Advanced systems and soLutions for Better practices AgainsT hazaRds in the aviatiOn System

Project Information

ALBATROS

Grant agreement ID: 101077071

DOI

10.3030/101077071

Project closed

EC signature date 30 August 2022

Start date 1 October 2022

End date 30 September 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 9 571 160,50

EU contribution

€ 8 328 635,00

Coordinated by

STICHTING KONINKLIJK NEDERLANDS LUCHT - EN RUIMTEVAARTCENTRUM
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ALBATROS (Advanced systems and soLutions for Better practices AgainsT hazaRds in the aviatiOn System)

Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ALBATROS overarching ambition is to maintain a high level of safety in aviation in view of extreme weather conditions, expected changes brought about by the evolution of aviation systems especially new fuel and energy systems (including hydrogen) which will be integrated in the coming years to both future aircraft and airport infrastructures.
ALBATROS activities target the increased resilience against safety issues both on the ground and in flight to ensure the survival of passengers and crew as well as their evacuation and rescue in case of emergencies.
ALBATROS objectives are to:

- Develop a concept for real-time sharing of safety intelligence to support decision making on safety issues, emergencies and crises;
- Develop safety risk models and analyze safety data for prediction and prevention of emerging and future hazards in aviation;
- Develop survivability measures to mitigate safety issues and risks;
- Assess and improve human performance and develop best practices for decision making in the handling of crises and emergency situations;
- Validate and demonstrate concepts, technologies and decision support tools (exercises at airports, simulations and laboratory tests conducted in close collaboration with EACCC, GADSS and ACI-Europe);
- Disseminate, communicate, and exploit project key results and outcomes (including through emergency response training & exercises).

ALBATROS will work on maturing technologies and solutions up to TRL6 which will be compatible with EACCC and GADSS requirements.
Initially, scenarios, requirements, concepts of use and relevant technologies will be agreed upon, before development activities are performed on safety modelling and data analysis, survivability as well as decision support tools and best practices.
The results of these developments will then be integrated and validated through 15 demonstrations in relevant environments across Europe (airports, flight simulators or crisis centres).
During the second reporting period, ALBATROS further progressed from concept development towards validation and demonstration.
The consortium completed and advanced several technical activities related to safety risk modelling, climate and weather-related aviation hazards, survivability measures for new energy aircraft, ground handling procedures, emergency response and drone-supported situational awareness.
These results provide an important basis for the remaining demonstrations, exploitation activities and training material to be finalised in the next phase of the project.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the second reporting period, the project continued to make significant progress across all work packages. The work moved from the initial concept and analysis phase towards further development, validation and preparation of demonstrations.

WP1: The concept for sharing safety information was further consolidated, including the refinement of use cases, procedures and requirements for strategic and tactical information sharing.
WP2: Several analyses were completed on emerging and future aviation hazards, including climate-related hazards, weather impacts, space weather, turbulence, new aircraft entrants and the use of new fuels and energy systems.
WP3: Work continued on survivability measures for future aircraft, with further development and testing related to battery systems, hydrogen technologies, sensor solutions and mitigation strategies.
WP4: Important progress was made on decision support and emergency procedures, including work on ground handling of new energy aircraft, flight crew procedures, human performance, and the concept for the safe use of drones in emergency management.
WP5: Validation activities were carried out to assess the feasibility of the developed concepts and solutions. These activities provided important input for the preparation of the airport demonstrations.
WP6: Communication, dissemination, exploitation and training activities continued, including the further promotion of project results and preparation of training material based on the project outcomes.
WP7: Project management and coordination activities continued, including technical coordination, reporting, amendment follow-up, deliverable management and preparation for the next project phase.

Several deliverables were submitted or progressed during this reporting period, covering safety and resilience analyses, survivability measures, emergency procedures, validation activities, dissemination and project management. The results obtained in this period provide the basis for the remaining demonstrations, exploitation activities and final project outcomes.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The ALBATROS project aims to achieve several innovative results that go beyond the current state of the art in aviation safety and resilience. During the second reporting period, the consortium further developed and validated several of these results.

The concept for sharing safety information was further developed, supporting both strategic and tactical information sharing in relation to safety issues, emergencies and crises.
The risk assessment approach for emerging and future aviation hazards was further elaborated and applied to relevant use cases, including new fuels and energy systems, turbulence and new aircraft entrants.
Data-driven and scenario-based analyses were carried out to assess weather-related and climate-related aviation hazards, including their potential impact on airport operations and flight safety.
Work continued on survivability measures for future aircraft, including battery systems, hydrogen technologies, electrical power networks, hydrogen leakage detection and mitigation strategies.
Progress was made on procedures and decision support for crisis and emergency management, including ground handling of new energy aircraft and flight crew procedures for aircraft with new fuels and energy systems.
The concept for the safe use of drones in emergency management was further developed, including the use of aerial images and real-time situational awareness to support first responders.
Validation activities were carried out to assess the feasibility and added value of the developed concepts, procedures and technologies.

These results contribute to the further improvement of aviation safety and resilience and provide a basis for the remaining demonstrations, exploitation activities, training material and final project outcomes.