Lufthansa partners with DLR, Kipu Quantum, and Eurowings to advance quantum computing for air traffic

The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Technology. An ideal field of application for quantum computers is the complex planning processes in air traffic – from flight plans to crew deployment planning and flight route planning. Over the next two years, Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND) will be working with various institutes of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to research how quantum computers can take airlines to a new level in strategic and tactical planning.

“Efficient use of resources is essential for the economic success of an airline,” says Dr. Joseph Doetsch, Quantum Computing Lead at LHIND. “This applies both to long-term considerations such as drawing up the annual flight plan and to challenges in everyday operations, such as when flight routes have to be changed spontaneously due to airspace closures or storms, or when a crew member is absent at short notice due to illness. And don’t forget to comply with the prescribed maintenance intervals.”

Quantum algorithms and classical algorithms in direct comparison

In the DLR Quantum Computing Initiative (DLR QCI), DLR research, start-ups and industry are jointly developing quantum computers and the appropriate use cases. The DLR QCI research projects are implemented by the DLR institutes together with industrial partners who receive their contracts in a competitive process.

As part of the “QCI QCMobility” project, LHIND has been awarded the contract for the two sub-projects “Strategic Planning Processes” and “Tactical Planning Processes”. LHIND is working closely with the DLR Institute of Air Transport and the DLR Institute of Quantum Technologies. The two contracts run until December 2026. “We are delighted that the DLR has brought us on board in the UN Year of Quantum Technology and thus 100 years after the formulation of quantum mechanics,” says physicist and quantum computing expert Doetsch.

For the sub-project “Strategic Planning Processes”, LHIND has been able to win Eurowings as a subcontractor. The airline provides data that comes directly from its planning systems. A fleet of more than 100 aircraft at 13 locations ensures a high level of complexity. Together with the start-up for application and hardware-specific quantum computing solutions, Kipu Quantum, LHIND is developing mathematical problem formulations and efficient quantum algorithms that are evaluated on both classical computers and quantum hardware.

The sub-project “Tactical Planning Processes” of the DLR Institute of Air Transport will also investigate which quantum algorithms have an advantage over classical algorithms in flight route optimization and the short-term allocation of aircraft and crews to the respective flight plans and routes. As a subcontractor, Lufthansa will provide the relevant data from flight operations.

Bringing quantum computing from basic research into everyday business life

LHIND has been working for many years on how the results of basic research into quantum technology can find their way into everyday business. The most recent example is a joint project launched last year with the Institute for Quantum Physics (IQP) at the University of Hamburg. The project involves the development of quantum algorithms that are intended to help optimize airport processing. Even with the so-called “Gate Assignment Problem,” classical computers quickly reach their limits due to the high computational effort required.