eprintid: 706
rev_number: 8
eprint_status: archive
userid: 18
dir: disk0/00/00/07/06
datestamp: 2017-01-15 22:49:28
lastmod: 2017-01-15 22:49:28
status_changed: 2017-01-15 22:49:28
type: report
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Sargent, Cristina
creators_name: Cawthorn, Chris
creators_name: Cupples, G.
creators_name: Devane, E.
creators_name: Devine, M.
creators_name: Holloway, C.
creators_name: Klaise, J.
creators_name: Mathews, J.
creators_name: Nazar, F.
creators_name: Olszowiec, C.
creators_name: Poon, C.
creators_name: Peng, G.
creators_name: Van lent, J.
creators_name: Walsh, E.
title: Flight Efficiency in European Airspace
ispublished: pub
subjects: aerodef
studygroups: esgi107
companyname: Winsland Consulting
full_text_status: public
abstract: The problem posed by Winsland Consulting was concerned with finding an efficient correlation between a 4D flight path (the civilian require- ment) and a 4D volume of restricted airspace (due to weather or mili- tary use). It further asked how this could be used to explore the best shape of airspace reservations in respect of: sensitivity to civil demand (daily and seasonal); best configuration (shape and time); and the best times to release military sectors to civil traffic (network and local level). The ESGI mathematicians developed a number of approaches that gave confidence that an airspace optimisation tool is feasible.
problem_statement: There are around 30,000 flights per day in European airspace. This flow of traffic is controlled through 70 air traffic control centres and coordinated by the Network Manager, part of Eurocontrol. Air traffic is controlled at the level of a sector, which is a volume of airspace typically managed by a team of two air traffic controllers. Coordination across Europe ensures that the number of flights planned to fly through a sector at any one time is limited to a safe level (typically 20 − 35 per hour).

Aircraft fly along pre-planned routes according to their flight plan, which must be filed before the flight (typically 10 hours before). These routes further define how air traffic flows through the network. Flight plans are based on the fixed route structure and are used to calculate 4D trajectories: latitude, longitude, flight level (height) and time. These trajectories are used to predict where network problems may occur and the circumstances can change minute by minute.

Usable airspace and the routes through it are limited by military areas, known as reservations, and also by bad weather. There are mechanisms to release the airspace for civil aviation when it is not used by the military, under the concept of the flexible use of airspace. Winsland is interested in exploring the value of non-available airspace and the mutual interactions that change this picture. This has the potential to inform operational planning, practices and airspace design that may improve the flexible use of airspace. This is of interest in the context of future systems where, for example, more direct flight routes will be possible. Currently there is mostly a fixed route structure, with flight plans based on fixed waypoints and optimised by Dijkstra’s algorithm, to minimise flight time or cost.

Our study question is whether there is an efficient way to correlate a 4D flight path (the civilian requirement) with a 4D volume of restricted airspace (due to weather or military use). This could be used to explore the network level impact of any particular airspace volume constraint. It could help explore whether the best shape of airspace reservations is being achieved, for example in respect of: sensitivity to civil demand (daily and seasonal); best configuration (shape and time); and the best times to release military sectors to civil traffic (network and local level).

Answers to these questions would feed into European efforts to improve efficiency in the route network and airspace utilisation. If all parties under- stand the impact of their operational decisions, then there is the potential to finesse operations. Given the high number of flights per year, substan- tial savings (107 − 108) could accrue to EU air operators even with small improvements in flight efficiency.
date: 2015-03
citation:   Sargent, Cristina and Cawthorn, Chris and Cupples, G. and Devane, E. and Devine, M. and Holloway, C. and Klaise, J. and Mathews, J. and Nazar, F. and Olszowiec, C. and Poon, C. and Peng, G. and Van lent, J. and Walsh, E.  (2015) Flight Efficiency in European Airspace.  [Study Group Report]     
document_url: http://miis.maths.ox.ac.uk/miis/706/1/Winsland.pdf