Integrated Prediction and Distributionally Robust Optimization for Air Traffic Management

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Wu, Haochen, Zhu, Xinting, Li, Lishuai, Li, Max Z.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Wu, Haochen
Zhu, Xinting
Li, Lishuai
Li, Max Z.
author_facet Wu, Haochen
Zhu, Xinting
Li, Lishuai
Li, Max Z.
contents Strategic Traffic Management Initiatives (TMIs) such as Ground Delay Programs (GDPs) play a crucial role in mitigating operational costs associated with air traffic demand-capacity imbalances. However, GDPs can only be planned (e.g., duration, delay assignments) with confidence if the future capacities at constrained resources (i.e., airports) are predictable. In reality, such future capacities are uncertain, and predictive models may provide predictions that are vulnerable to errors and distribution shifts. Motivated by the goal of planning optimal GDPs that are distributionally robust against airport capacity prediction errors, we study a fully integrated learning-driven optimization framework. We design a deep learning-based prediction model capable of forecasting arrival and departure capacity distributions across a network of airports. We incorporate the predictions into a distributionally robust formulation of the multi-airport ground holding program (DR-MAGHP). Our results demonstrate that DR-MAGHP can achieve up to a 15.6% improvement over the stochastic programming formulation (SP-MAGHP) under airport capacity distribution shifts. We conclude by outlining future research directions aimed at enhancing both the learning and optimization components of the framework.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_18492
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Integrated Prediction and Distributionally Robust Optimization for Air Traffic Management
Wu, Haochen
Zhu, Xinting
Li, Lishuai
Li, Max Z.
Optimization and Control
Strategic Traffic Management Initiatives (TMIs) such as Ground Delay Programs (GDPs) play a crucial role in mitigating operational costs associated with air traffic demand-capacity imbalances. However, GDPs can only be planned (e.g., duration, delay assignments) with confidence if the future capacities at constrained resources (i.e., airports) are predictable. In reality, such future capacities are uncertain, and predictive models may provide predictions that are vulnerable to errors and distribution shifts. Motivated by the goal of planning optimal GDPs that are distributionally robust against airport capacity prediction errors, we study a fully integrated learning-driven optimization framework. We design a deep learning-based prediction model capable of forecasting arrival and departure capacity distributions across a network of airports. We incorporate the predictions into a distributionally robust formulation of the multi-airport ground holding program (DR-MAGHP). Our results demonstrate that DR-MAGHP can achieve up to a 15.6% improvement over the stochastic programming formulation (SP-MAGHP) under airport capacity distribution shifts. We conclude by outlining future research directions aimed at enhancing both the learning and optimization components of the framework.
title Integrated Prediction and Distributionally Robust Optimization for Air Traffic Management
topic Optimization and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.18492