Environmental Optimization of Aircraft Departures: Fuel Burn, Emissions, and Noise (2013)

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3 1.1. Background The aviation industry has been at the cutting edge of tech- nology since its inception, benefiting various other indus- tries. Transformational changes through the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) include the introduc- tion of new vehicles, the integration of advanced information technologies into the National Airspace System (NAS), and the implementation of new operational models by air carriers. Such advances call for systemwide approaches to environmen- tal sustainability and innovative solutions to fuel utilization and airport capacity optimization. Despite notable technological advances, aviation noise is expected to remain the biggest impediment to the expansion of airport capacity in the next 20 years. Virtually all major envi- ronmental campaigns against airport and air traffic expansion have centered on community concerns over noise exposure. That said, concerns over climate change and local air quality are gaining momentum and prompting calls for new regulatory schemes to curb emissions of CO2 and other air pollutants— although aviation contributes less than 3% of global green- house gas emissions (Kim 2009). Furthermore, the recent increases in fuel prices have pushed the economic viability of airlines to a breaking point and caused major shifts in demand for air travel. For the foresee- able future, aviation will have to continue contending with volatile oil prices. Despite the potential of alternative and renewable sources of energy, such shifts for air transportation will require changes in terms of aircraft technology that are not immediately available. There is also a concern that forecast levels of air traffic growth may outpace the introduction of environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient aircraft technology over time. There are design tradeoffs among aircraft-generated noise, emissions, and fuel burn. The introduction of new aircraft technology is only part of the solution. Seeking integrated approaches to the optimization of aircraft operations—along with techno- logical innovation and NAS modernization—can produce a more sustainable growth strategy for aviation while achieving meaningful reductions in both environmental impacts and airline operating costs. Although Optimized Profile Descent (OPD) procedures have attracted considerable attention for their tradeoff benefits, there has been little discussion of the environmental and operational interdependencies of departure procedures, notably what are known as noise abatement departure pro- files (NADPs). Yet, it is in the interest of all stakeholders, particularly members of the community, to evaluate the costs and benefits of operational alternatives, including NADPs, carefully. Stakeholders need such information to decide, for example, whether an incremental improvement in noise exposure justifies an increase in total emissions or vice versa. Despite current challenges, the aviation industry must continue implementing the NextGen plan and invest in NAS modernization, operational improvements, and new technology. NextGen is an opportunity to resolve long- standing bottlenecks in system capacity and implement more environmentally and energy-efficient operational concepts at airports and in the NAS. 1.2. Project Scope and Goals The focus of this project was to develop a departure opti- mization method to (1) quantify potential reductions in noise, fuel burn, and emissions; (2) estimate increases in air traf- fic capacity that could be achieved by optimizing departure procedures while continuing to address noise exposure for communities around airports; and (3) account for existing and future fleet mixes and improvements envisioned under NextGen. In the context of current departure noise abatement procedures (NAPs), this project reports on environmental and capacity-related benefits associated with the following local- ized contributors: (1) source noise reduction in future engine/ C H A P T E R 1 Introduction

4airframe technologies, and (2) realistic alterations to present noise abatement departure procedures to help regulators and airport management make environmentally optimal decisions. Overall, this project consists of two phases and seven tasks (see Figure 1-1). This ACRP project complements the goals of NextGen and furthers the ability of airports to pursue sustainable environ- mental solutions while gaining the operational benefits of new aircraft and NAS technology. This project’s goals are to pro- vide a method for NADP optimization through the exercise of an analysis framework that combines advanced environ- mental modeling capabilities and refined optimization tech- niques. The optimization framework uses data from extensive FAA airport, flight trajectory, and fleet mix databases. The use of such tools and databases ensures a well-researched and practical protocol to help guide airport decisions on NADP optimization. In addition to the protocol, an electronic (spreadsheet-based) tool—the Departure Optimization Investigation Tool (DOIT) —was developed to demonstrate the tradeoff potential among noise, emissions, and fuel burn. By allowing manipulation of a realistic airport scenario, DOIT enables users to better under- stand the sensitivities of each of the output results to the input data on airport fleet mix, track utilization, and technological advances. 1.3. Report Structure The report reflects the research plan specified by ACRP— starting with the literature review and culminating in the development of the electronic tool. The body of the report summarizes the work conducted and its outcomes while the appendices provide details and background materials. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the literature review, including definitions of terminologies and some qualitative discussions on tradeoffs. Chapter 3 provides optimization case study overviews of selected single-event departures at various airports. Chapter 4 presents the electronic tool that can be used to assess tradeoffs among noise, emissions, and fuel burn under a departure NAP optimization scenario. Appendix A provides details on the literature review. Appen- dix B contains details on optimization protocols. Appendix C presents capacity modeling protocols. Appendix D provides an example to illustrate the impacts of NAPs on airport through- put. In Appendix E, use of the electronic tool is explained through various examples. Figure 1-1. Project tasks and phases.