Managing gate and ramp operations to reduce delay, fuel burn, and costs

At larger U.S. airports, aircraft traffic congestion in and around ramp-area alleyways can lead to inefficiencies in the movement of aircraft to and from the movement area. This inefficiency is reflected both in reduced on-time performance and in unnecessary taxi delay that leads to higher airline operating costs and increased environmental impacts resulting from fuel-burn emissions. For example, poor ramp traffic coordination can lead to an aircraft blocking an arrival's access to an assigned gate or a critical alleyway, requiring the arrival either to wait for the blockage to clear or to be directed to another gate.