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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - COCTA (Coordinated capacity ordering and trajectory pricing for better-performing ATM)

Teaser

Summary

Increasing the efficiency of Air Traffic Management (ATM) reduces the fares for passengers and the costs for air cargo shippers. Moreover, it makes the European air transport industry more competitive. Besides cost reductions, efficiency improvements might also reduce fuel burn, benefitting the environment by abating CO2 emissions. By design, the high degree of safety must not be negatively affected by any proposed measure.

If ATM capacity exceeds demand, costs for providing ATM services and consequently ATM charges are above the inevitable level. In case of capacity shortages, airlines and other aircraft operators are forced to deviate from their optimum flight plans, leading especially to delays and additional fuel burn. The COCTA project aims at increasing efficiency by better matching ATM capacity and demand.

The COCTA team proposed a redesigned ATM value-chain, also introducing a new process of capacity and demand management. The Network Manager orders capacities from Air Navigation Service Providers at several instances, i.e. at long-term, medium and short term to adjust orders to meet air traffic demand in the cost-efficient manner. On the other side, the Network Manager defines different trajectory products to meet Airspace Users\' needs, but also to improve overall network performance.

Work performed

One and a half year into the project, the COCTA team met all the research goals for this period. Following the early modelling efforts, which resulted in the basic model presented at the SESAR Innovation Days 2016 in Delft, the COCTA team further improved the model formulation and subsequently increased its complexity. As a foundation for model improvement, the COCTA team first proposed a new ATM value-chain redesign, followed by the initial development of the COCTA capacity and demand management process. This improved model was tested and evaluated using a small-scale case study. Based on the consultations with experts from the COCTA Advisory Board and other stakeholders, we added new features to the model, making it more complex. We used simulated data to evaluate the model and to evaluate our ability to solve the model on networks with a significantly larger number of flights. We are currently working on a final model formulation and corresponding solution methods suitable to tackle large flight networks. Furthermore, we prepare a large-scale case study based on real data for a final proof-of-concept.

Final results

The COCTA concept is an innovative approach which has been recognized by academia in several ways. The COCTA team has already published one paper in one of the leading journals in the field of transportation (Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice), and presented one paper and one poster at one of the most prominent ATM conferences (SESAR Innovation Days 2016). Another paper, dealing with a more advanced COCTA model, has been accepted for presentation at the SESAR Innovation Days 2017 in late November 2017. Furthermore, two COCTA presentations were given at the World Conference of the Air Transport Research Society, the largest academic conference focussing on the economics of air transportation.

The COCTA concept aims at improving efficiency of the ATM system which directly benefits the air transport industry as well as its users. However, since COCTA is a TRL1 project, i.e. fundamental scientific research, it is not ready for implementation, but needs further conceptual as well as applied research. However, with the large-scale model we are currently working on, we hope that we will also be able to give some indication of the potential magnitude of the benefits that might be achieved by implementing COCTA principles.