BPM: Dynamic process optimisation via regulation of stochastic measurements with application to ground handling management at airports

Project information

• Funded by DFG - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
• Partner: EUROCONTROL

Ground handling management at airports, i.e. the optimal combination of human resources and technological resources for ground handling of a parking aircraft, is a time-critical process affected by various stochastic disturbances. Other than the flight-phase or the taxiing-phase, ground handling involves diverse responsibilities for the processes, so that various target- and optimization-criteria must be balanced for every individual ground handling operation as well as for the entire aerodrome. Ground handling processes in particular areas close to the airport are subject to non-deterministic disturbances due to weather conditions, frequently scarce capacities as well as to technological and logistical complexity. Accordingly, for an optimal turnaround control and regulation strategies are required complying with the target times agreed to by all partners. In particular this includes the scheduled push-back time of the aircraft from the stand. The ground handling management is embedded in the functionally contiguous arrival- and departure-processes which are already semi-automated at larger airports. However, the associated control procedures are not portable due to the considerably higher dynamics in the ground handling processes. The process control model to be designed shall therefore be able to handle the stochastic characteristics of the ground handling processes even under the presence of such dynamic disturbances. The model shall be validated by using additional traffic data and disturbance models provided within the context of a scientific collaboration with the George Mason University, VA, USA, Centre of Excellence.