Free Routing in High-Complexity Airspace: Impact Assessment for Environment and Aviation Stakeholders

Abstract

Free Route Airspace (FRA) is a concept introduced as a part of the Single European Sky Research program, enabling users to arrange routes between defined entry and exit fixes with the goal of addressing some of aviation’s concerns, such as efficiency, capacity, and the environment. This study aims to analyze the mitigation potential of the FRA with different implementation strategies from the perspectives of several stakeholders, particularly in high-complexity airspace. The impact this operational improvement would have on different stakeholders of aviation (such as air traffic controllers, airlines, passengers, and the climate) is studied with the developed models. Simulations are performed in high-complexity airspace with the presence of wind, and the concept is assessed using different planning strategies to analyze the mitigation potentials in different cases and potential impacts on aviation stakeholders and environment. The results show that the operational improvement implemented in the high-complexity airspace in the ECAC (European Civil Aviation Conference) area has a reduction potential of around 7–9% in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide, 26–31% in nitrogen oxide, and 19–27% in the average temperature response over 20 years (ATR20); with respect to the baseline scenario in 2018. And, the impacts obtained by different planning strategies on the operational-, economic-, safety-, and air-traffic-control-related key performance indicators are analyzed in detail throughout the study.