Due to poor working conditions caused by emissions, heavy workloads, and significant staff shortages, airlines and airports are turning towards automation for a solution. While many automation developments focus on turnaround management and scheduling, research on the automated execution of turnaround operations is lacking, especially within arrival and departure operations and on the usage of multi-operation vehicles. This study aims to determine whether combining multiple operations into a single autonomous platform is operationally and financially beneficial. Task dependencies and interconnections were modelled, allowing the simulation of interactions and propagation of delays. A financial model was then developed to quantify the impact of changes in turnaround durations on delay-related costs. Based on net present value, reliability, flexibility, and technological readiness, different automated concepts developed for each operation were assessed and compared with multi-operation automated platforms. Additionally, the effects of automation on the scheduling, spatial management, and communications during aircraft turnarounds were analysed, accompanied by a risk analysis. Findings from this study indicate that the automation of arrival and departure operations can provide operational gains and positive financial returns, provided reliability performance meets the required thresholds. Multi-operation platforms enhance flexibility significantly, but may underperform in operational efficiency and financial viability. The results from this thesis provide an informed approach in automating aircraft turnarounds, supporting decision-making on automation concepts and accelerating the transition to an environment that ensures occupational health and safety for ground staff.
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This summary is about the highlights of the final design of the LAMP (Low Altitude Modular Platform). This report follows the project plan, baseline report and midterm report. This report presents the market analysis for the platform followed by the detailed design of the platform. The design of each subsystem is treated on its own after which the integration, manufacturing and operations of all subsystems are discussed. The low-altitude modular platform is a versatile satellite platform with a wide range of capabilities. It bridges the gap between small CubeSats and high-end Earth observational satellites, while also flying at 300 Km, enabling higher resolutions in a small form factor. While the market share of CubeSats has grown a lot in recent years, their capabilities are still limited. Due to practical constraints of miniaturisation, the spacecraft bus platform typically occupies approximately 50% to 80% of the total satellite internal volume. This problem is however remedied with the use of larger satellites, which is the market gap LAMP tries to occupy. It has both the advantages of standardisation, ease of production, and low cost of CubeSats, while also possessing a large payload fraction and the bus capabilities to accommodate a high-end earth observation payload. LAMP is also innovative in its communication capabilities: It is planned to be the first satellite platform to use the SpaceX Starlink constellation. This gives LAMP unparalleled communication capabilities for an earth observational satellite in its class. LAMP is capable of sending all the information of its design payload (the DST) in livelink. In certain orbits, it is even capable of streaming 1080p 60fps video live to Earth. This opens it for a great number of new applications related to civil, law enforcement, and military surveillance... ... Read more