Atlanta Airport Analysis of Delays

Weather is the most significant factor in flight delays when transitioning through the airspace between the departure and arrival airports. However, individual airports generate flight delays independent of airspace delays. Each airport exhibits a unique geometry of physical infrastructure including runways, taxiways, ramps and gates. The specific utility of physical infrastructure varies depending upon runway selection and use, which is generally determined by wind and weather conditions. Variability in the utility of the runway complexes is a principal contributor to daily aircraft delays. However, the maximum aircraft throughput of each runway complex is bounded by engineered or designed capacity. Therefore, delays should increase as the number of aircraft (demand) increases. This research utilizes statistical analysis to evaluate the relationship of runway configuration, demand, and weather to arrival and/or departure delays at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. The research employs a unique data set including hourly data for day and evening shifts to a subject year