Separation Assurance in High‐Density Airspace

Abstract Separation assurance is the service provided by air traffic control that keeps aircraft apart from one another, from obstacles on the ground, and from airspace where they must not fly. High‐density airspace, where the number of aircraft is high enough that active effort is required to maintain safe separations, provides the greatest challenge to those responsible for separation assurance. This chapter describes the problem of maintaining air traffic safety, shows the role of separation assurance within it, and enumerates the possible dimensions of separation. The utility of the various kinds of separation, the limitations on the use of each, and the implications of each on system efficiency are described. The chapter concludes with a description of how upcoming changes to the technology of air traffic control are likely to affect the job of separation assurance.