Airport operations with electric-powered towing alternatives under stochastic conditions

Abstract

Air transportation has become a common travelling medium for ordinary public in most regions around the world since the deregulation of civil aviation in the US in 1978. While the global economy and the ordinary people have benefited from the growing air-transportation, the negative impacts of such change have not gone unnoticed. Today, civil aviation is a significant contributor to several environmental issues such as conflict with wildlife, noise pollution, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GGE). The civil aviation industry is responsible for 2–3% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Moreover, the emissions at airports have an even more significant impact on the local population and the surrounding environment. It is estimated that a typical airplane consumes between 4% and 7% of its fuel for ground operations. The GGE released by airports is not only contributing to global warming, but also impacting the health of local communities living next to airports. Accordingly, this paper discusses operational and technological improvements at airports with the objective of minimizing the negative impact of airports on the environment. First, electrification of taxiing operations is discussed. Next, a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model which aims at assigning electric powered tow-tractors for airplanes to complete taxiing operations with minimum jet-fuel usage is introduced. The impact of stochastic conditions on the taxiing operations has been discussed and the impact of traffic density has been incorporated in the model. Finally, an optimum number of tow-tractor purchase strategy is recommended for airports.