ERA joined aviation leaders in Kraków last week for an aviation summit organised by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. ERA’s Head of Sustainability, Antoine Toulemont, took part in a panel alongside the Destination 2050 partners, tackling the essential question of how we integrate decarbonisation with competitiveness in European aviation.
The event was a great success for the Polish Presidency, with very strong attendance – notably from national CAAs – where DGCAs met with industry representatives and key decision makers at the European Commission.
Following introductory speeches from Polish ministers and Filip Cornelis, Director – Aviation from DG MOVE at the European Commission, EASA presented its latest environmental report. It is interesting to note that from the Polish side, a high priority has been placed on simplifying regulations and cutting red tape where possible to enhance aviation competitiveness.
Various panels followed. ERA participated on a panel ‘How to Integrate Aviation Decarbonisation with Competitiveness?’ with representatives from the Destination 2050 partners. The main issues highlighted were:
- The need to put together an ambitious aviation strategy to bring both sustainability efforts and competitiveness together.
- The need to invest and foster a shift towards SAF and new aircraft technologies, where ReFuelEU and EU ETS should be better aligned and correct unintended effects of environmental regulations.
- The need to harness the full potential of EU airspace, especially given that a capacity crunch and delays are once again top of the agenda.
The rest of the event was dedicated to civil and military mobility.