Target Start-up Approval Time (TSAT)
Cutting the cost of delays
Delays are one of the biggest issues at any airport. Aircraft held in a take-off queue with engines running are not only bad for the environment, but they also waste money due to excess use of fuel.
So wouldn’t it be good to have a system that could predict the delay that an aircraft faces, so some of it could be absorbed at the stand?
TSAT uses a variety of information sources to make more accurate predictions about running times.
Target Start-up Approval Time (TSAT) provides just such a system. It uses a variety of information sources, such as that from the air traffic controllers and airlines, to make more accurate predictions about running times. This allows the aircraft to leave the stand at the last possible moment, reducing fuel burn and allowing for a more efficient use of time.
This system has been proven at Heathrow airport – the busiest dual runway airport in the world – where the slightest increase in efficiency leads to marked benefits. These are not just economic and environmental – TSAT also enables better allocation of resources, such as tugs, reduces taxi times and provides a much improved passenger experience by providing them with more certainty of take-off times.
TSAT was developed specifically for Heathrow but can easily be adapted to provide a valuable service at any airport around the world.
