61 research outputs found
Vertidrome Airside Level of Service: Performance-Based Evaluation of Vertiport Airside Operations
Abstract: This paper presents the Vertidrome Airside Level of Service (VALoS) framework, a novel
performance metric designed to evaluate airside traffic flow operations at vertidromes in the context
of Urban Air Mobility (UAM). As the UAM industry rapidly evolves, the need for a comprehensive evaluation framework becomes increasingly important. The VALoS framework provides a
performance-based approach to evaluating vertidrome traffic flow performance, considering metrics
like average passenger delay, air taxi in-flight delay, and vertidrome punctuality. Unlike existing
Level of Service approaches, the VALoS framework unifies the requirements of various stakeholders,
the passenger, the air taxi operator, and the vertidrome operator each with their own performance
metric and target. It provides a multi-faceted approach covering airside air and ground traffic flows,
arrivals and departures, and performance changes during strategic planning and tactical execution
phases. The VALoS is evaluated at 15-min intervals while considering changing stakeholder performance targets and operational uncertainties. For the reference use case, the study demonstrates the
significant impact of short-term disruptions, while stochastic deviations can be neglected. Higher
traffic volumes due to changing demand/capacity ratios result in higher VALoS variability. The
VALoS framework, together with a fast-time simulation, provides a versatile method for exploring
future vertidrome traffic flows and supporting strategic vertidrome airside planning and integration.
This integrated approach is essential for the evolving UAM vertidrome industry; aligning the interests
of different stakeholders and promoting sustainable and efficient vertidrome planning and operation
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