Engage 2 – the SESAR 3 Knowledge Transfer Network- issued a call for PhD candidates to advance research on air traffic management (ATM). Among the selected projects is FLOCK – “Disrupting the Skies: Formation Flight for Aviation Sustainability”, led by PhD student Xiaoqing Deng, from the Aircraft Operations Lab at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M).
This project explores formation flight as a potential solution to enhance sustainability in ATM by reducing environmental, economic, and operational impacts. Xiaoqing’s thesis focuses on modeling non-CO2 emissions and contrail formation specific to formation flight. Her work will assess the non-CO2 impact to evaluate the benefits and challenges of implementing commercial formation flight on a network scale.
Supported by a 60,000€ grant from the Engage 2 program, the PhD project also provides access to summer schools and workshops, enhancing the researcher’s expertise and collaboration opportunities. The FLOCK project officially began on October 1, 2024, and will conclude on May 31, 2027, presenting a valuable chance to explore innovative ways to reduce aviation’s environmental footprint and improve efficiency in European air traffic management.
Watch this video to learn more about the Aircraft Operations lab UC3M’s formation flight research line, led by María Cerezo: