Projecte assignat
Títol: Contrail Patterns and Flight-Rerouting Cost Sensitivity in European Aviation
Director/a: MELGOSA FARRÉS, MARC
Departament: FIS
Títol: Contrail Patterns and Flight-Rerouting Cost Sensitivity in European Aviation
Data inici oferta: 17-07-2026 Data finalització oferta: 17-03-2027
Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
MU AEROSPACE S&T 21
| Tipus: Individual | |
| Lloc de realització: EETAC | |
| Segon director/a (UPC): KULJANIN, JOVANA | |
| Paraules clau: | |
| Aviation contrails, climate impact, meteorological data, statistical analysis, flight rerouting, trajectory optimisation, fuel consumption, operational costs, European air traffic, sensitivity analysis | |
| Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats: | |
| Aviation-induced contrails can contribute to the climate impact of air transport, particularly when they persist under favourable atmospheric conditions.
This project aims to assess contrail formation conditions over Europe and analyse the potential operational consequences of avoiding contrail-prone areas. The work will be divided into two main parts. The first part will focus on the statistical analysis of meteorological data. Relevant atmospheric variables associated with contrail formation will be identified from the scientific literature. These variables may include temperature, relative humidity, pressure, altitude and ice supersaturation. Meteorological datasets covering the European airspace and a representative annual period will be collected and processed. A methodology will be defined to identify geographical areas and altitude levels with favourable contrail formation conditions. The student will calculate suitable indicators to quantify the daily extent and intensity of these conditions. The results obtained for the different days of the year will be compared statistically. Based on this analysis, the date presenting the most adverse conditions in terms of potential contrail formation will be selected. The spatial and temporal distribution of contrail-prone regions on the selected date will then be characterised. The second part will analyse the operational implications of assigning a hypothetical cost to flights crossing these regions. This cost will represent the environmental impact associated with flying through airspace with a high potential for contrail formation. A set of representative European flights will be considered for the analysis. Alternative flight trajectories will be generated or evaluated to determine whether airlines could avoid contrail-prone regions. Different values of the hypothetical contrail-related cost will be tested through a sensitivity analysis. For each cost value, the resulting changes in flight trajectories will be assessed. The analysis will quantify variations in flight time, flown distance, fuel consumption and direct operating costs. Possible trade-offs between contrail avoidance and additional fuel-related emissions will also be examined. The results will help determine the cost levels at which rerouting becomes operationally attractive. They will also show whether contrail avoidance produces significant penalties for airlines and the air traffic network. The project will conclude with a discussion of the environmental and operational implications of incorporating contrail-related costs into flight-planning decisions. The main limitations of the datasets, contrail-detection methodology and operational assumptions will be identified. Finally, recommendations for future work on climate-aware trajectory planning and contrail mitigation will be proposed. |
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| Orientació a l'estudiant: | |
| The student should have a basic background in statistics, data analysis and programming. Knowledge of Python, MATLAB, R or a similar data-processing environment is recommended. Basic knowledge of aviation operations, flight trajectories, meteorology or environmental assessment will be valuable, although specific concepts related to contrail formation will be introduced during the project.
The student should be able to work with large meteorological datasets, perform statistical analyses and represent results using maps, graphs and quantitative indicators. Familiarity with geographical data formats, databases or trajectory-processing tools will be beneficial but is not mandatory. Regular meetings with the supervisor will be required, preferably every one or two weeks. The student should be available to work independently between meetings, document the methodology followed and progressively validate the results. Good written English is recommended, as most of the relevant scientific literature and technical documentation is published in English. |
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| Requereix activitats hardware: No | |
| Requereix activitats software: No | |
| Horari d'atenció a estudiants per a l'assignació de projecte: |
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