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

This article builds upon previous work in dynamic capacity management (DCM) by extending the implementation from a centralized to a decentralized 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 reconfiguration, which can be customized to different model variants. In this study, a decomposed optimization 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 decentralized architecture, decomposed model, and solution algorithm. Numerical experiments are conducted, and the results indicate that, regardless of the model variant used, the decentralized approach produces a solution close to that of the centralized model, with both outperforming the semicentralized approach. This study demonstrates the conceptual feasibility of implementing a DCM service within a decentralized architecture, achieving a near-global optimum similar to what is typically expected from a centralized implementation.