Best Paper Award for DLR Institute of Air Transport and Hamburg University of Technology
AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) recognises research on reducing the climate impact of aviation: The authors from the Institute of Air Transport at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Institute of Air Transportation Systems at Hamburg University of Technology were awarded the 2023 AIAA Aircraft Operations Best Paper Award at the 2023 AIAA Aviation Forum in San Diego, California, for their research on reducing the climate impact of aviation. The award-winning paper, titled "Trajectory-related measures to mitigate the climate impact of aviation: A comparative study," was authored by Zarah Lea Zengerling, Dr Florian Linke, Benjamin Lührs, Christian Martin Weder (DLR Institute of Air Transport), and Prof Dr Volker Gollnick (Hamburg University of Technology).
The study assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of various operational measures under comparable conditions.
The results indicate that the effectiveness of various measures depends significantly on mission parameters, routing, and meteorological conditions.
Recognition for Innovative Study on Reducing Aviation's Climate Impact
The DLR research team led by Zarah Lea Zengerling received the 2023 AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) Aircraft Operations Best Paper Award for their comparative study on operational measures to mitigate aviation's climate impacts. The study evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of various trajectory-based measures under comparable conditions and provides valuable insights for creating a more climate-compatible air transport system.
MoreClimate Compatibility in Aviation: A Necessary Approach
Operational measures are crucial for reducing aviation's climate impact in the short term. While previous studies have examined these measures individually, a direct quantitative comparison under uniform conditions was lacking. The research by Zarah Lea Zengerling and the authors from the DLR Institute of Air Transport and the Hamburg University of Technology addresses this gap by comparatively evaluating various operational measures.
Detailed Trajectory Simulations as the Basis for Climate Impact Assessment
The study utilised detailed trajectory simulations and climate impact assessments using algorithmic climate functions. These functions, which depend on trajectory and meteorological conditions, enabled the researchers to analyse changes in climate impact, particularly regarding the temperature response.
Comparing Efficiency and Effectiveness of Measures
The results show that the potential to reduce climate impact of the evaluated measures depends significantly on mission parameters:
Inefficient routes in terms of fuel consumption and climate impact offer higher mitigation potentials.
More efficient routes can also further reduce climate impact, although with a moderate increase in direct operating costs.
The effectiveness of stopovers on long-haul flights depends on specific mission parameters and the availability of suitable stopover airports, often leading to higher direct operating costs compared to other measures.
Changes in flight altitudes proved to be an efficient measure, with lower flight speeds further increasing the potential to reduce climate impact, although this also leads to higher costs.
AIAA Award
The AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) honoured the authors for their contribution to climate impact assessment at the 2023 AIAA Aviation Forum in San Diego, California. The award was presented to Zarah Lea Zengerling at ILA 2024 in Berlin by Dr Gabriele Enea from MIT Lincoln Laboratory and chairman of the AIAA Aircraft Operations Technical Committee. The award-winning paper is an important contribution to creating a more climate-compatible aviation industry and demonstrates the value of comprehensive and comparative research in this field.
