Using disjunctive scheduling for optimally solving en-route conflicts [ATC]

The resolution of en route conflicts remains a major concern for air traffic management (ATM), especially in core European airspace where the traffic density is high. In this paper, we discuss a new research direction based on disjunctive scheduling models with emphasis on the coordination of conflict resolution actions. Indeed, we model clusters of conflicts with disjunctive PERT graphs. The resulting global solution from the disjunctive PERT graphs suggests the order of conflict resolution actions for large clusters of conflicts that could be used as a coordination tool for airborne autonomous conflict management as well as for ground-based collaborative decision making (CDM) to optimize conflict resolution solutions.