scholarly journals Advanced Flight Planning and the Benefit of In-Flight Aircraft Trajectory Optimization

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1383
Author(s):  
Judith Rosenow ◽  
Martin Lindner ◽  
Joachim Scheiderer
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Trajectory Optimization ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Aircraft Trajectory

The implementation of Trajectory-Based Operations, invented by the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research program SESAR, enables airlines to fly along optimized waypoint-less trajectories and accordingly to significantly increase the sustainability of the air transport system in a business with increasing environmental awareness. However, unsteady weather conditions and uncertain weather forecasts might induce the necessity to re-optimize the trajectory during the flight. By considering a re-optimization of the trajectory during the flight they further support air traffic control towards achieving precise air traffic flow management and, in consequence, an increase in airspace and airport capacity. However, the re-optimization leads to an increase in the operator and controller’s task loads which must be balanced with the benefit of the re-optimization. From this follows that operators need a decision support under which circumstances and how often a trajectory re-optimization should be carried out. Local numerical weather service providers issue hourly weather forecasts for the coming hour. Such weather data sets covering three months were used to re-optimize a daily A320 flight from Seattle to New York every hour and to calculate the effects of this re-optimization on fuel consumption and deviation from the filed path. Therefore, a simulation-based trajectory optimization tool was used. Fuel savings between 0.5% and 7% per flight were achieved despite minor differences in wind speed between two consecutive weather forecasts in the order of 0.5 m s−1. The calculated lateral deviations from the filed path within 1 nautical mile were always very small. Thus, the method could be easily implemented in current flight operations. The developed performance indicators could help operators to evaluate the re-optimization and to initiate its activation as a new flight plan accordingly.

scholarly journals In-Flight Aircraft Trajectory Optimization within Corridors Defined by Ensemble Weather Forecasts

Aerospace ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lindner ◽  
Judith Rosenow ◽  
Thomas Zeh ◽  
Hartmut Fricke
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Trajectory Optimization ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Parameter Uncertainties ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Fuel Savings ◽  
Flight Plan ◽  
Aircraft Trajectory

Today, each flight is filed as a static route not later than one hour before departure. From there on, changes of the lateral route initiated by the pilot are only possible with air traffic control clearance and in the minority. Thus, the initially optimized trajectory of the flight plan is flown, although the optimization may already be based upon outdated weather data at take-off. Global weather data as those modeled by the Global Forecast System do, however, contain hints on forecast uncertainties itself, which is quantified by considering so-called ensemble forecast data. In this study, the variability in these weather parameter uncertainties is analyzed, before the trajectory optimization model TOMATO is applied to single trajectories considering the previously quantified uncertainties. TOMATO generates, based on the set of input data as provided by the ensembles, a 3D corridor encasing all resulting optimized trajectories. Assuming that this corridor is filed in addition to the initial flight plan, the optimum trajectory can be updated even during flight, as soon as updated weather forecasts are available. In return and as a compromise, flights would have to stay within the corridor to provide planning stability for Air Traffic Management compared to full free in-flight optimization. Although the corridor restricts the re-optimized trajectory, fuel savings of up to 1.1%, compared to the initially filed flight, could be shown.

scholarly journals Weather Impact on Airport Performance

Aerospace ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schultz ◽  
Sandro Lorenz ◽  
Reinhard Schmitz ◽  
Luis Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Management ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Airport Capacity ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Weather events have a significant impact on airport performance and cause delayed operations if the airport capacity is constrained. We provide quantification of the individual airport performance with regards to an aggregated weather-performance metric. Specific weather phenomena are categorized by the air traffic management airport performance weather algorithm, which aims to quantify weather conditions at airports based on aviation routine meteorological reports. Our results are computed from a data set of 20.5 million European flights of 2013 and local weather data. A methodology is presented to evaluate the impact of weather events on the airport performance and to select the appropriate threshold for significant weather conditions. To provide an efficient method to capture the impact of weather, we modelled departing and arrival delays with probability distributions, which depend on airport size and meteorological impacts. These derived airport performance scores could be used in comprehensive air traffic network simulations to evaluate the network impact caused by weather induced local performance deterioration.

scholarly journals Predicting Fuel Consumption Reduction Potentials Based on 4D Trajectory Optimization with Heterogeneous Constraints

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7043
Author(s):  
Fangzi Liu ◽  
Zihong Li ◽  
Hua Xie ◽  
Lei Yang ◽  
Minghua Hu
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Trajectory Optimization ◽  
Fuel Efficiency ◽  
Upper Bounds ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Beijing City ◽  
Fuel Consumption Reduction ◽  
Consumption Reduction

