Evaluation of Fuel Benefits Depending on Continuous Descent Approach Procedures

In this work arrival traffic following a continuous descent approach profile into the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was simulated based on actual recorded traffic data. The fuel burn for the simulated traffic was estimated using the Base of Aircraft Data (BADA) Thrust Specific Fuel Consumption model and compared to a baseline simulation of the as-flown trajectories, where the continuous descent approach profile was not followed. Several sources of variability that impact the fuel savings were examined, including separation minima, types of maneuver to absorb the delays, and composition of aircraft weight category in the fleet mix. The results indicate that fuel savings depended on a number of factors, including aircraft weight, number of step-downs, and the type of air traffic control maneuver used to impart delay to the aircraft. These effects are estimated using simulation.