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Air Traffic Activity and Delay Data
Data Scope
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains data on air traffic activity at
air route traffic control centers (ARTCC) and preliminary airport traffic counts,
instrument operations and instrument approaches, as well as delays in the Air Traffic
Operations Network (OPSNET) database. The office of Aviation Plans and Policy (APO-130)
is the official collector of air traffic activity until all Air Traffic facilities
(except Flight Service Stations (FSS)) are capable of reporting data via OPSNET.
Data collection is currently being expanded to collect information from all air
traffic facilities, both FAA and non-FAA. Air Traffic Activity is the total of the
number of operations at FAA and contractor controlled airports, instrument operations
at FAA and contractor controlled airports, and aircraft handled at Air Route Traffic
Control Centers (ARTCC’s). Flight delay is separated into reportable, non-reportable,
and international delay. Delays recorded in OPSNET are only 15 minutes or more, in other
words reportable. Non-reportable is not recorded in the database. Delay is separated
as departure, arrival, and en route.
A reportable delay recorded in OPSNET is defined in FAA Order 7210.55B as,
"Delays to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) traffic of 15 minutes or more,
experienced by individual flights, which result from the ATC system detaining an
aircraft at the gate, short of the runway, on the runway, on a taxiway, and/or in
a holding configuration anywhere en route shall be reported."
Such delays include delays due to weather conditions at airports and en route,
FAA and non-FAA equipment malfunctions, the volume of traffic at an airport, reduction
to runway capacity, and other factors. Flight delays of less than 15 minutes are not
reported in OPSNET but may be recorded by Air Traffic facilities.
Non-reportable delays are delays caused by pilot initiated en route deviations
around adverse weather (as opposed to reportable delay for weather conditions at
an airport); delay caused by mechanical or other aircraft operator/company problems;
and delay for taxi time controlled by non-FAA entities. For example, taxi time spent
under the control of non-FAA entities (i.e., company/airport ramp towers.)
International delays are due to delay caused by initiatives imposed by facilities
outside the United States. International delays are recorded in the OPSNET database
and are not separated.
Delays are broadly categorized as terminal or en route delays. Terminal delays are
incurred as a result of conditions at the departure or arrival airport, and are charged
to the appropriate airport. En route delays occur when aircraft incur airborne delays
of 15 minutes or more as a result of an initiative imposed by a facility to manage
traffic. En route delays are recorded by the facility where the delay occurred and
charged to the facility that imposed the restriction.
Delays are further categorized by the condition that caused the delay. There are
five general impacting conditions:
- Weather: the presence of adverse weather conditions affecting operations.
This includes wind, rain, snow/ice, low cloud ceilings, low visibility, and
tornado/ hurricane/thunderstorm.
- Equipment: an equipment failure or outage causing reduced capacity.
Equipment failures are identified as to whether they are FAA or non-FAA equipment,
and whether the outage was scheduled or unscheduled.
- Runway/Taxiway: reductions in facility capacity due to runway or
taxiway closure or configuration changes.
- Traffic Management Initiatives (TMI): national or local traffic management
imposed initiatives, including ground stops/delays, departure/en route spacing, fuel
advisory, mile/minutes in trail, arrival programs, and airport volume.
Note: TMI is a subset of the 5 categories Weather, Equipment, Runway/Taxiway, Volume
and Other.
- Other: emergency conditions or other special non-recurring activities such
as an air show, VIP movement, or radio interference. International Delays are also
included in this category.
The ratios of weather, equipment, runway, volume, and other delay data to Air Traffic
Activity are used as indices in the FAA’s Air Traffic Services Performance Measures.
The data are expressed in delay per 100,000 activities.
Data Collection
Source and Method - The FAA receives delay reports and airport traffic
information daily. Instrument operations and instrument approaches are summarized
monthly. OPSNET includes daily delay reporting as well as airport traffic counts,
instrument operations, and instrument approaches. Data collection was expanded from
the previous OPSNET to provide data entry currently submitted on FAA Forms 7230-1,
Airport Traffic Record; 7230-12, Instrument Approaches Monthly Summary; and 7230-26,
Instrument Opera-tions, on a daily basis and from all Level III and higher Air Traffic
Facilities.
See FAA Form 7230-1, Airport Traffic Record; Form 7230-12, Instrument Approaches
Monthly Summary; and Form 7230-26, Instrument Operations. Data are filed electronically,
processed, and stored in the OPSNET database.
Sampling Errors
Not applicable. All delay data and traffic data are to be reported.
Non-sampling Errors
The reporting facilities are required to determine to which category incidents of
delay are assigned. While there are detailed instructions (see FAA Order 7210.3,
Chapter 12, Facility Statistical Data, Reports and Forms, for definitions and guidance
in reporting operational counts, and FAA Order 7210.55B, for operational data reporting
require-ments), some erroneous classification may occur. Accordingly, some small levels
of stochastic error may be introduced.
Verification and Validation
Data are analyzed and checked by Air Traffic Tactical Operations Program (ATT)
headquarters personnel daily. Missing data and clarification or amendment of data
anomalies are requested through FAA regional offices.
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