Episode 3

POM : Planification, Optimization, and Modelization

The project

Episode 3 is a European Commission 6th Framework Programme research project funded by Directorate-General Transport and Energy (DG TREN). The objective of the project is to begin the validation of the Air Traffic Management operational concept developed by SESAR for medium term deployment (2020). The emphasis is on obtaining a system level performance assessment of the concept's ability to meet the targets also defined by the SESAR.

For more details, see the official Episode 3 website, and also the Eurocontrol presentation of the project.

POM contribution

The objective of the study conducted by the POM team within Episode 3 (WP3) is to evaluate the postulate that 4D planning will permit to reduce workload in ACC sectors, and more specifically the number of conflicts, while keeping the same level of capacity and safety.

The work assumes that the hypotheses about the precision and fidelity of 4D trajectories depending on the phase of the flight and the prediction time horizon are consolidated with technical experts from Episode 3 industrial partners.

Traffic scenarios designed by Eurocontrol experts will be used as input. Alternatively, flights and regulations that have been realised for a selected period may also be used. With the objective to reduce the sector workload or to reduce the number of conflicts, this study will:

• Propose and study several types of algorithms to execute ATFM slot allocation, when 4D plans are provided
• Evaluate the workload reduction that can be obtained according to the time dispersion allowed for take-offs and for TTA (target time of arrival)
• Test the robustness of the slot allocation against perturbations of the departure schedule and trajectory enforcement

Arithmetic simulations using CATS/OPAS will drive the validation process.

Observations: this study would preferably rely on ECAC wide CFMU data and expert information of industrial partners about the precision and accuracy with which an aircraft is able to follow a target 4D-trajectory. However, the study could be carried out using CFMU data for a restricted zone and a sensitivity analysis can be performed to see how hypotheses made on aircraft ability to follow a 4D-trajectory impact expected benefits.

Episode 3 participants

• Eurocontrol (Experimental Center, Brétigny, France), which manages the project
• Direction des Services de la Navigation Aérienne (DSNA - French Air Traffic Services provider)
• Entidad Pública Empresarial Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA - Spanish Air Traffic Services authority)
• AIRBUS France
• Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS - German Air Traffic Services company)
• Nats En Route Ltd (the united kingdom's Air Traffic Services company)
• Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR, Germany)
• Nationaal Lucht- en Ruimtevaartlaboratorium (NLR - Dutch aerospace research center)
• ENAV s.p.a. (Italian Air Navigation Services agency)
• Ingeniería y Economía del Transporte, S.A (INECO - private company)
• ISA Software (private company)
• ISDEFE (private company)
• LUFTFARTSVERKET (Swedish air navigation authority)
• Neometsys (Joint Venture with Metron Aviation and NeoSys companies)
• SELEX Sistemi Integrati (Italian industrial company, ex Alenia Marconi Space)
• SICTA (SELEX ENAV group)
• SMITHS Aerospace (UK)
• THALES Avionics (France)
• THALES ATM (France)
• Queens University of Belfast

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