Full Airline Network Fleet Assignment Model with Hybrid Electric Aircraft Uptake

Air transportation–and the transportation system overall–is an energy-intensive industry. Sustainable aviation technology such as hybrid-electric aircraft (HEA) seeks to reduce the energy expenditure, thereby reducing operating costs and potentially increasing access to air transport options. The successful adoption of new aircraft technology such as HEA requires ensuring that airline operations can accommodate new aircraft types in a cost- and revenue-optimal manner. In this paper, we seek to address the optimal assignment of aircraft type–including new HEA types–within a full-service airline network, consisting of both mainline and regional flights. We utilize an integer programming model to rigorously characterize this optimal assignment problem. This model allows us to explore several different HEA adoption scenarios, and eventually will enable the joint optimization of both the aircraft (e.g., through aircraft sizing and design studies) and airline operations.