A Framework to Elaborate on the Requirements for Electrified Commuter and Regional Aircraft

Abstract

With increasing capabilities of electric motors and energy storage, aircraft designs for electrified commuter and regional aircraft become more relevant than ever. Design concepts are often derived and optimised according to existing, conventional reference aircraft; however, their characteristics differ and the underlying trade-offs are divergent. This work aims to derive and describe major external requirements for the design of proposed commuter and regional aircraft system. Therefore, a travel time benefit analysis was conducted that considered the European NUTS-3 regions, as well as the concentration of population. Total travel times for individual road, high-speed rail, commuter air services, and traditional airline services were compared. Travel time calculations were based mostly on third-party road and railway APIs, whereas airline services were based on air traffic management data. The data show a concentration of potential commuter connections on distances between 200 and 950 km. The majority of these connections are currently operated on airline flights, which involve extraordinarily long first/last mile transportation. The majority of regions are already well covered with airfields offering sufficient runway length; however, air traffic capacities and apron space could become major bottlenecks when considering a possible shift from airline to decentral commuter air services.