Simulation model of airport runway incursions

Runway incursions are defined by ICAO as “events that create an incorrect presence of aircrafts, vehicles or persons in airport restricted areas of take-off and landing”. In the Italian National Agency for Flight Safety Report (2001) it can be read: “Runway incursions are defined as one of the highest actual risks of aerial transportation in many airports all over the world. The situation is no more acceptable and it’s necessary to apply all the possible countermeasures with the commitment of public and private institutions and operators to solve the problem”. In fact, even if the most serious accidents are very rare (with a probability of about 1/107 movements), their consequences can be catastrophic. The target of the research is to build a simulation model of ground circulation of aircrafts in aerodromes to evaluate frequencies of occurrence of incursions and the connection of the events to set an analysis on parameters as visibility, technological infrastructures and tower controls. The airport “G.B. Pastine” of Ciampino is presented as a case study, identifying actual status and opportune evolutions.