KoPF – Climate-Friendly Operational Flight Planning for Airlines

Advancing Climate-Efficient Airline Operations

KoPF is a joint research project funded by DLR, Projektträger Luftfahrt, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK). Together with leading partners, it develops innovative technologies to make airline operations more sustainable and data-driven.

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg — research partner for OrbitLufthansa — airline partner and reference customer for OrbitDLR — German Aerospace Center, project sponsor for KoPFGerman Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy — KoPF project funder
Aerial view of an airport and surrounding area, representing the scale of climate-efficient airline operations research in the KoPF project
KoPF — Climate-Friendly Operational Flight Planning project logo

Climate-Friendly Operational Flight Planning for Airlines

The KoPF project develops innovative technological foundations to make airline operations more climate-efficient. Its goal is to reduce CO₂ emissions of existing fleets by at least 1% through optimized, predictive aircraft assignment planning.

At the heart of the project is a decision support system that integrates ecological and economic metrics, models operational risks, and uses advanced distributionally robust optimization methods to produce precise and reliable deployment plans.

By combining data-driven analysis, advanced optimization techniques, and practical implementation, KoPF makes a significant contribution to climate-neutral aviation. The results will not only increase operational transparency but also pave the way for sustainable, automated flight planning.

Aerial view of aircraft on airport apron, illustrating real-world airline operations data contributed to the KoPF project

Roles and Responsibilities

M2P Consulting

M2P Consulting

Project Lead & System Integration

M2P Consulting serves as the consortium leader, coordinating all development activities and ensuring smooth collaboration between the partners. Its responsibilities include acquiring and analyzing operational and environmental data, designing and integrating the decision support system, and managing the transformation of research results into practical airline applications. With extensive expertise in airline operations, optimization tools, and long-standing partnerships with major carriers, M2P bridges the gap between scientific innovation and operational reality.

Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg — research partner for Orbit

Research & Algorithm Development

FAU leads the scientific and mathematical workstreams of the project. The research team develops advanced optimization models capable of handling uncertainty, designs self-calibrating algorithms, and validates their robustness through large-scale simulations. This ensures that all solutions are both technically sound and operationally feasible.

Deutsche Lufthansa (DLH)

Lufthansa — airline partner and reference customer for Orbit

Industry Partner & Operational Validation

As the operational partner, Lufthansa contributes real-world data and expertise from daily airline operations. The airline supports the training and validation of models, provides practical feedback on implementation feasibility, and conducts evaluation sessions in its operations control center. Lufthansa ensures that the project outcomes are relevant, measurable, and directly applicable to real-life airline environments.

Collaborative Impact

Together, we are bridging research, technology, and operational reality, paving the way toward climate-neutral airline operations.

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Dr. Dennis Adelhütte, Product Owner at Orbit
Dr. Dennis Adelhütte
Product Owner