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Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (1): 631907.doi: 10.7527/S1000-6893.2025.31907

• Special Topic: The 27th Annual Meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

eVTOL scheduling schemes for dynamic demand and variable intervals

Yujie YUAN1, Jiashuai LI1, Xinyi ZHAO2, Yantao WANG3()   

  1. 1. College of Air Traffic Control,Civil Aviation University of China,Tianjin 300300,China
    2. College of Electronic Information,Wuhan University,Wuhan 430072,China
    3. Institute of Science and Technology Innovation,Civil Aviation University of China,Tianjin 300300,China
  • Received:2025-02-27 Revised:2025-03-28 Accepted:2025-05-12 Online:2025-06-06 Published:2025-06-05
  • Contact: Yantao WANG
  • Supported by:
    Tianjin Natural Science Foundation of Science and Technology Bureau(24JCQNJC00280)

Abstract:

The advancement of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) necessitates the development of scheduling methods that not only ensure operational safety but also reduce costs and enhance service capacity. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a two-stage joint optimization scheduling framework for the low-altitude operation of electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. In the first stage, a passenger demand forecasting model is developed. An enhanced gravity model is introduced to capture the spatiotemporal variations and dynamic fluctuation patterns of low-altitude network demand. In the second stage, a demand-responsive scheduling optimization model is formulated, aiming to maximize passenger throughput while minimizing total operational costs. The model incorporates core constraints based on eVTOL performance metrics and range requirements to ensure both flight safety and economic efficiency. Additionally, the model introduces dynamic constraints, including time-varying separation requirements under different traffic volumes, passenger attrition due to delays, and energy reserve margins for range control. To solve this complex optimization problem, a Joint Optimization of Cost and Schedule-Particle Swarm Optimization (JOCS-PSO) algorithm is designed, enabling efficient computation of optimal scheduling schemes. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in generating real-time pre-departure optimization strategies for eVTOL operations. The study validates the role of energy reservation strategies in ensuring operational continuity and presents a quantitative method for assessing the demands on power infrastructure. The utilization rate of a heterogeneous eVTOL fleet is improved to 77%, with additional dwell times at vertiports maintained under 12 minutes, significantly reducing passenger attrition. This research contributes a time-efficient and cost-effective solution to UAM scheduling, offering robust data and technical support for the management of urban low-altitude flight operations.

Key words: dynamic demand, low altitude economy, electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, safety scheduling plan, low-altitude flight safety

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