Methodologies for the initial design studies of an innovative community-friendly miniliner

The present paper illustrates some of the strategies adopted to set the top-level aircraft requirements for an innovative near-zero emission miniliner. This novel 19-seater is conceived to provide a micro-feeder service, devised to exploit the existing European network of small local airports and airfields as feeders to hubs, as well as an intercity service to enhance connections between destinations that are not served by efficient ground transportation. First, a survey of the current network of airports and airfields is carried out and the existing ground transportation is analysed. Secondly, the potential demand for the microfeeder and intercity services is estimated based on the assessment of the time advantage between ground based means of transport and the miniliner option. Application examples in different geographic contexts provide useful information for the definition of crucial design requirements such as payload, range, runway length, and cruising airspeed.