Energy and Power Management Optimization for Sequential Daily Operations in Regional Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

Hybrid-Electric Aircraft (HEA) present a potential pathway to enhance propulsive efficiency and reduce operating costs in regional airline operations. This study introduces an adaptive power management strategy that optimizes allocation of electric and gas turbine engine power across sequential daily flights while addressing operational constraints such as limited gate charging durations and available ground time. HEA models are developed using physics-based and data-driven methods within the open-source Future Aircraft Sizing Tool (FAST). In contrast to prior studies that rely on fixed power splits or single-mission strategies, the proposed approach dynamically adjusts power distribution across mission phases to maximize efficiency and performance over a range of missions. Key findings indicate that sequence-optimized power management can achieve approximately a <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{2 - 3 \%}$</tex> reduction in fuel burn compared to a conventional baseline, utilizing conservative battery technology assumptions of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$250 ~\text{Wh} / \text{kg}$</tex> pack-level specific energy and a 150 kW charging power limit. The study also finds that optimizing power allocation across a full day of operations yields greater benefits than optimizing each flight independently. These results demonstrate the feasibility of HEA integration into regional airline markets, offering improved operational efficiency and cost savings while maintaining compatibility with existing fleet schedules.