Compilation and Applications of an Open-Source Dataset on Global Air Traffic Flows and Carbon Emissions

Abstract

The study of the environmental transition of the aviation sector calls for prospective traffic scenarios. Detailed traffic and emissions inventories are often needed to refine the available analyses and to enable the simulation of regionalised scenarios. In the past studies, these are generally based on commercial, proprietary traffic data, making their dissemination problematic and reducing the reproducibility of the science produced. Open-source alternatives do exist but with limited geographical coverage. This study bridges this gap by presenting an innovative open-source dataset detailing 2019's global air traffic flows and associated CO2 emissions. A comprehensive approach that compiles diverse flight data sources is presented. The remaining data gaps are addressed by constructing a route network through systematic Wikipedia parsing and by estimating the related traffic using socio-economic data. Then, an aircraft performance model to estimate CO2 emissions is implemented. This methodology promises reinforced reproducibility and broader data accessibility in aviation environmental research. Several reference datasets are used to evaluate the accuracy of the open-source dataset. Despite various levels of accuracy for individual routes, major traffic flows are well estimated at the country and continental levels, albeit with room for refinement to ensure consistent data reliability. To facilitate the exploration of the dataset, the AeroSCOPE tool has been developed. To initiate research prospects, use cases of this dataset are proposed, concerning the network potential of electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft and inequalities in air transport.