STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF TURKISH AIRSPACE BY USING GIS

Abstract

In parallel with the rapid growth in Turkish air transportation, air traffic density and congestion of Turkish airspace have been increasing in recent years. The aim of this study is to examine the structural features and the capacity of Turkish airspace. In this context, the map of Turkish airspace containing sector boundaries, routes and waypoints is digitized and transferred to the GIS environment. The real traffic data of Turkish airspace for a period of two peak hours in heavy traffic during August 2007 was provided by the General Directorate of Turkish Airports. Analysis results indicate that the traffic density of Turkish airspace is accumulative especially in certain sectors. The results obtained from the analyses were compared with the existing sector structure of Turkish airspace and some suggestions related to capacity problems are provided. These suggestions can also be used for the strategic planning of airspace.