Detailed estimation of fuel consumption and emissions during aircraft taxi operations at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

This paper presents a detailed estimation of fuel consumption and emissions during taxi operations using aircraft position data from actual operations at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Making assumptions of the thrust level during each state, fuel flow and emission index values from International Civil Aviation Organization’s databank are extrapolated. This provides a relative comparison of all the taxi phases and their contribution to the total effect. Analysis reveals that stop-and-go situations, resulting primarily from congestion on airport’s taxiway system, account for approximately 18% of fuel consumed. The states of idling and taxiing at constant speed or braking were found to be the two largest sources of fuel burn and emissions, and the model estimates are sensitive to the thrust level assumptions for these states.

Research highlights
► Using detailed taxi data from DFW, we estimate fuel consumption and emissions.
► Stop-and-go situations constitute 18% of fuel consumed during taxi.
► Idling and taxiing at constant speed are the two largest sources of fuel burnt.