Results of a VDL 2 subnet simulation in the approach area to El Dorado Airport

This paper studies air to ground communications in the central sector of the terminal area (TMA) of Bogota´s El Dorado Airport. The sector is termed Bogota Arrivals and it is a mandatory way for all aircraft making their final approach to El Dorado Airport. Currently, controller-pilot communications are established using voice messages through the frequency 119.5 MHz. The current capacity of Bogota Arrivals sector, as determined by the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority (UAEAC), is analyzed and compared to the capacity achievable with Controller to Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) environment. To this end CPDLC over a VDL Mode 2 subnet in Bogota Arrivals sector was modeled and simulated using Network Simulator 2 (NS2) software. The capacity study done by the UAEAC was repeated for the CPDLC environment. The results show an increase in the capacity of the Bogota Arrivals sector, if air-ground communications are performed using CPDLC service over the VDL Mode 2 sub network instead of voice messages.