Pollution and noise reduction through missed approach maneuvers based on aircraft reinjection

Abstract

Skyrocketing prices of fuel and increasing concerns towards achieving lower carbon footprints favor any improvements towards a greener transportation ecosystem. In this work we focus on missed approaches, which are forced maneuvers at the end of regular flights that generate significant noise and pollution levels near airports. In a previous work we introduced a reinjection technique for this maneuver able to substantially mitigate such negative effects. To confirm this point, in this work we compare this technique with a conventional procedure by using well-known models, such as the ECAC Doc. 29 noise model and the BADA aircraft performance model. A noise map at the ground level and a measure of the diffused pollutants have been obtained, confirming the lower ecological impact of the reinjection technique. Compared to the conventional maneuver, the reinjection-based approach obtains a reduction of about 80% in pollutant emissions, while the affected area for equivalent noise level thresholds is reduced to nearly half.