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Day 1 report

Hundreds of delegates have arrived in the south of France for this year’s ERA General Assembly in Juan-les-Pins.

The first day ‘teed off’ with ERA’s annual golf tournament in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 8 October. A must for all golfers attending the event, the tournament was held at the Old Course Golf Cannes-Mandelieu, set in a beautiful location between the sea and the river Siagne. The course offered more than 72 hectares of land under the shade of Mediterranean pine trees and a unique ferry crossing over the Siagne during the game.

Delegates also explored the local area with a tour of the historic medieval town of Antibes – Juan-les-Pins’ eastern neighbour. The group finished the afternoon with a relaxed session tasting different wines from the Provence area along with food specialities.

Meeting in operation

The ERA Operations Group began the first half of its two-day meeting on Tuesday afternoon. The group’s key focus is to improve operational and cost efficiency of flight and ground operations for ERA members, with the meetings always providing interactive, thought-provoking and constructive sessions. ERA member personnel directly involved in flight operations or flight operations support are invited to take part.

Anna Soltorp from ERA member airline Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA) began the first session with a focus on sustainability. She spoke of BRA’s ‘Perfect Flight’ event earlier this year, which saw the airline fly the world’s most climate-efficient flight, proving just how climate smart we can fly with the technology today.

EASA Senior Expert in ATM/ANS, Bryan Jolly, discussed ADS-B exemptions. In summary he shared that there would be no exemptions to the approaching mandate, but EASA instead has proposed a transition period until June 2025, as long as airlines have a retrofit programme established in order to comply by then.

Bienvenue

Delegates were officially greeted at the event in the afternoon with a welcome reception held in the extensive exhibition area. Delegates were met with refreshments whilst member companies exhibiting at the event began showcasing their products and services.

The first day has now come to a close, but much more is in order for the event over the next two days, with tomorrow’s highlights including the exclusive Airline and Airport CEOs’ breakfast and meeting, and a high-profile panel discussion with some of the industry’s most senior leaders, around the key topic of airline alliances, joint industry ventures and partnerships.