Warsaw Quantum Computing Group

We invite you to attend (online) Episode LXVII
of Warsaw Quantum Computing Group meetups!

"Integrating Quantum Optimization and Classical Heuristics for Airline Fleet Scheduling"
Zbigniew Puchała

15.05.2025, 18:00 UTC+2

Registration

Abstract:

The Tail Assignment Problem (TAP) is a key subcomponent in airline scheduling, involving the allocation of specific aircraft ("tails") to flights while satisfying operational, maintenance, and logistical constraints. Due to the high combinatorial complexity of TAP, we explore a quantum-ready formulation based on Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO), designed to leverage quantum annealing and future quantum hardware. This model encodes both hard constraints and operational cost functions into a unified optimization framework. To ensure practical applicability and robustness, we complement quantum-inspired approaches with classical optimization methods and heuristic techniques. These include decomposition by aircraft family, time-windowed scheduling, and resilience-enhancing strategies such as slack time and recovery potential.

BIO:
Zbigniew Puchała obtained his PhD degree at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Wrocław in 2007. He was awarded the habilitation (DSc) in technical sciences in the field of computer science in 2014, and received the title of Professor of Technical Sciences in 2023. He is the head of the Quantum Information Systems Group and the Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs at the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Informatics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Gliwice. He has authored over 80 scientific publications in the fields of quantum computing, probability theory, and optimization. He has led 9 research projects funded by the National Science Centre (NCN), the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MNiSW), and the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP), and has participated in several others. He is a recipient of the MNiSW scholarship for outstanding young scientists and the START scholarship from the FNP. He is currently working on the development of hybrid quantum-classical methods for airline scheduling, including quantum-inspired formulations of the Tail Assignment Problem.

The meeting is organized by the Quantum AI Foundation and QPoland.