Scotland’s first regional sustainable aviation conference, “Taking Flight”, took place in Inverness earlier this month.
The event, organised and hosted by SATE, discussed the readiness of new forms of sustainable aviation and the pathway to their commercial and social service. Taking Flight also reflected on the speed of technology development the region has supported. SATE is part funded by the UKRI Future Flight Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK and ESRC.
The conference focused on the key next steps; The regulation, certification, industrialisation, finance and commercial contracting, to bring a final product to market successfully.
The challenge is to lift the perception of aviation as a negative environmental impact. With the ambition of making the Highlands and Islands the world’s first net zero aviation space by 2040, the conference raised the vision of improved regional connectivity for the region – and with a significantly lower carbon footprint than the current system.
Over 80 people from across academia, public and private sectors came together to deliver a programme that featured:
- Highlights of SATE and progress to implement sustainable regional aviation across the Highlands & Islands
- The future of sustainable regional aviation and the socio-economic impact
- The ‘airmap’ to 2040 – the challenges and opportunities in net zero aviation for the region and beyond
- ‘Workshops’ focussing on improved connectivity for residents of the region, improved freight connectivity for business and improved low carbon transport options for visitors to the region.
- Detailed presentations on the progress of various technologies and the required changes and modernisation to UK airspace to integrate them
- Networking opportunities with a chance to collaborate with key members of the sustainable aviation industry
Ranald Robertson, director, HITRANS, SATE’s lead partner, said: “SATE and the Highlands and Islands region are uniquely positioned to offer a region that can host the testing, development and deployment of new Sustainable Aviation technologies. A unique region where an extensive support network of local authorities, regional transport bodies, enterprise agencies have come together to champion the technology and the environmental, economic and social benefits that can result.”
Jayne Golding, SATE Manager, added: “As part of our mission to bring people together, encourage collaboration and share learnings from our programme of activity, the conference was the ideal opportunity to open the discussion up to the wider sustainable transport and aviation community.
“Sharing and discussing challenges was a major benefit to everyone who attended, building on expertise from across the UK.
“Next for the consortium is to undertake some important flight trials, and in combination look at public acceptance of new technologies and community benefit from net zero regional aviation, building on the outcomes from a workshop held at the conference.”
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