Strategic Planning of Aircraft Movements with a Three-Cost Objective

Europe's public airports and its aviation industries face the transport challenge of working toward sustainable development, a concept that incorporates both the effective functioning and protection of the environment. This paper addresses how a decision tool is applied toward aviation community noise and could be used to assist in airport management and environmental policies in their overall reduction of noise at lowest global costs. A coupled cost/noise approach is based on the integrated noise model simulation software and a geographic information system. Both models are combined and accessed via a Web-based scheduling tool; aviation noise and related costs are fed to an intermediate database and then used in a minimal-cost-objective problem. The calculation is done in the context of the air freight company Cargolux Airlines International S.A., based at Findel Airport (Luxembourg). The minimization problem is formulated as a linear program. The optimal solution represents the best arrangement of the carrier's daily scheduling, approach/departures routes, operational procedures, and fleet composition, which minimizes the overall cost. Simulated night-level noise is used to estimate numbers of habitations that would require noise insulation at a cost to the state. Depreciation levels for private residences are also modeled. Combined company, state, and private costs are used in one objective function. The methodology is based on current aircraft movements and reasonable growth parameters that allow for a case study in sustainable (International Air Transport Association) air transportation and a balanced approach. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]