Flying Towards a Digital Twin
Designing a Digital Twin Maturity Assessment Framework for Airport Turnaround Operations
B.A. Wilpshaar (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
J.A. Annema – Mentor (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
A.M.G. Zuiderwijk-van Eijk – Mentor (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
P. Groskamp – Mentor (KPMG)
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Abstract
Airports are under increasing pressure to use existing capacity more efficiently while maintaining operational reliability, safety, and service quality. A critical process in this context is the aircraft turnaround, where multiple time-sensitive activities must be coordinated between airport operators, airlines, ground handlers, air traffic control, and other stakeholders. Digital twins offer potential to support this coordination by improving monitoring, prediction, and decision-making. However, these benefits depend on the maturity of the digital twin. Existing digital twin maturity models provide useful foundations, but they are not specifically designed for the multi-actor, time-critical, and safety-sensitive context of airport turnaround operations.
This thesis addresses the following research question: Which maturity assessment framework can guide the development of digital twins in airport turnaround operations?
To answer this question, this thesis develops a digital twin maturity assessment framework for airport turnaround operations. The research follows a Design Science Research approach, in which the problem is first explicated, requirements are derived from literature, and a framework is developed, refined, demonstrated, and evaluated through expert feedback. The resulting framework combines a baseline category and five maturity levels: Digital Model, Digital Shadow, Monitoring Twin, Predictive Twin, and Optimizing Twin. It assesses internal maturity across six dimensions: Data Infrastructure, System Integration, Predictive and Analytical Capability, Operational Decision Optimisation, Operational Situation Visibility, and Human Interaction and Trust. In addition, the framework distinguishes these internal capabilities from external implementation constraints, including data access, commercial sensitivity, decision rights, workflow integration, accountability, and safety.
The framework was demonstrated in the Schiphol context and evaluated with feedback from Schiphol and Vancouver International Airport. The demonstration showed that the framework can support a structured discussion about current capabilities, limitations, and development priorities. It also showed that maturity can differ across dimensions and may be limited by external implementation conditions. The main contribution of this thesis is therefore a context-specific assessment framework that helps airports move beyond the question of whether they have a digital twin, towards understanding what the digital twin can support, what limits its use in practice, and what should develop next.