Two Stages of Arrival Aircraft: Influencing Factors and Prediction of Integrated Arrival Time

To enhance the accuracy and real-time capability of estimated in-block time (EIBT) predictions at airports, this study proposes a two-stage integrated prediction method. By extending the prediction time window for arrival times, this method systematically models and analyzes the integrated arrival t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xiaowei Tang, Mengfan Ye, Jiaqi Wu, Shengrun Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Aerospace
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/3/250
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850093622448357376
author Xiaowei Tang
Mengfan Ye
Jiaqi Wu
Shengrun Zhang
author_facet Xiaowei Tang
Mengfan Ye
Jiaqi Wu
Shengrun Zhang
author_sort Xiaowei Tang
collection DOAJ
description To enhance the accuracy and real-time capability of estimated in-block time (EIBT) predictions at airports, this study proposes a two-stage integrated prediction method. By extending the prediction time window for arrival times, this method systematically models and analyzes the integrated arrival time, thereby achieving precise EIBT predictions. This study divides the arrival process into the approach flight stage and the taxi-in stage, constructing predictive models for each and identifying key influencing factors. Additionally, copula entropy is employed to optimize feature selection. Based on operational data from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, a LightGBM-based prediction model was developed and validated across multiple datasets. The results demonstrate that the two-stage integrated forecasting method significantly outperforms single-stage modeling, with the best model achieving a prediction accuracy of 87.11% within a ±5 min error margin. Furthermore, this study validates the effectiveness of copula entropy in enhancing model prediction performance. This research provides theoretical support and practical references for improving the real-time predictive capabilities of airport collaborative decision-making systems, as well as a technical pathway for integrated air-surface management research at multi-runway airports.
format Article
id doaj-art-b67a2660cc4c4d21955bea3dd1e6cf8f
institution DOAJ
issn 2226-4310
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Aerospace
spelling doaj-art-b67a2660cc4c4d21955bea3dd1e6cf8f2025-08-20T02:41:51ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102025-03-0112325010.3390/aerospace12030250Two Stages of Arrival Aircraft: Influencing Factors and Prediction of Integrated Arrival TimeXiaowei Tang0Mengfan Ye1Jiaqi Wu2Shengrun Zhang3College of Civil Aviation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211100, ChinaCollege of Civil Aviation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211100, ChinaCollege of Civil Aviation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211100, ChinaCollege of Civil Aviation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211100, ChinaTo enhance the accuracy and real-time capability of estimated in-block time (EIBT) predictions at airports, this study proposes a two-stage integrated prediction method. By extending the prediction time window for arrival times, this method systematically models and analyzes the integrated arrival time, thereby achieving precise EIBT predictions. This study divides the arrival process into the approach flight stage and the taxi-in stage, constructing predictive models for each and identifying key influencing factors. Additionally, copula entropy is employed to optimize feature selection. Based on operational data from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, a LightGBM-based prediction model was developed and validated across multiple datasets. The results demonstrate that the two-stage integrated forecasting method significantly outperforms single-stage modeling, with the best model achieving a prediction accuracy of 87.11% within a ±5 min error margin. Furthermore, this study validates the effectiveness of copula entropy in enhancing model prediction performance. This research provides theoretical support and practical references for improving the real-time predictive capabilities of airport collaborative decision-making systems, as well as a technical pathway for integrated air-surface management research at multi-runway airports.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/3/250air transportationintegrated arrival time predictiontaxi-in timeapproach flight timeairport surface operationsmachine learning
spellingShingle Xiaowei Tang
Mengfan Ye
Jiaqi Wu
Shengrun Zhang
Two Stages of Arrival Aircraft: Influencing Factors and Prediction of Integrated Arrival Time
Aerospace
air transportation
integrated arrival time prediction
taxi-in time
approach flight time
airport surface operations
machine learning
title Two Stages of Arrival Aircraft: Influencing Factors and Prediction of Integrated Arrival Time
title_full Two Stages of Arrival Aircraft: Influencing Factors and Prediction of Integrated Arrival Time
title_fullStr Two Stages of Arrival Aircraft: Influencing Factors and Prediction of Integrated Arrival Time
title_full_unstemmed Two Stages of Arrival Aircraft: Influencing Factors and Prediction of Integrated Arrival Time
title_short Two Stages of Arrival Aircraft: Influencing Factors and Prediction of Integrated Arrival Time
title_sort two stages of arrival aircraft influencing factors and prediction of integrated arrival time
topic air transportation
integrated arrival time prediction
taxi-in time
approach flight time
airport surface operations
machine learning
url https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/3/250
work_keys_str_mv AT xiaoweitang twostagesofarrivalaircraftinfluencingfactorsandpredictionofintegratedarrivaltime
AT mengfanye twostagesofarrivalaircraftinfluencingfactorsandpredictionofintegratedarrivaltime
AT jiaqiwu twostagesofarrivalaircraftinfluencingfactorsandpredictionofintegratedarrivaltime
AT shengrunzhang twostagesofarrivalaircraftinfluencingfactorsandpredictionofintegratedarrivaltime