Alternative 4D trajectories for the avoidance of weather- and contrail-sensitive volumes

• Main Authors: Sáez García, Raúl, Cabrera Ramírez, Bryan Gustavo, Melgosa Farrés, Marc, Prats Menéndez, Xavier, Riccio, Angelo, Verbeek, René, van den Dungen, Nick
• Other Authors: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament de Física, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Doctorat en Ciència i Tecnologia Aeroespacials, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. ICARUS - Intelligent Communications and Avionics for Robust Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) 2022
• Subjects: Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espai; Airplanes > Performance; Transportation engineering; Air traffic control; Airplanes > Airworthiness; Trajectory optimization; Environment; Weather avoidance; Avions > Aeronavegabilitat; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2117/381577

We present a framework to generate, in a multi-aircraft environment, 4D optimized trajectories in a scenario with several weather constraints obtained with advanced weather prediction models. We focus on the trajectory optimization module of this framework, which is based on a point-mass representation of the aircraft. By tuning some of the parameters of this module, we compute several alternative trajectories avoiding these constraints both laterally and vertically. The experiment conducted involves flights crossing the North Atlantic region, while in the en-route phase. This preliminary framework is also used to run the experiments in multiple cycles or consecutive time periods, assuming different update times for the weather constraints, and choosing the best trajectory per flight and per cycle. The ultimate goal of the framework is to develop innovative procedures in the air traffic management system to reduce the climate and environmental impact of aviation, while increasing the resilience of air operations to weather phenomena. Peer Reviewed Postprint (published version)