Terminal area A.T.C. must provide each aircraft with access to a network of different facilities. If these each treat their customers on a “first-come first-served” basis, congestion arises which could be avoided by more comprehensive planning. In a large busy terminal area it is at present necessary to decentralize the control process to avoid overloading the human controllers and it is then hard to avoid using “firstcome first-served”. This undesirable trend can be reversed if we hand over part of the decision-making process to an electronic computer.

This paper will be presented for discussion at the Eastbourne tripartite conference, 12–14 May.