£2.8m project led by Stirling University on tackling airport congestion and best use of capacity
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£2.8m project by Stirling expert on tackling airport congestion
The project will examine the better use of existing capacity and resources – rather than sole reliance on new airport building and expansion – resulting in benefits to both the industry and travellers.
Professor Edmund Burke, Senior Deputy Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, will lead a team of Computing, Science and Mathematics researchers at the University of Stirling in the OR-MASTER Programme Grant (Mathematical Models and Algorithms for Allocating Scarce Airport Resources).
They will work on the EPSRC-funded (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) research with colleagues from Lancaster University Management School.
The six-year study comes amid growing concerns over airport capacity, rising demand, and the impact of congestion on both the travelling public and the air transport industry.
Professor Burke said: “It is recognised that as economies grow and as the need for air travel grows, greater capacity at airports is required. We are delighted to receive this grant, which will investigate – from a mathematical and computational perspective – whether capacity management is being realised as efficiently and effectively as possible.
“By incorporating the needs of a wide variety of stakeholders, including air space operators, airports, airlines and travellers, we aim to produce a better solution not just for the UK, but for the wider international community.”
The work will build on the UK’s world-leading expertise in Operational Research to find the most efficient ways to schedule flights, developing and testing new models and solution algorithms that take into account all the factors involved in the allocation of flight ‘slots’: individual airport operations, networks of airports, airline operations, air traffic management systems, airport authorities, civil aviation authorities, airlines and the travelling public.
Project lead, Professor Konstantinos G. Zografos at Lancaster University Management School, said: “Existing approaches to airport slot allocation do not consider all the real-world complexity involved. Therefore, there is room to improve airport capacity utilization which will benefit airlines, airports and the travelling public.
“It will support policy makers and air transport decision makers here and overseas in getting to grips with airport congestion and in optimally allocating scarce airport resources. The air transport industry generally will benefit from acquiring a better understanding of the trade-off between capacity utilization, and passenger and airline schedule delays.”
EPSRC Chief Executive Professor Philip Nelson said: “Put simply, world-class projects like this help to make the UK the best place in the world to research, discover and innovate. This investment will fuel the UK’s technological progress, help address the challenges of today and tomorrow, and contribute to a strong economy.”
Professor Gerry McCormac, University of Stirling Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said: “Professor Edmund Burke’s research is globally renowned. This multimillion pound award, which he and colleagues from Lancaster University have received from the EPSRC, will address congestion at airports around the world.
“At Stirling we are known for world-class research that tackles real life problems. Our excellence in research was demonstrated in the recent UK wide Research Excellence Framework, which positioned us as the 5th most research-intensive university in Scotland and 40th in the UK. Almost three quarters of our research activity was rated as either internationally excellent or world-leading.”
OR-MASTER will involve close collaboration between the two Universities and a host of international organisations, who will provide real-world data, insights and expertise. The project represents a strong partnership between academia, the air transport industry and policy makers.
The project will create opportunities for 12 new researchers – six at each institution – to gain experience with international research centres and air transport industry organisations.
http://www.stir.ac.uk/news/2015/03/airport-capacity-study/
Experts address UK airport congestion
19 March 2015
By Katie Sadler ( International Airport Review)
Experts have today revealed a programme to address UK airport congestion and capacity without a reliance on new airport building and expansion.
The OR-MASTER Programme Grant (Mathematical Models and Algorithms for Allocating Scarce Airport Resources) has been established in response to growing concerns over airport capacity, rising demand, and the impact of congestion on both the travelling public and the air transport industry. The £2.8 million project will be managed by a team at Lancaster University Management School, working with Computing, Science and Mathematics researchers at the University of Stirling. The research has been funded by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council).
Work carried out will address efficient ways to schedule flights and develop and test new models and solution algorithms that take into account all the factors involved in the allocation of flight ‘slots’: individual airport operations, networks of airports, airline operations, air traffic management systems, airport authorities, civil aviation authorities, airlines and the travelling public.
Project lead, Professor Konstantinos G. Zografos at Lancaster University Management School, said: “Existing approaches to airport slot allocation do not consider all the real-world complexity involved. Therefore, there is room to improve airport capacity utilization which will benefit airlines, airports and the travelling public.
“It will support policy makers and air transport decision makers here and overseas in getting to grips with airport congestion and in optimally allocating scarce airport resources. The air transport industry generally will benefit from acquiring a better understanding of the trade-off between capacity utilization, and passenger and airline schedule delays.”
Professor Kevin Glazebrook from Lancaster University Management School also commented: “There is an international research effort to find solutions to a problem that’s high on the agenda for air transport decision and policy makers globally. With its reputation in Operational Research, the UK should be leading the way in meeting this challenge, and the new funding will help us do that.”
The project at the University of Stirling will be led by Professor Edmund Burke, current Senior Deputy Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Professor Burke said: “It is recognised that as economies grow and as the need for air travel grows, greater capacity at airports is required. We are delighted to receive this grant, which will investigate – from a mathematical and computational perspective – whether capacity management is being realised as efficiently and effectively as possible.”
The OR-MASTER project will take place over a six year period collaborating with a host of organisations internationally that will provide both insight and expertise. Organisations involved include the National Air Traffic Services (NATS); Eurocontrol (managing air traffic across Europe); Park Air Systems; KLM Air France; Zurich Airport and Athens International Airport; the research organisations linked to the national air navigation services for Italy and Spain (SICTA and CRIDA); SESAR (Single European Sky research body); the Airport Services Association; Goldair Handling; ACI Europe (Airports Council International); the HALA! SESAR network of leading researchers in Europe working in the area of Air Traffic Management automation; NEXTOR II (National Centre of Excellence for Aviation Operations Research); the MIT International Centre for Air Transport Research (MIT-ICAT) in the USA; and DLR, the German Airspace Research Centre.
EPSRC Chief Executive Professor Philip Nelson commented on the upcoming programme: “Put simply, world-class projects like this help to make the UK the best place in the world to research, discover and innovate. This investment will fuel the UK’s technological progress, help address the challenges of today and tomorrow, and contribute to a strong economy.”
http://www.internationalairportreview.com/19129/airport-news/experts-address-uk-airport-congestion/