Air transportation is a vital enabler of growth in the economy and quality of life through empowering trade and tourism.

The Air Transportation Systems Lab (ATS Lab) is concerned with:
- the demand characteristics for passenger and freight movements
- technological change of aircraft and their enabling infrastructure
- airport capacities and flight delays
- aircraft movements
Jointly, these air transportation system components determine aviation sector fuel use and emissions of pollutants and noise.
The ATS Lab collaborates with a number of research institutions, including MIT, Georgia Tech, Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile and Imperial College London.
Our current research is directed at the costs for reducing aircraft fuel burn and CO2 emissions. Future work examines the range of implications associated with airport capacity expansions.
- People
Head of the group
Research staff
Dr. Lynnette Dray
Dr. Maria Kamargianni
Dr. Khan DoymePhD Students
- Outputs
Journals
Schäfer A., Waitz I.A., 2014. “Air Transportation and the Environment”, Transport Policy 34:1-4.
Evans A., Schäfer A., 2014. “Aviation in a Constrained Transportation Network”, Transport Policy 34:5-13.
Dray L., Evans A., Reynolds T., Schäfer A., Vera-Morales M., Bosbach W., 2014. “Airline Fleet Replacement Funded by a Carbon Tax: An Integrated Assessment”, Transport Policy 34:75-84.
Evans A., Schäfer A., 2013. “The Rebound Effect in the Aviation Sector”, Energy Economics, Volume 36, March 2013, Pages 158–165
Evans A., Schäfer A., 2011. “The Impact of Airport Capacity Constraints on Future Growth in the US Air Transportation System”, Journal of Air Transport Management 17: 288-295.
Dray, L. Evans, A., Reynolds, T., Schäfer, A., 2010. "Mitigation of Aviation Emissions of Carbon Dioxide", Transportation Research Record, 2177: 17-26.
Jamin S., Schäfer A., Ben-Akiva M.E., Waitz I.A., 2004, “Aviation Emissions and Abatement Policies in the United States: A City Pair Analysis”, Transportation Research D, 9(4): 294-314.
Lee J.J., Lukachko S.P., Waitz I.A., Schäfer A., 2001, “Historical and Future Trends in Aircraft Performance, Cost, and Emissions”, Annual Review of Energy and the Environment 2001, 26: 167-200.
Polydoropoulou, A., E. Chortatsiani, and M. Kamargianni (2012). "Flyers Corner: Some Simple Truths about Scheduled Air-Travel." Journal of Air Transport Studies, Vol. 3(1), pp. 24-38.
Conference Proceedings
Evans A., Schäfer A., 2009. “Simulating Flight Routing Network Responses to Airport Capacity Constraints in the US”, 9th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference (ATIO), 21 - 23 September, Hilton Head, South Carolina
Dray L., Evans A., Reynolds T., Schäfer A., Vera-Morales M., 2009. “A Comparison of Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emission Mitigation Policies for Europe”, 9th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference (ATIO), 21 - 23 September, Hilton Head, South Carolina
Dray L.M., Evans A., Reynolds T.G., Rogers H., Schäfer A., Vera-Morales M., 2009, “Air Transport within an Emissions Trading Regime – A Network-based Analysis of the US and India”, Transportation Research Board. Proceedings of the 88th Annual Conference of the Transportation Research Board, January 11-15, 2009, Washington DC.
Dray L.M., Evans A., Vera-Morales M., Reynolds T.G., Schäfer A., 2008. “Network and Environmental Impacts of Passenger and Airline Response to Cost and Delay”, 8th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration and Operations Conference, Anchorage, 14-19 September 2008.
Evans A., Schäfer A., Dray L.M., 2008. “Modelling Airline Routing and Scheduling under Airport Capacity Constraints”, 8th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration and Operations Conference, Anchorage, 14-19 September 2008.
Bolgeri P., L.M. Dray, A. Evans, A. Schäfer, 2008. “The Emergence of Multi-Airport Systems”, 12th Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) World Conference, Athens, 6-10 July 2008.
- Projects
Airport Capacity Consequences Leveraging Aviation Integrated Modelling (ACCLAIM)
The goal of ACCLAIM is to develop rigorous scientific models that simulate passenger and industry behaviour in an integrated way, as well as quantify the economic and environmental implications of the various options.
ACCLAIM will build on the existing Aviation Integrated Modelling (AIM) framework, and add significantly to its capabilities by providing support to the multi-billion pound investment decisions at stake.
For more information, please contact Andreas Schäfer.
Aviation Integrated Modelling – AIM
The AIM project began in 2006 at the University of Cambridge and continues the development of this policy assessment tool.
The AIM architecture contains a set of integrated modules simulating the key elements of the air transport system.
For more information, please contact Andreas Schäfer.
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