Researchers at Sensis’s Seagull Technology Center in Campbell, Calif., have calculated what they call excess fuel burned during taxiing at 13 of the nation’s largest airports. In this case, excess means the amount of time spent taxiing versus the ideal time required to proceed from the ramp to the takeoff point, and from exiting the runway to the ramp after landing, and then converting the time difference into fuel burn. Researchers found that at those 13 airports, $409 million in fuel (a rolling average, using fuel prices at the time the research was conducted) was consumed annually in surface movements, with no benefit to operators.
Researchers obtained the data by tracking every aircraft, large or small, moving on the airport surface with the Sensis ASDE-X, which combines advanced surveillance radar with a network of transponder multilateration stations. Analysts then matched this data to ATC tower records and other information sources to create a precise inventory of aircraft types, engines, fuel burn, taxi routes taken and speeds, single-engine taxi technique and a wealth of other inputs. Traffic variations throughout the day and other variables were factored in to develop the “ideal” taxi times at each of the 13 airports versus those achieved.
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