Effects of pushback accuracy on static apron capacity

The static apron capacity for aircraft with a wingspan higher than 65m is limited at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). With the introduction of new large aircraft with increasing wingspan, such as the B777-9X, Schiphol is faced with the challenge of realizing larger gates. Currently, the taxi wingtip clearance is used for pushback and towing and the goal of this research is to see if it is possible to decrease the wingtip clearance there. Using aircraft transponder data and reproducing the pushback tracks for five gates, it is shown that some room is available to limit clearance and thus increase capacity at some gates, but more capacity could be gained by providing tug drivers with extra guidance through Differential GPS or a ‘Follow the Greens’ system.Aerospace Transport & Operation