Introduction <p> Aviation delays are on the rise as a consequence of disproportionate growth of the air transportation demand. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in fiscal year 1987, u. S. commercial air carriers enplaned a total of 444.3 million passengers. Of this total, 415.0 millon were counted as domestic enplanements and 29.3 millon as international enplanements [FAA, 1988a]. Over the 12-year forecast period, domestic enplanements are forecast to increase by an average annual rate of 4.6 percent...<p> From the economical point of view, current statistics show that approximately three billion dollars are paid by air travelers due to the delay in U.S. alone( Aviation Week & Space Technology, 1989] â ¢ Therefore, proper actions are required to identify and facilitate a reduction in flight delays and prevent their projected growth... / Master of Science