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The research will develop and solve a mathematical model for the shuttle service network design with autonomous vehicles within an airport. A time-space service network with airport shuttles and time-space networks for passenger flows will be developed.
The service network design problem is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming model. The objective is to minimise the waiting and ride time of passengers as well as the operating costs of running the autonomous shuttles.
The results of this study include a modelling framework for shuttle service network design within an airport, a solution algorithm for the developed service network design model and a case study of Sydney airport under different demand scenarios. Based on the case study, several managerial insights will be generated.
Category: Ground operations
Researcher: Runqing Zhao
Supervisor: Dr Tay Koo
Level: PhD
Status: Current
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Category: Ground operations
Researcher: Dan Wang
Supervisor: Professor Gabriel Lodewijks
Level: PhD
Status: Current
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Category: Ground operations
Researcher: Sarika Tyagi
Supervisor: Professor Gabriel Lodewijks
Level: PhD
Status: Current
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One of the major difficulties that involves operational challenges for airports worldwide is the inefficient energy loss connected with the fixed baggage conveying method in airports.
The focus of this study is to design a significant energy efficient, safety enhanced autonomous vehicles (AVs) based baggage handling systems (BHS) for highly complex airfields by adopting automotive technologies that offer sustainable, flexible and reliable mobility solutions. The aim is to save about half of the energy utilisation in comparison with the traditional BHS.
Baggage will be carried through utilising each of the individual AVs by determining the most optimal pathway through the airport. This project will result in potential efficiency gains from automation across airport related functions such as cargo-handling and logistics operations, as well as passenger transportation both to and within airports.
This could have a great impact on human civilisation in airports, mine-fields, railways, ports and other automotive industries. Moreover, it will have a significant environmental advantage by decreasing emissions effectively because about three per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally are caused by airfield implementations.
Category: Ground operations
Researcher: Md Yeasir Arafat
Supervisor: Professor Gabriel Lodewijks
Level: PhD
Status: Current
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Managing risks have become increasingly important in modern organisations. Managers recognise it is difficult to manage without measurement, however, it is difficult to know what to measure in order to drive the continuous safety improvements promised by modern safety management systems.
One industry where safety performance improvement appears to have stalled is aviation ground operations. Unlike the flight operations, which are now regarded as an ultra-safe system (Amalberti 2001, p. 109) ground aviation has languished behind the rest of the industry (Verschoor and Young 2011), with activities on the ramp now accounting for more than a quarter of all aviation incidents (Balk and Bossenbroek 2010).
In recent years, both damage to aircraft on the ground as well as harm to ground personnel have escalated (Passenier 2015 p. 38). The aim of this research was therefore to review current approaches to safety measurements and develop a new data collection tool to inform evidenced-based interventions that will reinvigorate ground safety improvement.
To achieve this, models and measures influential to aviation safety are reviewed. The Threat and Error Management Model (TEM) and Line Operation Safety Audit (LOSA) method (Klinect, Murray, Merritt and Helmreich 2003) are critically examined for their suitability. Strengths and weaknesses are identified with the aim of building on the benefits of LOSA whilst addressing key concerns about LOSA’s validity.
A new model and method proposed is known as Normal Operations Monitoring (NOM). NOM is applied in a ground handling organisation with data collected from over 1300 observations of aircraft turnarounds.
The results provide novel data about human and safety performance and suggest new opportunities for safety interventions and improvement. Implications for ground safety are explored as well as the potential applications and benefits of NOM generally. The final discussion explores ways in which the current research and NOM tools could be taken forward as a method for informing and improving safety management in high hazard industries.
Category: Ground operations
Researcher: Dr Louise Raggett
Supervisor: Professor Ann Williamson
Level: PhD
Status: Completed
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Many airports today consider the application of autonomous vehicles for the transportation of passengers from parking lots to the terminals or for the transportation of baggage from the lateral to the aircraft.
This project concerns an analysis of the transport requirements at airports and a determination of where, how and under what circumstances autonomous vehicles can be applied.
Category: Ground operations
Researcher: N/A
Supervisor: Professor Gabriel Lodewijks
Level: PhD, MSc
Status: Future
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The supply chain of perishable products like flowers, fruit or medicines needs to be controlled. Due to the various parties involved in this supply chain, maintaining the proper temperature of the products and accurate tracking and tracing of the products may be challenging.
In this research, project models that describe the deterioration of fresh products as a function of their temperature need to be determined. Being able to predict the deterioration of perishables allows a proper system design of their supply chain.
Tracking and tracing as well as logging product data may be part of a new internet of things-based data management system which needs to be developed.
Category: Ground operations
Researcher: N/A
Supervisor: Professor Gabriel Lodewijks
Level: PhD, MSc
Status: Future
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At an airport, the gate allocation of an aircraft is independent of the runways that are in use at the time of arrival of an aircraft. That may lead to long taxi times and an inefficient use of the available gates.
This leads to unnecessary environmental pollution and inefficient turn-around processes. This project investigates gate allocation procedures currently available and determines the effect of flexible gate allocation based on the operational circumstances at specific times. A simulation study will be required.
Category: Ground operations
Researcher: N/A
Supervisor: Professor Gabriel Lodewijks
Level: PhD, MSc
Status: Future
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At airports, gates generally have the same ‘old fashioned’ design. In order to speed up the boarding process, new boarding strategies must be developed and technology may be used to ease identification and allow self-boarding of passengers.
This research project concerns the analysis of boarding processes, the design of new boarding processes and an analysis of the impact of the application of new technology on the efficiency and the security of the boarding process.
Category: Ground operations
Researcher: N/A
Supervisor: Professor Gabriel Lodewijks
Level: PhD, MSc
Status: Future