Modeling the Impact of the A380

This article discusses how airports in the United States will receive the A380 aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration's Capacity Model Analysis Group is currently working with airport operators and air traffic controllers to explore this issue. In the article, the author ponders questions about the A380's size (compared to the Boeing 747-400, the next largest plane) and performance on runways and taxiways (studied in a series of simulations at Memphis, San Francisco, and JFK International Airports). Also discussed is an Air and Airspace Simulation Model (SIMMOD) at Indianapolis International Airport that is studying the introduction of the A380 into the Federal Express fleet, along with a future Airfield Delay Simulation Model (ADSIM) planned for Anchorage International Airport. The latter model, besides studying the introduction of the A380 to the airport, also plans to study how the aircraft would be impacted by runway and taxiway closures during construction.