysis of both current and future TFM operations. Mosaic ATM proposes to conduct detailed analysis of AFP operations and to develop an AFP model for FACET.