Mostly electric assisted airplanes (MEAP) for regional aviation: A South Asian perspective

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of mostly electric assisted airplanes (MEAP) and small airports in South Asia to address environmental and operational challenges in regional aviation, proposing innovative solutions beyond traditional scaling methods.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of MEAP and small airports as a novel approach to improve regional aviation sustainability and efficiency in South Asia.

Findings

Electric assisted aircraft can reduce emissions and operational costs.

Small airports can facilitate regional connectivity and environmental compliance.

MEAP implementation is feasible in South Asian regional aviation context.

Abstract

Aircraft manufacturing relies on pre-order bookings. The configuration of the to be assembled aircraft is fixed by the design assisted market surveys. The sensitivity of the supply chain to the market conditions, makes, the relationship between the product (aircraft) and the associated service (aviation), precarious. Traditional model to mitigate this risk to profitability rely on increasing the scales of operations. However, the emergence of new standards of air quality monitoring and insistence on the implementation, demands additional corrective measures. In the quest for a solution, this research commentary establishes a link, between the airport taxes and the nature of the transporting unit. It warns, that merely, increasing the number of mid haulage range aircrafts (MHA) in the fleet, may not be enough, to overcome this challenge. In a two-pronged approach, the communication proposes, the use of mostly electric assisted air planes, and small sized airports as the key to solving this complex problem. As a side-note the appropriateness of South Asian region, as a test-bed for MEAP based aircrafts is also investigated. The success of this the idea can be potentially extended, to any other aviation friendly region of the world.