Collaborative Air Traffic Flow Management using FF-ICE Information Sharing

Research Problem

Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) aims to balance traffic demand with available airport and airspace capacity before congestion results in excessive airborne delay and holding.

This problem is particularly challenging in Southeast Asia, where flights frequently cross multiple Flight Information Regions (FIRs) managed by different countries and organizations. Unlike highly centralized airspace systems, ATFM decisions may therefore be made with only local information and limited coordination.

The introduction of Flight and Flow Information for a Collaborative Environment (FF-ICE/R1) creates new opportunities for information sharing and collaborative decision-making across FIR boundaries.

Contributions

Our research develops optimization-based simulation frameworks to quantify the value of information sharing and collaborative ATFM in decentralized airspace networks.

Key contributions include:

• Rolling-horizon simulation of decentralized ATFM operations across Southeast Asia
• Optimization models that account for airport and airspace capacity, aircraft separation, speed adjustments, target times over waypoints, and airborne holding
• Explicit representation of different levels of information availability and coordination between FIRs
• Simulation of FF-ICE/R1-enabled collaboration and Calculated Take-Off Time (CTOT) assignment
• Quantification of how collaboration can shift delay from the air to the ground, reducing airborne time and fuel consumption
• Evaluation of partial versus region-wide collaboration, supporting phased implementation strategies for Southeast Asia

Selected Publications

• Optimization-Based Simulation of Air Traffic Flow Management Within the Decentralized ASEAN Region
  Teo, D., Jackson, P. L., Delahaye, D., & Ribeiro, N. A. (2025). Preprint / manuscript in journal review.

• From Decentralized to Collaborative ATFM: A Simulation-Based Assessment of FF-ICE/R1 in Southeast Asia
  Teo, D., Dai, G., Nandi, R., Jackson, P., & Ribeiro, N. A. (2026). SSRN preprint / manuscript in journal review.

Research Funding

• National Research Foundation Singapore
  Evaluating CONOPS for FF-ICE R1 in South-East Asia
  Total Award: SGD 1,362,126

International Collaborations

• École Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC), France
  Research collaboration with Prof. Daniel Delahaye on optimization and simulation of decentralized air traffic flow management.

• Thales
  Industry collaboration on FF-ICE/R1 information sharing and collaborative ATFM concepts in Southeast Asia.