Investigating potential ways to improve fuel efficiency of aircraft operations is crucial for the development of the global air traffic management (ATM) performance target. The implementation of trajectory-based operations (TBOs) will play a major role in enhancing the predictability of air traffic and flight efficiency. TBO also provides new means for aircraft to save energy and reduce emissions. By comprehensively considering aircraft dynamics, available route limitations, sector capacity constraints, and air traffic control restrictions on altitude and speed, a “runway-to-runway” four-dimensional trajectory multi-objective planning method under loose-to-tight heterogeneous constraints is proposed in this paper. Taking the Shanghai–Beijing city pair as an example, the upper bounds of the Pareto front describing potential fuel consumption reduction under the influence of flight time were determined under different airspace rigidities, such as different ideal and realistic operating environments, as well as fixed and optional routes. In the congestion-free scenario with fixed route, the upper bounds on fuel consumption reduction range from 3.36% to 13.38% under different benchmarks. In the capacity-constrained scenario, the trade-off solutions of trajectory optimization are compressed due to limited available entry time slots of congested sectors. The results show that more flexible route options improve fuel-saving potentials up to 8.99%. In addition, the sensitivity analysis further illustrated the pattern of how optimal solutions evolved with congested locations and severity. The outcome of this paper would provide a preliminary framework for predicting and evaluating fuel efficiency improvement potentials in TBOs, which is meaningful for setting performance targets of green ATM systems.

scholarly journals The system of collaborative decision making as an effective tool for the organization of the airport operation in peak loads

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 43-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. O. Nikulin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Air Traffic Management ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Cooperative Decision Making ◽  
Navigation Service ◽  
Separation Standards

In the article the analysis of functioning a joint decision-making (A-CDM) system of Sheremetyevo Airport is presented during airport operation in a "rush hour". Domestic and international programs of air traffic management (ATM) development assume that the airports will be completely included into the air traffic management network as components of this network. Cooperative decision-making will be used to provide a "seamless" process of planning. This process will take place with participation of airspace users, suppliers of an air navigation service and airports (with use of the automated facilities of arrival, departure and traffic on airfield surface) for the benefit of sequence management to increase runway capacity. The runway equipment has to be modernized, separation standards among aircraft on arrival and departure should be reduced, modern navigation and traffic control on an airfield surface aids have to operate. The runway is referred to the resources which operate according to the principle of only one client service. Influence of weather conditions (the wet runway, severe wind, low visibility) determines the airfield capacity. Arrival and departure control allows optimizing aerodrome operation from the view of cost efficiency and ecology. The system of joint decision-making for an airport is a complex of the procedures aimed at increasing level of air traffic flows organization, airfield and airspace capacity through raising a level of event predictability and optimization of the resource use process. The system allows operating information to obtain the modified output data for decision-making. The main system objectives are to increase the level of temporary accuracy of an event emergence and also its predictability.

Safety Culture and Safety-Relevant Behavior in Air Traffic Management

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Schwarz ◽  
K. Wolfgang Kallus
Keyword(s):  
Safety Culture ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Air Traffic Management ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Psychometric Validation ◽  
Safety Attitudes ◽  
Culture Development

Since 2010, air navigation service providers have been mandated to implement a positive and proactive safety culture based on shared beliefs, assumptions, and values regarding safety. This mandate raised the need to develop and validate a concept and tools to assess the level of safety culture in organizations. An initial set of 40 safety culture questions based on eight themes underwent psychometric validation. Principal component analysis was applied to data from 282 air traffic management staff, producing a five-factor model of informed culture, reporting and learning culture, just culture, and flexible culture, as well as management’s safety attitudes. This five-factor solution was validated across two different occupational groups and assessment dates (construct validity). Criterion validity was partly achieved by predicting safety-relevant behavior on the job through three out of five safety culture scores. Results indicated a nonlinear relationship with safety culture scales. Overall the proposed concept proved reliable and valid with respect to safety culture development, providing a robust foundation for managers, safety experts, and operational and safety researchers to measure and further improve the level of safety culture within the air traffic management context.

Ensuring the implementation of the modernized structure and automation of air traffic control processes in the area of responsibility of the Moscow district of air traffic control

2018 ◽  
pp. 46-54
Author(s):  
A. V. Strukova
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Management System ◽  
Air Traffic Management ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Security System ◽  
System Description ◽  
Functional Capabilities ◽  
Traffic Management System

The article considers the new automated air traffic management system «Synthesis AR4», as well as a system description for ensuring the implementation of a modernized airspace structure, navigation and surveillance that provides technical capabilities. A number of functional capabilities and advantages of the airspace security system are presented.

scholarly journals How Can Existing Ground-Based Profiling Instruments Improve European Weather Forecasts?

