Determining vertiport airside capacity using discrete event simulation

Journal of the Air Transport Research Society, vol. 6, pp. 100109

Abstract

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) presents a promising solution to expand urban transport systems, utilizing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operating from vertiports. This study conducts a simulation-based analysis of vertiport airside operations, focusing on throughput and practical capacity influenced by vertiport topologies and operational parameters. The optimal ratio between stands and touchdown and liftoff areas (TLOFs) is identified as a crucial factor for maximizing vertiport capacity. Taxi processes are found to significantly impact efficiency under TLOF-limited conditions, highlighting the importance of incorporating taxi times in capacity assessments. Furthermore, two queuing policies are compared, demonstrating that priority-based approaches can effectively reduce arrival delays without compromising practical capacity. The simulation-based capacity analysis provides insights applicable across diverse eVTOL operations while acknowledging uncertainties related to evolving aircraft specifications and procedures. This work contributes valuable knowledge towards developing efficient vertiport designs for sustainable UAM integration into urban transport networks, emphasizing the need for detailed consideration of taxi processes and queuing policies in capacity assessments.

Authors 3

1. Eva Christine Wille corresponding Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University Public university in Aachen, Aachen, Germany

2. Johannes Reichmuth Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University Public university in Aachen, Aachen, Germany

3. Giovanna Miceli Ronzani Borille