Airlines look to cut time spent on the tarmac

Next time you're running at full tilt towards your airport gate, spare a thought for the airline staff who made sure that that gate was actually available. Gate allocation is a surprisingly complex task. "With 15 gates and 10 airplanes, there are more than 570b possibilities," says Dr Joseph Doetsch, who has been working on the problem of gate allocation as quantum computing lead at Lufthansa Industry Solutions. Picking the best gate for each flight can help shorten aircraft taxi times and reduce congestion, meaning that travellers spend less time waiting on the tarmac. It also cuts down on the amount of fuel required, and thus the plane's emissions. Typically gates are allocated when flight schedules are published, so as much as a year ahead, but are then revisited a month in advance, a week in advance, and then finally on the day of the flight. All sorts of priorities have to be juggled when working out where best to park an aircraft. "For example, certain carriers may be granted access to gates near their lounges and other facilities. Additionally, flights with a high volume of connecting passengers are often placed to optimise transfer times and improve overall passenger experience," says George Richardson, co-founder of airport management firm AeroCloud. "Some airlines, particularly budget carriers, may opt for more cost-effective remote stands with lower parking fees, prioritising operational savings over proximity to the main terminal." Other factors include the direction the aircraft is coming from, the type of aircraft, the expected runway assignment, gate availability, airport staffing, customer and baggage connections and the scheduled taxiway and tarmac moves of other aircraft.<br/>