Advanced systems and soLutions for Better practices AgainsT hazaRds in the aviatiOn System

Project Information

ALBATROS

Grant agreement ID: 101077071

DOI

10.3030/101077071

EC signature date 30 August 2022

Start date 1 October 2022

End date 30 September 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 9 571 160,50

EU contribution

€ 8 328 635,00

Coordinated by

STICHTING KONINKLIJK NEDERLANDS LUCHT - EN RUIMTEVAARTCENTRUM
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ALBATROS (Advanced systems and soLutions for Better practices AgainsT hazaRds in the aviatiOn System)

Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2024-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ALBATROS overarching ambition is to maintain a high level of safety in aviation in view of extreme weather conditions, expected changes brought about by the evolution of aviation systems especially new fuel and energy systems (including hydrogen) which will be integrated in the coming years to both future aircraft and airport infrastructures. ALBATROS activities target the increased resilience against safety issues both on the ground and in flight to ensure the survival of passengers and crew as well as their evacuation and rescue in case of emergencies. ALBATROS objectives are to:
- Develop a concept for real-time sharing of safety intelligence to support decision making on safety issues, emergencies and crises;
- Develop safety risk models and analyse safety data for prediction and prevention of emerging and future hazards in aviation;
- Develop survivability measures to mitigate safety issues and risks;
- Assess and improve human performance and develop best practices for decision making in the handling of crises and emergency situations;
- Validate and demonstrate concepts, technologies and decision support tools (exercises at airports, simulations and laboratory tests conducted in close collaboration with EACCC, GADSS and ACI-Europe);
- Disseminate, communicate, and exploit project key results and outcomes (including through emergency response training & exercises).
ALBATROS will work on maturing technologies and solutions up to TRL6 which will be compatible with EACCC and GADSS requirements. Initially, scenarios, requirements, concepts of use and relevant technologies will be agreed upon, before development activities are performed on safety modelling and data analysis, survivability as well as decision support tools and best practices. The results of these developments will then be integrated and validated through 15 demonstrations in relevant environments across Europe (airports, flight simulators or crisis centres).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first reporting period (M1-M18), significant progress was made in each WP. The main achievements include:

* WP1: Identification of hazards and risks associated with electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, as well as the development of a risk assessment methodology and the development of an initial concept for sharing safety information.
* WP2: Analysis of new fuels and energy systems, including hybrid-electric powertrains and hydrogen-fuelled aircraft, and the identification of gaps in the current regulatory framework.
* WP3: Analysis of measures to improve survivability of passengers and crew, including battery fire modeling, electrical power network hazards, and hydrogen fuel system monitoring.
* WP4: Development of decision support tools for crisis and emergency management, including the development of a surveillance system and the analysis of weather phenomena on airports.
* WP5: Development of a validation strategy and demonstration plan for the new concept, technologies, and digital toolkit for airport decision support.
* WP6: Development of a communication and dissemination plan, including the creation of a project website and social media channels, and the preparation of training material on safety and crisis and emergency response.
* WP7: Project management and coordination, including the development of a project plan, data management plan, and the organization of a yearly meeting.

The project has submitted several deliverables, some of which are the project management plan, data management plan, and the initial communication and dissemination plan.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The ALBATROS project's goal is to achieve several innovative results that go beyond the current state of the art in aviation safety. These include:

* A new concept for sharing of safety information, enabling real-time sharing of safety intelligence to support decision making on safety issues, emergencies, and crises.
* A novel approach to risk assessment, incorporating expert insights and multi-actor risk modeling to identify and assess new risks beyond historical data.
* A data-driven approach to assess weather hazards, leveraging the Data4Safety platform to analyze the correlation between weather data, flight data, and safety events.
* Achieving resilience to hard- and software failures, including tracing their impact on overall aircraft safety and security.
* Observability of battery systems, fuel cell stacks, and their ancillary elements failure modes, enabling complete observability by sensors, big data analytics, and model-based behavior forecasting.
* Real-time monitoring of critical parameters of aircraft electrical power networks and hydrogen systems, mitigating risks associated with electrical breakdowns and hydrogen leakage.
* Influencing powertrain component placement on survivability and associated post-impact conditions, expanding safety analysis to include component-level behavior and STPA methodology.
* Developing a digital toolkit to improve human performance in crisis and emergencies, providing guidance, best practices, and decision support solutions for stakeholders involved in emergency response.
* Supporting emergency management with drones, leveraging aerial images and real-time heatmaps to increase the safety of first responders and reduce rescue time.

These results have the potential to significantly improve aviation safety and resilience, and will inform further research and development in these areas