Skip to main content
European Commission logo
español español
CORDIS - Resultados de investigaciones de la UE
CORDIS
CORDIS Web 30th anniversary CORDIS Web 30th anniversary
Contenido archivado el 2024-05-28

Definition of ATM Requirements for GRA Operations and Simulations

Final Report Summary - DARGOS (Definition of ATM Requirements for GRA Operations and Simulations)

Executive Summary:
The very competitive and deregulated aviation market as well as the fear of a fuel price rise have made airlines understand how important it is to work on the fuel consumption of their fleet. Indeed airlines try to reduce their operational costs in every facet of their business, and fuel conservation has become one of the major preoccupations for all airlines, as well as aircraft manufacturers.
That is why all ways and means to reduce fuel costs have to be envisaged, safety remaining of course the number one priority in any airline operation.
Low-cost airlines are increasingly eyeing regional services - more than 40% of new routes opened in the past five years have been operated by regional aircraft.
The European regional fleet represents 20% of the global fleet of regional aircraft and potential demand for the next 20 years is forecast to be high, with European airlines accounting for about 26% of the order-book.
Europe, through the Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative, is putting itself at the forefront of efforts to make short-haul air travel more environmentally friendly.

DARGOS project contributes to collect ATM rules, procedures and simulation data, best fitting with the operations of a regional aircraft that will enter the market in the 2020s, by focusing on new Mission and Trajectory Management, MTM.
In this context, new MTM for regional aircraft is recognized to give a significant contribution to study avionic functionalities enabling the aircraft to fly optimized trajectories with a reduced environmental impact.
Typical avionics architectures that integrate and validate new MTM functionalities will be defined through the use of flight simulators for new optimised missions and trajectory evaluation of typical missions taking into account of new air traffic management concepts.

Work performed:
the project has covered two main activities: ATM Rules collection and Data collection.
ATM Rules collection activity is linked to Avionics functionalities definition.
The objective of ATM rules collection was to define an ATM technological roadmap and the associated avionic roadmap. The task will be performed addressing regional aircraft peculiarities.
To this end, a typical regional aircraft flight mission and the applicable procedures need to be analyzed and the related avionics enablers need be defined.
The green aspects linked to specific procedures, and the related avionics enablers, will be considered.
Data Collection activity is linked to ATM scenario modeling.
The objective of Data collection was to define an ATM scenario model to feed Alenia GRA flight simulator. To this end, the main air traffic information related to a Gate-to-Gate mission for a regional aircraft need to be provided.

Project Context and Objectives:
Future aircraft programs require the development of new aeronautical technologies and solutions to fit with air transport growth projections. In this context new Mission and Trajectory Management (MTM) for regional aircraft is recognized to give a significant contribution to study avionic functionalities enabling the aircraft to fly optimized trajectories with a reduced environmental impact. The New MTM functionalities will be defined through the use of flight simulators for new optimized missions and trajectory evaluation of typical missions taking into account new air traffic management concepts.
DARGOS project contributed to collect ATM rules, procedures and simulation data, best fitting with the operations of a regional aircraft that will enter the market in the 2020s, by focusing on new MTM.
The project covered two main activities: ATM Rules collection and Data collection.

ATM Rules collection activity is linked to ATM functionalities definition.
The objective of ATM rules collection is to define the ATM functionalities, the available regulations and procedures, safety requirements and future expected air traffic management features. This activity will result in 3 reports (analysing different timeframe) collecting the ATM rules and all the relevant information for all flight phases, including a synthesis of relevant worldwide activities in the field of ATM innovation and associated roadmap.
The task will be performed addressing regional aircraft peculiarities. The green aspects linked to specific procedures will be considered when needed.

Data Collection activity is linked to ATM scenario modelling.
The objective of Data collection is to provide operational data to build an ATM scenario model (to be developed by UniBO). Those data will be used by Alenia GRA flight simulator. To this purpose, the main air traffic information related to a Gate-to-Gate mission for a regional aircraft will be provided.
This activity will result in 1 report describing the current ATM operations in a Gate-to-Gate scenario and identifying a list of significant parameters to build an operational scenario model; and 2 reports collecting model data (delivered in a proper electronic file format to be agreed with UniBO) to be used for the modelling activities.

Project Results:
The main result was to collect current and future ATM requirements as well as the available regulations and procedures, safety requirements and future expected ATM features and to provide data to build an ATM scenario model . The new defined optimised trajectories require a revision of the ATM rules to be used, in terms of airspace routes, arrival and departures procedure. Special attention was dedicated to the relevant world wide activities in the field of ATM innovation, to keep in line with possible innovations introduced by SESAR Research and to build on its findings. Taking into account all that, in order to evaluate the MTM, trials to be performed on the GRA simulation platform will be performed. The trials to be performed on the GRA simulation platform will rely on appropriate simulation methodology and the GRA simulation platform will use hypothetical fleet assumptions, consider aircraft operation and regulatory and certification issues, flight safety, air traffic and regional airline requirements. All these elements defined the ATM scenario models to be integrated into the GRA simulator, represented by optimized route which meets the operator’s economic criteria.