A Decentralised Coordination Scheme for Dynamic Capacity Management in Urban Air Mobility

This paper builds upon previous work in Dynamic Capacity Management (DCM) by extending the implementation from a centralised to a decentralised approach, focusing on coordination among multiple Urban Air Mobility actors. The original model incorporates a set of initiatives such as slot allocation, rerouting, and airspace re-configuration, which can be customised to different model variants. In this study, a decomposed optimisation model is formulated using the column generation method such that the original model can be broken down into numerous (flight- and airspace-specific) subproblems, along with a master problem dealing with the coupling (capacity) constraints. The solution algorithm is then designed to pursue the global optimum. A coordination scheme from an operational perspective is devised to align the decentralised architecture, decomposed model, and solution algorithm. Numerical experiments are conducted, and the results indicate that, regardless of the model variant used, the decentralised approach produces a solution close to that of the centralised model, with both outperforming the semi-centralised approach. This study demonstrates the conceptual feasibility of implementing a DCM service within a decentralised architecture, achieving a near-global optimum similar to what is typically expected from a centralised implementation.