Implementation of free route airspace procedures in Europe: A comparative analysis with conventional flight routing
This Master’s thesis analyzes the implementation of Free Route Airspace (FRA) procedures in Europe, comparing them with conventional routing based on fixed airways. The main objective is to evaluate the impact of FRA implementation in terms of flight distance, fuel consumption, flight emissions and...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/457537 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/457537 |
| Access Level: | acceso embargado |
| Palabra clave: | Air traffic control Pollution Airways Free route airspace Emissions reduction Air Traffic Management (ATM) Great Circle Distance (GCD) Single European Sky Sustainability Trànsit aeri--Control Contaminació Aerovies Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espai::Navegació aèria |
| Sumario: | This Master’s thesis analyzes the implementation of Free Route Airspace (FRA) procedures in Europe, comparing them with conventional routing based on fixed airways. The main objective is to evaluate the impact of FRA implementation in terms of flight distance, fuel consumption, flight emissions and overall operational efficiency, using real flights within European airspace as a case study. The methodology is based on the development of a code capable of estimating and comparing fuel consumption and emissions for different flight routes. To achieve this, the model uses EUROCONTROL DDR2 database, to obtain real flight data, as well as relevant engine and aircraft performance parameters. To simulate Free Route Airspace procedures, the cruise phase of each flight is identified, and a greatcircle distance is applied to that segment when the corresponding airspace sector is available for FRA implementation. In addition, the study considers different operational scenarios depending on the level of FRA availability across airspace sectors, including cross-border FRA and partial FRA implementations where only a limited number of sectors are open to FRA operations. The results indicate that FRA routes generally enable a reduction in the flight distance and fuel burned, leading to lower emissions and operational costs. Nevertheless, these benefits are only consistent and maximized when the FRA is fully implemented and cross-border FRA is enabled, allowing aircraft to cross multiple Flight Information Regions (FIRs) without being constrained. In conclusion, the results highlight the importance of accelerating the full FRA implementation across Europe, as a key measure to improve flight efficiency and reduce aviation environmental footprint as part of the commitment to Fly Net Zero by 2050. |
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