Patent ID: 7333887

Claim:
A computer implemented method for an aviation entity to manage, consistent with specified entity business goals, the temporal assignment of airport gates for use by a plurality of aircraft which are to-be-serviced by specified ground resources, including ground personnel, equipment and supplies, so as to deliver and receive specified passengers, their baggage and cargo during a specified time period, based upon specified, temporally-varying data pertaining to said aircraft, passengers and ground resources, said method comprising the steps of: collecting and storing said specified data, processing said data to predict the trajectories of said plurality of aircraft, wherein said trajectories including the expected gate arrival time, required ground servicing period and projected departure time of each of said aircraft, processing said data to predict the loads imposed on said ground resources and gates associated with the movement of said passengers, equipment and supplies in relation to the arrival and departure of said plurality of aircraft, processing said data, trajectories and loads to identify the various possible ways to assign said gates so as to meet to a specified level the time constraints of said predicted trajectories and loads, and assigning to each of said plurality of aircraft a gate for use for a prescribed period, with said assignments being made in such a manner as to allow said aviation entity to better meet said business goals.