We collaborate on the design of efficient algorithms for the optimization of flight routes.

The number of passengers in the airline industry has doubled in the last 12 years and the prognosis is that this trend will continue. It poses important issues on security and pollution. A large number of optimization problems are solved to make airways traffic possible. Among them, flight routes must be carefully planned in order to satisfy restrictions imposed by the national and international traffic control institutions and minimize the costs determined by fuel consumption.

Only in EU there are 16000 restrictions to be taken into account when calculating the cheapest routes while a saving in fuel consumption has a direct impact on the reduction of CO2 emissions in the environment.

An industrial PhD was involved in this project, which yielded new fast algorithms to be implemented in the software that the company is selling for private pilots.