Airside Optimization Framework Covering Multiple Operations in Civil Airport Systems with a Variety of Aircraft: A Simulation-Based Digital Twin

The airside is a principal subsystem in the intricate airport systems. This study focuses on introducing a digital twin framework for analyzing the delays and capacity of airports. This framework encompasses a diverse array of authentic features pertaining to a civil airport for a mixture of both landing and departing flights. Being a decision support for the management of international airports, all sizes and weight categories of aircraft are considered permissible, each with their own unique service time and speed requirements in accordance with the global aviation regulations. The proposed discrete event simulation digital twin provides a real-time demonstration of the system performance with the possibility of predicting the future outcomes of managerial decisions. Additionally, this twin is equipped with an advanced and realistic 3D visualization that facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the ongoing operations. To assess its efficiency in practice, the framework was implemented at an international airport. The statistical tests revealed the superior similarity between the proposed twin and the real system. Using this twin, we further optimized the studied system by analyzing its projected future performance under a set of scenarios. This resulted in a nearly 30% upgrade in the capacity of this airport while decreasing the expected delays by over 18% annually.