Evaluation of Convective Weather Impacts on US and European Airports

In this paper, the impact of convective weather on two major hub airports in the Unites States and Europe is compared. First, the delays caused by weather are analyzed and it was found that it is one of the major sources of delays. Two different approaches to study the problem are then presented. In the US, a study is presented to identify a pool of potential additional departures that could be achieved during convective weather days in Atlanta by providing traffic managers with enhanced information not available today. Then, an operational overview is presented of the procedures used during convective weather days in Munich. This study is complemented by an approach to identify convective weather days in Munich. The US and European approaches are compared next and lessons learned are discussed. By comparing best practices and experiences during challenging weather conditions from the US and Europe, valuable insights can be obtained for any Air Navigation Service Providers.