Over the course of August-September, the SESAR JU participated in several events at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), contributing to discussions on the future development of air traffic management and showcasing the innovations on offer through SESAR to make aviation smarter and more sustainable.
14th ICAO Air Navigation Conference (AN-Conf)
26 August – 6 September
The 14th ICAO Air Navigation Conference (AN-Conf), themed “Performance Improvement Driving Sustainability”, brought together over 800 delegates from 110 countries and 28 international organisations. The SESAR JU participated as part of the EU delegation together with officials from the European Commission (DG MOVE) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Discussions focused on working papers presented by the ICAO Secretariat and member states, with Europe contributing seven papers addressing critical topics such as higher airspace operations (HAO) and trajectory-based operations (TBO). The conference outcomes aligned with SESAR JU strategic priorities, particularly the agreement to advance HAO development and establish a comprehensive approach for TBO.
Additionally, the SESAR JU participated as part of the EU delegation in bilateral meetings with representatives from the USA, Canada, Brazil, Singapore, Japan, and China. These discussions reinforced SESAR JU’s commitment to fostering international collaboration in aviation safety and efficiency.
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Symposium
9-12 September
The inaugural symposium attracted 1,400 attendees, with a very strong and visible presence from European partners. During a key session, SESAR JU and its project partners presented progress in Europe on advanced air mobility, discussing the critical interrelationships between airspace design, operating rules, and service providers. Robin Garrity from SESAR JU underlined the need to be pragmatic, building on existing procedures to accommodate traffic safely and efficiently, while learning from experience and developing the new advanced ecosystem for AAM as demand increases.
During the symposium, the SESAR JU stand attracted plenty of visitors who had an opportunity to meet experts and learn about innovative projects, such as EALU-AER, OperA, AI4HyDrop, U-ELCOME, SPATION;, BURDI, ENSURE, CORUS five, U-AGREE, SAFIR-Ready, EUREKA
More about the participating projects
Symposium on Non-CO₂ Aviation Emissions
16-18 September
The three-day event focused on the latest scientific insights into aviation’s climate impacts beyond CO₂ emissions and options for addressing them. While the effects of aviation’s CO₂ emissions are well understood, uncertainties about the effects of the various non-CO₂ emissions persist. The symposium served to discuss these challenges and explore mitigation strategies.
SESAR JU welcomed ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar to its stand, where he learned about the innovations aimed at making European skies the most efficient and environmentally friendly in the world. SESAR JU Programme Manager, Stella Saldana participated in a panel alongside industry leaders, highlighting ongoing SESAR research focused on innovative operations to reduce non-CO₂ emissions.
At the SESAR JU stand, attendees had the chance to meet experts from several SESAR JU projects addressing non-CO2: AEROPLANE, CICONIA, E-CONTRAIL, CONCERTO, ECHOES.
More about the participating projects
