Air Traffic Simulation and Modeling Framework

Abstract

The development of air traffic and the variety of aircraft accessing European airspace poses special challenges for the Air Traffic Management (ATM) network. One of the main tasks in this respect is Air Traffic Control (ATC). Until today, European airspace is fragmented and divided along national borders. In other words, limited resource airspace is divided into zones, where each zone is subdivided into sectors and managed by air traffic controllers. This fact in turn leads to inefficiency and congestion, resulting in a deterioration of flight safety, greater costs, more delays and higher emissions. To develop a more comprehensive understanding of airspace utilization, economic, emission-related effects and mechanisms for detecting and resolving air traffic conflicts, flight models are indispensable. This research simulates different realistic air traffic models with and without air traffic conflicts that can compromise flight safety and paralyze airspace. Regarding to the air traffic conflicts, weather events, emergency situations, human factors and cyber attacks against aircraft and ground infrastructure are investigated and considered. In the simulation process an user defined number of flights with a selection of pseudo-random weighted air traffic conflicts is generated to obtain reliable and structured data. These event-driven data are subsequently used for future ATM solutions such as digital human assistance systems or for fully automated Unmanned ATM (UTM) solutions to ensure safe and efficient operations while reducing costs, delays and emissions.