Usage of Digital Twins in Optimizing Airport Operations

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School of Business | Bachelor's thesis
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Date

2022

Department

Tieto- ja palvelujohtamisen laitos

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Mcode

Degree programme

Tieto- ja palvelujohtaminen

Language

en

Pages

23 +8

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Abstract

Rising passenger numbers at airports and pressure to lower carbon emissions create a need for more efficient ways to handle and optimize airport operations. Airports around the world are facing a capacity crunch, with current estimates being that in the future, without action, airports will not be able to service all flights due to congestion. To combat this, airports need new ways to optimize their operations to keep up with rising demand, while minimizing their environmental impact. Due to advances in the digitalization of the aviation industry and an increase in collaboration between actors, new data sources and technologies are available for use. One such technology which utilizes these new data sources is called a Digital Twin (DT). A Digital Twin consists of a physical object, a digital replica of said physical object and the data connections between them. The DT processes and analyses information from the physical counterpart and makes automatic modifications to it based on the data. The use cases of DTs vary between industries, with numerous possibilities available. The DT shows potential in helping answer airports’ needs for more efficiency and improved communication. With numerous completed and ongoing DT implementation projects at airports, it is important to study what opportunities, benefits and challenges DTs might provide. In this thesis, the current literature on the usage of DTs in optimizing airport operations is reviewed and a case study in the form of an interview is conducted. The goal of this thesis is to answer whether the usage of an airport digital twin can help airports optimize their operations and avoid delays while also uncovering the challenges of DT implementations at airports. The literature reviewed in this thesis suggests that adopting an airport digital twin is beneficial for airport ecosystems. The literature finds that the DT adds visibility into the processes, helps avoid critical situations, enables predictive and proactive maintenance, enhances asset management and increases safety. The completed case study confirms these findings and offers new use cases, such as leveraging computer vision to optimize underwing operations. The case study also introduces the snacking method as a viable DT deployment concept, reducing the initial investment needed. The case study also offers advice for prospective airport DT implementers. It should be noted that while ample research has been completed on DTs in general, the research focusing on its implementations at airports is still limited. Moreover, the financial feasibility of airport digital twinning is not addressed in the literature reviewed and thus the profitability and economical viability of it is in need of more research.

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Thesis advisor

Seppälä, Tomi

Keywords

digital twin, airport, aviation, optimization

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202302051949

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[kand] Kauppakorkeakoulu / BIZ (Open Access)