Impact of navigation accuracy on the intervention rate in a highly automated air traffic control system

Progress in navigation technology is expected to bring about a lower air traffic control (ATC) intervention rate than the rate that could be expected based upon today's navigation and flight control capabilities. The extent to which this may occur is quantified, and additional possible benefits, such as increasing air traffic throughput and intervening earlier in potential loss of separation between aircraft, are discussed. A prototypic aircraft-aircraft encounter is defined. It includes a simple intervention-decision rule which attempts to capture the prudence practiced by today's air traffic controllers, and which typifies one type of decision rule presently under consideration for use in a future automated ATC system such as AERA 3. This rule is applied to an operational environment where GPS (Global Positioning System) is employed to navigate user-preferred routes.<>