Modeling Taxi Delay for Sustainable Aircraft Towing at Hub Airports uisng Queue-Based Discrete Event Simulation

Abstract

This study addresses the operational challenges of sustainable aircraft towing at hub airports, partic- ularly focusing on taxi delays. Using a queue-based discrete event simulation, airport taxi operations are modeled to evaluate the impact of tow-trucks on taxi delays and runway throughput. Key parameters in- clude service times for coupling and decoupling, tow-truck availability, and parallel service capacity. The findings reveal that taxi delays and runway throughput are significantly affected by the mean and variability of service times. Allowing multiple parallel service stations in front of the runway can reduce delays but may require infrastructure modifications. The study concludes that while operational towing can reduce emissions, its successful implementation depends on careful management and optimized traffic strategies to avoid compromising airport efficiency.