Department Flight Operations Concepts
Air traffic is characterized by a complex interaction of different actors, such as airlines, air traffic control service providers and airports, which ensure the transport of passengers and freight in a safe and efficient manner in the face of growing social requirements.
What are we working on?
In the Flight Operations Concepts department, the focus is on identifying and developing operational innovations at mission and network level. We describe and model new flight operations procedures with a potential to further develop air traffic in terms of environmental compatibility and operational efficiency. To this end, we are constantly developing our expertise in modeling technologies and concepts:
- Mathematical optimization of airline processes (virtual operator), such as operational flight planning including trajectory optimization.
- Modeling and scaling of air traffic networks for the optimization of air traffic flows under the conditions of air traffic flow management.
- Modeling of air traffic infrastructure for mapping new flight operations concepts in a realistic operational environment.
- Research into innovative concepts for more efficient, ecologically sustainable and robust air transport.
- Reducing the environmental and climate impact and increasing the efficiency of global air traffic flows.
- Creation of air traffic emission registers.
In addition, innovative technologies and concepts are evaluated under realistic operational conditions. Influencing variables that are decisive for successful implementation in differentiated operational contexts of realistic operations are identified through close coordination with the respective actors. The question of external conditions under which a flight operations concept can be successfully implemented has a concrete influence on the design of the concept itself at an early stage of development. Conversely, from the operator's point of view, the "net benefit" is reported as a contribution to the impact assessment at fleet level and globally.