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 605-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Illingworth ◽  
D. Cimini ◽  
A. Haefele ◽  
M. Haeffelin ◽  
M. Hervo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Weather Forecast ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Forecast Models ◽  
Wind Lidar ◽  
Microwave Radiometers

Abstract To realize the promise of improved predictions of hazardous weather such as flash floods, wind storms, fog, and poor air quality from high-resolution mesoscale models, the forecast models must be initialized with an accurate representation of the current state of the atmosphere, but the lowest few kilometers are hardly accessible by satellite, especially in dynamically active conditions. We report on recent European developments in the exploitation of existing ground-based profiling instruments so that they are networked and able to send data in real time to forecast centers. The three classes of instruments are i) automatic lidars and ceilometers providing backscatter profiles of clouds, aerosols, dust, fog, and volcanic ash, the last two being especially important for air traffic control; ii) Doppler wind lidars deriving profiles of wind, turbulence, wind shear, wind gusts, and low-level jets; and iii) microwave radiometers estimating profiles of temperature and humidity in nearly all weather conditions. The project includes collaboration from 22 European countries and 15 European national weather services, which involves the implementation of common operating procedures, instrument calibrations, data formats, and retrieval algorithms. Currently, data from 265 ceilometers in 19 countries are being distributed in near–real time to national weather forecast centers; this should soon rise to many hundreds. One wind lidar is currently delivering real time data rising to 5 by the end of 2019, and the plan is to incorporate radiometers in 2020. Initial data assimilation tests indicate a positive impact of the new data.

scholarly journals Key Aspects of Occupational Health and Safety towards Efficiency and Performance in Air Traffic Management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Dimitriou ◽  
Stylianos Zantanidis
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Air Traffic Management ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Key Aspects

This paper/chapter deals with the key drivers for adopting and developing an Occupational Health and Safety System (OHS) with a special focus on air traffic management and traffic controller’s workplace. A such system includes regulation and legal compliance procedures, actions and monitoring for ensuring workplace safety, incentives and motivation for the air traffic controller and associate personnel health and wellbeing. By a systemic approach, the key characteristics of OHS towards air traffic management are presented, highlighting the key aspects for implementing a quality management system in air traffic control, which is the cornerstone of airport operation efficiency and productivity on one hand; and the nature of job and the intensive working environment is well recognised. Based on air traffic providers functional analysis the key occupational aspects for air traffic control are taken into consideration, providing the benefits for implementing quality management systems (QMS) and OHS is real business. Conventional wisdom is to highlight the importance for establishing and incorporating a modern custom-made OHS system in accordance with the requirements addressed by OHSAS 18001 to develop and implement a QMS for air traffic services. Contribution of this paper is to highlight the key priorities for managers and decision makers in field of air traffic services providers, depicting ways and recommendation for adopting an efficient path for implementing OHS in a QMS environment.

Development of a Probabilistic Convective Weather Forecast Threshold Parameter for Flight-Routing Decisions

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 1175-1187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kapil Sheth ◽  
Thomas Amis ◽  
Sebastian Gutierrez-Nolasco ◽  
Banavar Sridhar ◽  
Daniel Mulfinger
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Weather Forecast ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Traffic Data ◽  
Threshold Parameter ◽  
Probability Threshold ◽  
Convective Cells ◽  
Convective Weather

Abstract This paper presents a method for determining a threshold value of probabilistic convective weather forecast data. By synchronizing air traffic data and an experimental probabilistic convective weather forecast product, it was observed that aircraft avoid areas of specific forecasted probability. Both intensity and echo top of the forecasted weather were synchronized with air traffic data to derive the probability threshold parameter. This value can be used by dispatchers for flight planning and by air traffic managers to reroute streams of aircraft around convective cells. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a method to compute the probability threshold parameters using a specific experimental probabilistic convective forecast product providing hourly guidance up to 6 h. Air traffic and weather data for a 4-month period during the summer of 2007 were used to compute the parameters for the continental United States. The results are shown for different altitudes, times of day, aircraft types, and airspace users. Threshold values for each of the 20 Air Route Traffic Control Centers were also computed. Additional details are presented for seven high-altitude sectors in the Fort Worth, Texas, center. For the analysis reported here, flight intent was not considered and no assessment of flight deviation was conducted since only aircraft tracks were used.

scholarly journals Selected Aspects of Using the Telemetry Method in Synthesis of RelNav System for Air Traffic Control

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milan Džunda ◽  
Natália Kotianová ◽  
Peter Dzurovčin ◽  
Stanislav Szabo ◽  
Edina Jenčová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Navigation System ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic Management ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Relative Navigation ◽  
Positioning Accuracy ◽  
Satellite Navigation System

Accuracy is an important factor in air traffic management which is why high requirements are necessary for each navigation system. The aim of this article is to describe the principles of the RelNav system and telemetry and their accuracy. We present the algorithms of the relative navigation system, which could be used for air traffic control in the case of the unavailability of satellite navigation system signals. This article sums up the different positioning methods, and deals with the accuracy of the relative navigation system (RelNav). Furthermore, the article considers the factors that influence the positioning accuracy. For this task, a computer simulation was created to evaluate the accuracy of the telemetric method. Next, we discuss the principles of telemetry and algorithms for calculating the position of the flying object (FO).

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