Infrastructural and operational availability for air taxi operations at German aerodromes

Abstract

According to Flightpath 2050, door-to-door travel times of less than four hours are aspired for journeys within Europe. To accomplish this goal, on-demand air mobility (ODAM) can improve the conventional means of transportation with short travel times and comfort gains. This paper outlines a methodology for analyzing the availability of German aerodromes for air taxi operations. Analyses are based on the usage of hybrid-electric fixed-wing aircraft under visual flight rules (VFR) for ODAM. This future use-case is applied for the evaluation of infrastructural availability (quality) and operational availability in Germany. An aerodrome database and METAR weather database are developed and evaluated for the availability analyses. The main research finding is the availability of German aerodromes for small fixed-wing aircraft (according to EASA CS-23) operation under VFR for ODAM. The lack of suitable infrastructure for air taxi services (e.g., terminals, paved runways) at many small airfields limits the availability of the service. Furthermore, unsuitable weather conditions reduce operational availability, especially in winter, due to lack of visibility, e.g., snowfall. Current ODAM research has assumed continuous availability, causing an overestimation of availability. This paper provides a holistic approach in which the current state of aerodrome infrastructure and operational constraints are considered by the example of German aerodromes. Minimal infrastructure needed for this use-case is determined, main weather parameters causing operational constraints are detected and possibilities for increasing operational availability at aerodromes are revealed.