Airline collaboration and Environmental impact

Airline collaboration and Environmental impact: Airline Collaborative Network Planning to mitigate Environmental Impact

Verzotti, Edoardo (TU Delft Aerospace Engineering)

Santos, Bruno F. (mentor)
Dedoussi, I.C. (mentor)
Bombelli, A. (mentor)
Ragni, D. (mentor)
Birolini, Sebastian (mentor)
Gemke, Dirk (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology

Aerospace Engineering

2023-12-01

In recent years, the aviation industry has faced escalating environmental scrutiny, prompted by the global shift towards heightened environmental awareness. This study explores a collaboration framework set up by airlines which envision to partially or totally shoulder the environmental impact costs generated by their airborne emissions. The methodology developed includes the production of detailed emissions data to be employed during the airline’s planning strategy. The model conceived introduces a taxation approach exploited by airlines to include and incentive more environmentally sustainable solutions and, a collaboration mechanism based on the possibility to share passenger demand between collaborating airlines. The environmental incentive and collaboration are implemented in a Linear Programming Network and Frequency Planning model with the goal of maximising airlines profitability. A case study is analysed focusing on two airlines, KLM and TAP, collaborating to achieve improved environmental and economic performance. The airlines engage in a scenario where the environmental impact externalities generated by airborne operations are shouldered by the airlines themselves. Employing the model developed, the airlines explore solutions that either reduce the environmental impact or that solely maximise profit of the two airlines. The results underscore the potential benefits of including collaboration in the airline’s planning strategy, with a total 1.33% reduction in environmental impact when prioritising environmental cost abatement. Collaboration also demonstrated to be a consistent tool to achieve a profit recovery, showing up to a total anticipated profit increase of 2.21% when prioritising profitability or 0.71% when the priority is given to environmental impact reduction. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential efficacy of collaboration in addressing aviation’s environmental and economic challenges.

Airline collaboration
Environmental impact
Network planning

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ae4a41af-5d6e-4e97-a000-33fcd57e7e85

Student theses

master thesis

© 2023 Edoardo Verzotti