Aviation Analytics

ICM conducts advanced research in aviation analytics, seamlessly integrating mathematical modeling, Big Data analytics, and artificial intelligence. Our projects drive the optimization of global air traffic, flight routing, and the digital transformation of air traffic management (ATM) systems, executed in close collaboration with international institutions and the aviation industry.

The ICM team focuses on developing predictive analytics tools designed to calculate optimal flight trajectories by evaluating key variables, including:

Atmospheric conditions (e.g., wind patterns, barometric pressure, severe convective weather),
Real-time airspace congestion and capacity constraints,
Fuel consumption and operational cost metrics,
Aircraft performance parameters and their direct impact on operational efficiency and emissions.

This multi-faceted approach not only enables highly efficient flight planning but also delivers actionable decision support for airlines, air navigation service providers (ANSPs), and airport authorities – ultimately lowering operational costs, reducing flight times, and minimizing the aviation carbon footprint.

Global Air Transport Optimiser (GATO)

One of the flagship achievements of the ICM expert team is the Global Air Transport Optimiser (GATO) – an advanced analytical system developed in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This tool stands as one of the most comprehensive Big Data solutions in civil aviation, engineered to analyze, plan, and optimize the global air transport network.

GATO integrates passenger traffic data from billions of global journeys, enabling:

Mapping and analyzing connectivity networks across thousands of airports and carriers with a level of precision previously unavailable in standard industry tools.
Rapid generation of statistics and traffic models for any network component, including specific regions, cities, carriers, or routes.
Empowering strategic planning decisions regarding route network development and long-term infrastructure investments.
Evaluating historical trends and identifying major hubs to precisely assess their role in global mobility patterns.

The GATO project concluded at the end of 2021, serving as a vital foundation for ICM’s ongoing analytical work. The breakthroughs achieved through this platform are currently leveraged in collaborative research with leading global aircraft manufacturers, including Airbus, Boeing, and Dassault. Furthermore, the project serves as a cornerstone for numerous innovative Master’s theses completed within ICM’s Computational Engineering graduate program.

Additionally, GATO was utilized to model the potential spread of the Zika virus during the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil. By analyzing global passenger flows, the system successfully identified critical hubs and flight routes prone to disease transmission. This milestone demonstrated that aviation analytics can serve as a vital tool in risk management and crisis decision-making, particularly during global public health emergencies.

GATO

The Digital Revolution in Air Traffic Management: SESAR

Building upon our flight optimization research, the ICM team actively participates in European projects under the SESAR Joint Undertaking—a landmark initiative driven by the European Union, EUROCONTROL, and aviation industry leaders across Europe. This program accelerates the digital transformation of European airspace, focusing on the automation of traffic management processes and the integration of national systems into a unified Air Traffic Management (ATM) standard.

Within these projects, ICM experts focus on:

Developing AI-driven predictive safety algorithms to evaluate how atmospheric conditions and airport infrastructure impact the safety of takeoff and landing operations.
Optimizing flight trajectory modeling by factoring in meteorological variables, airspace congestion, and operational costs—directly leading to shorter routes, reduced fuel burn, and minimized emissions.
Analyzing airspace capacity and availability within Free Route Airspace (FRA) frameworks, enabling more flexible and efficient flight routing across Europe.
Supporting rigorous validation campaigns (e.g., ATC-TBO – Trajectory Based Operations) to test next-generation technologies in both simulation environments and real-world flight operations.

The SESAR program involves significant investments in digital technologies and automation—totaling at least €1.6 billion in public-private initiatives—highlighting the strategic importance of the research conducted at ICM.

ICM has been an active participant in the SESAR program since 2016. In recent years, the team has contributed to selected research and development projects focusing on advanced air traffic management and airport operations optimization, including: