Ground delays from lightning ramp closures and decision uncertainties

Ramp closures are a necessity to ensure the safety of outdoor personnel servicing gate-side aircraft. Halting outdoor work delays air traffic and may cause ripple effects beyond the impacted airport.

Today's ramp closure decision-making process is burdened with uncertainty related to the procedures and their implementation, and the lightning data used to trigger ramp closures. This uncertainty needs to be accounted for, as it has implications for ensuring personnel safety and minimizing avoidable operational inefficiencies. Our initial results highlight that lightning ramp closures can exert substantial impacts on air traffic.