01 / MASTER’S THESIS
Rethinking aircraft
conflict resolution.
Exploring how quantum optimisation compares with classical methods for keeping aircraft safely separated in small, simplified scenarios.
Inside the project
The question: how can heading changes resolve potential conflicts while limiting the number of aircraft that manoeuvre?
My approach: turn possible heading changes into yes-or-no decisions, then compare optimisation methods on small, simplified 2D scenarios. A QUBO is a mathematical score that rewards useful choices and penalises conflicts or invalid decisions. I tested classical and quantum-inspired methods, alongside quantum experiments using QAOA, a method that alternates quantum operations with classical parameter tuning.
What it taught me: how to translate an operational problem into a model, test assumptions and explain technical trade-offs. This is an experimental benchmark, not a claim of quantum advantage or an operational air-traffic system.
