(From left) Ms Lee Tang Khee, NUS IORA Associate Director; Professor Teo Chung Piaw, NUS IORA Principal Investigator and NUS Business School Dean; Mr Joseph Xia, VariFlight Global General Manager and Mr Simon Li, VariFlight Global Vice President.
SINGAPORE, 4 September 2026 – The Institute of Operations Research and Analytics (IORA) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and VariFlight Pte. Ltd. (VariFlight) today jointly announced the launch of a research project on “Optimisation of Operations in the Aviation Sector.”
Aviation operations involve a wide range of interconnected decisions, including the scheduling and coordination of flights, aircraft and other operational resources.
The collaboration brings together IORA’s expertise in operations research and robust optimisation with VariFlight’s industry knowledge, data and real-world aviation scenarios. It will explore how optimisation approaches can be tested and applied under complex constraints and uncertainties of aviation operations, from algorithmic research and scenario validation to industry applications.
Professor Teo Chung Piaw, NUS IORA Principal Investigator and NUS Business School Dean, said: “Operations research is about finding better ways to make decisions when there are multiple constraints and competing demands. In aviation, these decisions can become particularly complex because operational conditions can change quickly and disruptions can have knock-on effects. Our research looks at how optimisation can help make better decisions in such dynamic environments. Through this collaboration with VariFlight, we have the opportunity to put IORA’s years of methodological expertise in robust optimisation into real-world scenarios to explore how they can address practical challenges in aviation operations.”
Mr. Simon Li, Vice President of VariFlight, said: “The global aviation industry is rapidly transitioning towards data-driven and intelligent operations, and the complexity of resource coordination and decision-making in aviation operations continues to grow, creating an urgent need to bring cutting-edge academic methods into real business scenarios. We are honoured to participate in this project as IORA’s industry partner, jointly exploring the complete pathway from theoretical modelling and algorithmic research to product validation and practical deployment. VariFlight looks forward to exploring new technological pathways and solutions for the intelligent transformation of the global aviation industry through this deep industry-academia collaboration with IORA.”
Through the collaboration, IORA and VariFlight will combine academic research with industry data and operational scenarios to explore how optimisation methods can be applied to the complex challenges of aviation operations.
The two parties will continue to deepen collaboration in aviation operations optimisation and data-driven intelligent decision-making, exploring opportunities to apply research findings to practical challenges in the aviation sector.
For media enquiries, please contact:
AU YEONG Siew Pheng Office of University Communications National University of Singapore DID: +65 6516 6391 Email: aysp@nus.edu.sg
Ms. June DONG Marketing & Communications VariFlight Pte. Ltd. Email: june.dong@global.variflight.com
About National University of Singapore (NUS)
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 15 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established around 15 NUS Overseas Colleges entrepreneurial hubs around the world.
Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.
For more information on NUS, please visit www.nus.edu.sg.
About VariFlight
VariFlight is a technology company specialising in aviation data and intelligent aviation solutions, with more than 20 years of experience in the aviation industry and a global reach. Headquartered in China with its international headquarters in Singapore, VariFlight provides professional aviation data services and digital solutions including Total Airport Management (TAM), Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM), Resource Management System (RMS), and Ground Management System (GMAN). Its solutions have been deployed at more than 100 airports across Asia-Pacific, with aviation data covering approximately 97% of global flights.
For more information on VariFlight, please visit www.variflight.com.