Fuel-Efficient Trajectory Optimisation Through Tailwind-Aware Routing

This study evaluates the operational trade-offs of adjusting aircraft flight paths to account for prevailing winds in domestic Australian airspace. While deviations from great-circle routing may introduce complexities for flight planning and traffic management, they also present opportunities for measurable reductions in fuel consumption and emissions. Using a MATLAB-based simulation framework, three representative routes—Sydney to Albury, Sydney to Adelaide, and Sydney to Avalon—were examined under realistic high-altitude wind conditions. In each case, baseline great-circle trajectories were compared against optimised flight paths generated through constrained nonlinear optimisation. The results demonstrate consistent but modest efficiency gains: fuel consumption decreased from 2138.9 to 2138.5 kg on the Sydney–Albury route, from 5476.9 to 5378.4 kg on the Sydney–Adelaide route (≈ 1.8% reduction), and from 3534.2 to 3533.5 kg on the Sydney–Avalon route. These reductions were achieved despite the optimised paths being slightly longer than their great-circle counterparts. Flight times also decreased fractionally across all three sectors, reflecting improved average groundspeed through better alignment with wind fields. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential of wind-aware trajectory optimisation to deliver incremental environmental and operational benefits with minimal disruption to existing procedures, underscoring its value as a practical strategy for improving the efficiency of domestic air traffic management in Australia.