Measuring Systemwide Impacts of New Aircraft on the Environment

Many efforts to mitigate the environmental impact of aviation, like NASA's Subsonic Fixed Wing Project, place high importance on reducing fuel burn, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, and noise of future aircraft. However, the environmental and economic impact of a new aircraft is not solely a function of the aircraft's performance but also of how airlines use new aircraft along with other existing aircraft to satisfy the passenger demand for air transportation. In this work, an optimization problem finds the optimal allocation of existing and future aircraft to routes representing commercial air transportation within or to/from the United States to measure various fleet-level metrics. Examining fleet-level environmental metrics helps assess how aircraft meeting NASA's Subsonic Fixed Wing Project goals could impact fleet-level environmental goals established by the International Air Transport Association. The goal set forth by the International Air Transport Association examined in this paper is to reduce total aviation CO2 emission levels to 50% of 2005 levels in 2050. The International Air Transport Association recognizes multiple approaches to reduce emissions, referred to as the four-pillar strategy for reducing emissions. Of these approaches, this paper looks specifically at how. improvements in aircraft concepts and technology will impact systemwide environmental impacts. Results indicate that goals set forth by the International Air Transport Association for 2050 CO2 emissions appear attainable, with an aircraft allocation to minimize fuel burn and future aircraft that meet the NASA N + 2 and N + 3 Subsonic Fixed Wing Project fuel-consumption goals.