Aviation on the path to climate-neutral flight
At the Berlin Aviation Summit, the "Davos of Aviation", the most important minds in international aviation, from politics, science, finance and the energy sector, will gather in Berlin tomorrow for a hybrid event. This marks the start of AeroDays2020, the most important European event for research and innovation, which is hosted every four years by the European Commission. This year, for the first time, the event will take place in Berlin, together with the German host, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi), and jointly organised by the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). The first part of this event took place in 2019 in the Romanian capital Bucharest.
In the run-up to the most important event for European aviation this year, the Federal Government's Coordinator for Aerospace Thomas Jarzombek stressed: "Air transport and the aviation industry have suffered an enormous slump as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Berlin Aviation Summit is intended to show ways in which we can guide the industrial core of this key European industry through this crisis. But we are also looking ahead to the future of emission-free flying. In the coming decades, Europe should become a pioneer of climate-neutral aviation, thus ensuring both sustainable mobility for our society and globally competitive jobs in aviation.”
EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean emphasised: "The crisis underlined the need for resilience in our transport system. Investing in the EU's pre-pandemic priorities of sustainability and digitalisation will strengthen this resilience while making sure that we have a transport system that is competitive and fit for the 21st century. While doing so, no-one should be left out.
Berlin Aviation Summit and #AeroDays2020 FORUM
The "Davos of Aviation" has the motto "Aviation for the Future - Change is NOW!’’ The event brings together leading representatives of the global aviation industry, including EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean, Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury, Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam, MTU Aero Engines CEO Reiner Winkler, Salvatore Sciacchitano, ICAO Council President, and IATA Director General Alexandre De Juniac. They all address the three key issues of the 21st century for this global industry, which has been plunged into a deep crisis by the COVID-19 pandemic:
1. Climate neutrality in aviation – because only sustainable aviation will retain its licence to grow.
2. Recovery from the crisis: revitalisation of international aviation and its deep-rooted value chains
3. Digitalisation: with the accompanying innovations and technologies as enablers for climate-neutral aviation.
The forward-thinking panels and discussions at the Berlin Aviation Summit will be continued on 25 and 26 November in the framework of the #AeroDays2020 FORUM: This platform includes the central innovation and technology forum where climate-neutral, competitive and digital aviation is mapped out: How can sustainable aviation be implemented? This exciting look into the future will be streamed live and will encourage active discussion among all interested participants. A free ticket to attend the EU #AeroDays2020 is possible with registration at https://registration.aerodays.eu. Interest levels are high: more than 1,000 participants have already registered in the run-up to the event.
Information on the programme including those speaking at the Berlin Aviation Summit and the #AeroDays2020 FORUM can be found at: https://www.aerodays.eu/
About the BDLI
The Federal Association of the German Aerospace Industry (BDLI) has around 245 members and represents the interests of an industry which, through international technology leadership and worldwide success, has become a major driver of growth for the German economy. The German aerospace industry currently employs around 114,000 people directly and encompasses almost all strategic key technologies. It generates an annual sales volume of 41 billion euros (2019). The primary tasks of the BDLI include communication with political institutions, authorities, associations and foreign representations in Germany, but also various member services at home and abroad. The association is the trademark owner of ILA Berlin - the trade show for "Innovation and Leadership in Aerospace".
About the DLR
DLR is Germany's research centre for aerospace. Using the expertise of its 55 institutes and facilities, DLR researches solutions to meet current challenges on behalf of society. Its more than 9,000 employees share a common mission: We explore the Earth and space and develop technologies for a sustainable future.