The FAA has announced the initial deployment of a new system called Time-Based Flow Management – TBFM, designed to optimize the flow of aircraft into busy airspace.
TBFM was recently installed in all 20 en route centers and will replace Traffic Management Advisor – TMA, as a time-based scheduling tool that meters aircraft through all phases of flight in order to deliver the correct number of aircraft to airspace sectors and down to the runway at the exact pace at which the aircraft can be accommodated, the FAA said.
It said time-based metering allows air traffic controllers and managers to manage aircraft in congested airspace more efficiently by smoothing out irregularities and delivering a more consistent flow of traffic down to the runway.
The FAA said it worked closely with prime contractor Lockheed Martin (initial subcontractors were listed as Metron Aviation Inc., Dulles Va., and Sensis Corporation, Syracuse, N.Y., when the award was made in 2010), which produced the system, which is planned for future deployments at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Baltimore Washington International Airport and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.