Route Planning Algorithms in Civil Aviation: A Brief Review and Future Prospects

Route planning is one of the core technologies in civil aviation. While various algorithms have appeared in the literature, the overall algorithmic scheme remains unchanged: A route subject to the aircraft nonholonomic constraints such as minimum turning radius and environmental restrictions like atmospheric disturbances, gust and adverse climates must be planned to achieve optimization goal of the airline, for example, minimum travelling time and lowest fuel consumption. This paper briefly reviews 5 different algorithms which have been implemented in addressing the civil aviation route planning problems. We highlight strengths for each algorithm. A summary, as well as prospects for the route planning algorithms development in civil aviation is also presented.