KLM has revealed the plan to downsize the full-freight cargo fleet in Schiphol Airport, for that reason the company requires to explore the consequences of moving the cargo transported by the full freighters into the bellies of the passenger flights. In this study, the authors analyze the implications of this decision by considering the variability of the load factors and the impact that replacing old aircraft might have. The study addresses how the transition towards the belly operation should impact the current operation of KLM at Schiphol. Our study shows that the replacement of old aircraft with new 787s and 777s will have significant effect on the cargo capacity of the company. The results rise the discussion on future problems to be faced and how to make the transition from full freighter to belly operation.
The project X-TEAM D2D (extended ATM for door-to-door travel) has been funded by SESAR JU in the framework of the research activities devoted to the investigation of integration of Air Traffic Management (ATM) and aviation into a wider transport system able to support the implementation of the door-to-door (D2D) travel concept. The project defines a concept for the seamless integration of ATM and Air Transport into an intermodal network, including other available transportation means, such as surface and waterways, to contribute to the 4 h door-to-door connectivity targeted by the European Commission in the ACARE SRIA FlightPath 2050 goals. In particular, the project focused on the design of a concept of operations for urban and extended urban (up to regional) integrated mobility, taking into account the evolution of transportation and passengers service scenarios for the next decades, according to baseline (2025), intermediate (2035) and final target (2050) time horizons. The designed ConOps encompassed both the transportation platforms integration concepts and the innovative seamless Mobility as a Service, integrating emerging technologies, such as Urban Air Mobility (e.g., electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles) and new mobility forms (e.g., micromobility vehicles) into the intermodal traffic network, including Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM). The developed concept has been evaluated against existing KPAs and KPIs, implementing both qualitative and quantitative performance assessment approaches, while also considering specific performance metrics related to transport integration efficiency from the passenger point of view, being the proposed solution designed to be centered around the passenger needs. The aim of this paper is to provide a description of the activities carried out in the project and to present at high level the related outcomes.
The need to better understand how to manage the real logistics operations in Schiphol Airport, a strategic hub for the economic development of the Netherlands, created the conditions to develop a project where academia and industry partnered to build a simulation model of the Schiphol Airport Landside operations. This paper presents such a model using discrete-event simulation. A realistic representation of the open road network of the airport as well as the (un)loading dock capacities and locations of the five ground handlers of Schiphol Airport was developed. Furthermore, to provide practitioners with applicable consolidation and truck-dispatching policies, some easy-to-implement rules are proposed and implemented in the model. Preliminary results from this model show that truck-dispatching policies have a higher impact than consolidation policies in terms of both distance travelled by cooperative logistic operators working within the airport and shipments’ average flow time. Furthermore, the approach presented in this study can be used for studying similar megahubs.
The growing demand for both retrofitting and refitting, driven by an aging global fleet and decarbonization efforts, including the need to accommodate alternative fuels such as LNG, methanol, and ammonia, offers opportunities for sustainability. However, they also pose challenges, such as emissions generated during these processes and the environmental impacts associated with the disposal of old components. The region Rotterdam and Drechtsteden form a unique Dutch maritime ecosystem of port logistics, shipbuilding, offshore operations, and innovation facilities, supported by Europe’s largest port and world-class infrastructure connecting global trade routes. The Netherlands’ maritime sector, including the sector concentrated in Zuid-Holland, is facing competition from subsidized Asian companies, leading to a steep decline in Europe’s shipbuilding market share from 45% in the 1980s to just 4% in 2023. Nonetheless, the shift toward climate-neutral ships presents economic opportunities for Dutch maritime companies. Thus, developing CE approaches to refitting is essential for promoting sustainability and addressing the pressing environmental and competitive challenges facing the sector and has led companies in the sector to establish the Open Joint Industry Project (OJIP) called Circolab of which this PD forms the core.
