Aviation Twin Transition Cluster Event: Regulatory and Operational Challenges Panel

Below you will find the abstracts and full videos of the presentations made during the "Regulatory and Operational Challenges Panel" at the Aviation Twin Transition Cluster Event held in Athens on July 29-30. To see all of the different panels held, click here.

Regulatory Challenges in Aviation: The Specific Case of Single European Sky (SES)

Speaker: Marina Basimakopoulou (Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority)

Abstract

Regulatory Authorities have a significant role in ensuring safety, efficiency, security and sustainability, financial, social and environmental, in civil aviation operations. Their broad responsibilities, which affect almost every aspect of civil aviation industry, make them one of the key players in the field. These responsibilities cover Oversight, Certification and Licensing to Compliance Enforcement and Airspace Design, Market Access, Fare Monitoring and Consumer Protection as well as Rulemaking and Policy Development and Incident Investigation. Examples of well-known Regulatory Authorities include ICAO, FAA, EASA, UK CAA.

In Europe, SES is a major initiative by the European Union with the purpose of reforming the airspace over Europe, by unifying & modernizing Air Traffic Management System (ATM).

• Major Goals are improvements in safety, efficiency & environmental performance of ATM.

• Key Objectives of SES comprise the Reduction in Fragmentation of Airspace, improvement of Safety & Capacity, Cutting of Costs for airlines, gaining of Environmental Benefits.

• Main Components of SES are FABs, Common European Rules & Procedures, Technology & Innovation and Performance-based Regulation.

• Major Challenges to Implementation embrace National Sovereignty Concerns, Consultation between multiple Stakeholders, Project Management Issues, Civil-Mil Cooperation, timely Compliance ability.

• Major Gains of full Implementation of SES include savings of billions of euros in operational costs, reduction in delays and greener environment.

SES is about making Europe safer, cheaper, greener and more efficient.

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Perceived Safety in U-Space Drone Usage

Speaker: Raffaello Mariani (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, ImAFUSA project)

Abstract

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is progressively being integrated, particularly in urban and suburban areas, providing services such as last-mile delivery of goods. Pilot use-cases of emergency medical assistance by drones have been trialed, and feasibility studies of future passenger air-taxi passenger services have been studies. As integration of these systems is expected to continuously increase, the assessing and understanding of public acceptance towards these new technologies has become a topic of interest in at research and agency level.

Within the frame of the European Union SESAR Joint Undertaking, a research project is ongoing to evaluate factors that influence citizens’ acceptance of urban air mobility (UAM) in the European Union. This project, called ImAFUSA and which stands for Impact and Capacity Assessment Framework for U-space Societal Acceptance, aims at delivering a framework that will help local authorities and other U-space stakeholders and users with the delivery of socially acceptable and beneficial UAM deployment in cities. One of the aspects investigated within ImAFUSA is the perception of safety of citizens when it comes to the operation of drones in urban areas.

Analysis of data focused on four pre-determined indicators: drones flight velocity; drones-to-observer distance; drones-to-bystander distance; drones-to-buildings distance. A fifth indicator surfaced from the responses, namely drone-to-drone path direction.

Overall, the results indicate that participants mostly showed a positive level of perceived safety. A common outcome from all four cases was the initial visual recognition of the drones rather than acoustic recognition, as many participants indicated that the expected noise of the drones was too low and overwhelmed by surrounding noise. It is possible that this factor skewed the perception of safety towards a favourable outcome.

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Autonomous Electric Ground-Effect Cargo Craft

Speaker: Zorana Milosevic, (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, AIRSHIP project)

Abstract

AIRSHIP is a Horizon Europe research project that envisions a new class of autonomous, electric vehicles operating in ground effect: the Unmanned Wing-in-ground Vehicle (UWV). These “flying ships” exploit the aerodynamic ground effect to achieve a higher lift-to-drag ratio, offering a highly efficient transport solution that bridges the gap between aviation and maritime mobility.

AIRSHIP project addresses key challenges in sustainable logistics, particularly for archipelagos and inland waterways across Europe, regions where conventional ships are too slow and aircraft too costly or environmentally taxing. We aim to lay the foundations for fast, flexible, low-emission, and infrastructure-light cargo transport systems.

AIRSHIP’s core ambition is to develop a fully electric, autonomous UWV optimised for medium-distance cargo transport across coastal and inland regions. To achieve this, the project tackles key technical challenges in aerodynamics, energy systems, and autonomy. Research focuses on novel UWV design, advanced guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), renewable-based power architecture, and onboard artificial intelligence for cognitive and situational awareness.

Beyond its technical goals, AIRSHIP contributes to cleaner, quieter modes of transportation and supports European strategic autonomy in green mobility. It also opens new business models for regional cargo logistics.

This presentation will introduce the project’s vision, the unique technical challenges of operating in ground effect, and the innovations under development. We will highlight current progress, upcoming milestones, and the broader implications of the AIRSHIP concept.

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Seaplanes in Greece: sustainability issues and policy objectives

Speaker: Ioanna Moscholidou (University of the Aegean, Di-Pegasus project)

Abstract

This presentation examines the potential of seaplanes as a transport solution in Greece, focusing on improving connectivity for island communities, accommodating growing tourism demand and addressing sustainability concerns.

Despite being discussed for over a decade, seaplane operations have not been successfully established in Greece. Through interviews with international stakeholders, we identify key characteristics of seaplane operations across the world and barriers to their success, and we assess their sustainability challenges.

We highlight the need for close collaboration between policymakers and operators as a key driver for successful seaplane operations in Greece, and we provide a critical discussion of the potential role of seaplanes in the Greek market.

Finally, we recommend that evidence-based policymaking is essential to ensure new transport solutions meet socio-economic and environmental objectives.

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The Aviation Twin Transition Cluster Event hosted by RefMap project took place on 29 and 30 July, 2025, in Athens, Greece bringing together experts, industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers to discuss challenges and opportunities in the green and digital transitions in aviation and urban air mobility.

To see all the panels held during the event click here.

For more about the Aviation Twin Transition Cluster, click here.