Multi-Aircraft Environmentally-Scored Weather-Resilient Optimised 4D-Trajectories
Multi-Aircraft Environmentally-Scored Weather-Resilient Optimised 4D-Trajectories
Date
2021
Authors
Dungen, N.H.M. van den
Sutopo, N.D.K.
Prats, X.
Di Vito, V.
Riccio, A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Netherlands Aerospace Centre NLR
Abstract
Weather phenomena are one of the biggest causes for significant delays and unpredictable
disruptions within air traffic management (ATM) network operations. The changing global
climate increases the future severity and frequency of these air traffic disturbing weather
phenomena. This deteriorates the predictability of 4D trajectory ATM network planning and
potentially increases the delays within air traffic operations. Furthermore, aviation itself has a
responsibility to mitigate its climate impact to improve the long-term sustainability of the ATM
operations and to contribute to the global effort towards the reduction of anthropogenic climate
change. The SESAR2020 exploratory research project CREATE (Grant 890898) aims to find
answers on how to improve the weather-resilience of ATM-operations and to reduce its climate
impact. A concept of operations (ConOps) has been developed which describes an integrated
trajectory optimisation framework to tactically define environmentally-scored optimised 4D
trajectories, for a multi-aircraft airspace configuration, using advanced numerical weather
prediction models, combined with air traffic control (ATC) driven demand-capacity balancing
methods. The framework will be applied to an en-route use-case focusing on the unorganised
traffic over the North Atlantic, and a Terminal Manoevring Area (TMA) use-case focusing on
the Naples Capodichino airspace. The optimised trajectories aim to evade thunderstorms and
contrail formation regions, whilst minimising CO2, non-CO2 and local air quality (LAQ)
impacts.
Description
This report is based on a presentation to be held at FABEC / InterFAB Research Workshop, "Climate change and the
role of air traffic control", 22-23 September 2021 in Vilnius / Lithuania.