Defining and measuring resilience in air transport
Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems are subject to numerous human, environmental and other factors that can interact to cause instability. Yet given the complexity of interactions, such events are very difficult to predict, meaning delays for passengers. The EU-funded RESILIENCE2050.EU(opens in new window) (New design principles for fostering safety, agility and resilience for ATM) project investigated the topic. Work focused on new design principles which increase resilience and safety. The team also defined the concept of resilience and developed a suitable metric. Researchers first studied aviation disturbances, and modelled their delaying effects on the system. Participants also considered how human factors affect ATM resilience. The team subsequently consolidated a generally-accepted theoretical framework for ATM resilience. Staff mined datasets for information with which to assess resiliency. Such assessments informed new concepts in design principles. A resulting structure was realistically represented using a multi-layered approach. The structure enabled measurement of resilience according to new metrics. The group ran a complete simulation of the ATM environment. Using the results, the consortium designed a future ATM system, which incorporated the most effective measures. The system satisfactorily balanced resilience with agility and efficiency. RESILIENCE2050 modelled perturbations the European ATM system led to a new, resilient network. The outcome means fewer disruptions and smoother travel for passengers.
