As aviation faces increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, how is EASA guiding and supporting the industry in meeting the EU's ambitious climate goals of net-zero emissions by 2050?
EASA provides support in all aspects of the ‘basket of measures’ that are needed to meet the agreed European and ICAO climate goals. These include ‘in-sector’ measures facilitating research and innovation, and ultimately certification, of new fuel-efficient aircraft technology/designs, as well as optimised green operations within the Single European Sky and the uptake of new low-carbon Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).
A recent new role for the Agency is in the area of SAF and the provision of technical support in the implementation of the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation. From 2025 onwards, aviation fuel suppliers are required to supply a minimum of 2% blend of SAF with conventional aviation fuels to European Union airports and this will gradually increase to at least 70% SAF by 2050. EASA will monitor the supply and use of SAF, and the associated emissions reductions, as well as publishing an annual report on how the SAF market is evolving.
With the rise of electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, how does EASA’s approach to the certification and regulation of these emerging technologies differ from the FAA?
In the case of electric (battery) powered aircraft, EASA and FAA began drafting regulations separately, which led to some differences. However, we are now working together to achieve a more harmonised approach. For example, a joint paper on “Thermal runaway for propulsion battery” was recently published on the EASA website in the form of a Certification Management Team Decision Document.
In the case of hydrogen, EASA and FAA are actively engaged on the topic to ensure we have a harmonised position from the start. Hydrogen propulsion is still at a relatively low level of maturity compared to a battery, and the regulations have therefore not yet been drafted.
What are the key challenges EASA faces in integrating novel technologies like urban air mobility (UAM) into the European airspace?
UAM is being slotted into an airspace that is already occupied by users who follow existing rules, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities defined (e.g. piloted aircraft, roles of the command and control on board). Some of these rules will need to change to allow for integration of the new services. To enable the first UAM operations, the Agency has developed a comprehensive set of performance-based and operation-centric rules that are proportionate to the risk of the operations. However, UAM is bringing entirely new operations to our skies: we do not have a history of data and intelligence to work with and no pre-existing models to conduct proper airspace risk assessment. With the feedback on the implementation of the first set of regulations and operational data, the Agency will further improve the framework and enable more advanced UAM operations.
Additionally, we need to be aware of societal acceptance factors – we conducted a survey to better understand public concerns about IAM. And we are now dealing with multiple stakeholders and different authorities who have not previously been engaged in airspace topics, such as urban planners. To address this, we created a web-based IAM Hub. This digital platform serves as basis for all stakeholders to share and exchange best practices from the early implementations.
As systems become more digitalized, which cybersecurity threats present the most risk, and how does EASA plan to ensure the resilience of critical aviation infrastructure against attacks?
Aviation is a “system of systems” comprising – along with aeronautical products and their associated technologies – people, processes, and other intangible assets that are in turn vulnerable to information security threats. We are monitoring the development of artificial intelligence and its inappropriate use for malicious purposes, but when it comes to cybersecurity threats, the future always brings elements of the unknown. We need to be prepared for worst-case scenarios, regardless of the specific threat. In particular, we ask aviation stakeholders to focus on aviation's functional chains, which, if not working properly, could impact aviation safety. Each organisation in the chain has a role to play in ensuring that security controls are in place.
To ensure resilience of the aviation ecosystem, EASA has added specific additional requirements for certification, introduced organisational requirements to protect the system, promoted information sharing and launched research projects to better understand the evolving threat. Organisational aspects are particularly important and are addressed in the so-called Part-IS, where IS stands for “Information Security” (consisting of the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1645 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/203). Part-IS covers information and communication technology systems and data used by Approved Organisations and Authorities for civil aviation purposes. To achieve its objective, it requires the establishment of an Information Security Management System (ISMS).
Aviation safety is a global concern in light of recent scandals and increased demand. How does EASA collaborate with other international aviation regulatory bodies to ensure harmonized safety standards?
More than 40% of the global aviation traffic is cross-border. This is why it is so important to approach aviation safety globally and for civil aviation authorities to speak with one voice when it comes to safety. EASA has international cooperation in its genes. The Agency has been cooperating with all the National Aviation Authorities of its Member States since its creation – it now has 31 member countries. We work on safety matters addressed at global level at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in coordination with the European Commission and EASA Member States.
The EU has established bilateral safety agreements with prominent countries in the field of civil aviation: the U.S., Canada, Brazil, China, Japan and the UK. Through the implementation procedures developed by EASA with the aviation authorities of these countries, we engage in joint efforts to harmonize further our safety standards. We also share safety data to ensure we maintain a similar perception of the safety threats and come up with similar ways to address them.
Which EU member states stand out as leading the way in CO2 emissions reduction while maintaining strong safety standards?
The 2021 European Climate Law put the goal of making Europe climate-neutral by 2050 into legislation, meaning EU institutions and Member States are obliged to take the necessary measures at EU and national level to meet the targets. In 2022, ICAO also adopted a global Long-Term Aspirational Goal for international aviation of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in support of the Paris Agreement's temperature goal.
The growing urgency to address the sustainability challenges facing the aviation sector has been acknowledged within Europe and there are significant new initiatives in place under the European Green Deal. These include various initiatives linked to the aviation sector, including revisions to the EU Emission Trading System Directive, Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Taxation Directive, as well as the new ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation. Europe is positioning itself to make the most of the new green economy. The latest edition of the EASA European Aviation Environmental Report to be published in January 2025 will provide an overview of progress to date and the way forward.
How would you respond to the criticism that Europe’s relative focus on regulation could stifle innovation within the sector compared with other regions?
EASA is aware of this concern and is taking several measures to facilitate market intake of new products and concepts of operations while improving the aviation safety level. We recently introduced ‘Innovation Services’ to enable innovators to start working with the Agency well before entering certification. This allows both parties to “de-risk” the early phase of certification by making an early assessment of their innovative products and concepts of operation against our regulatory framework. These services will enable the necessary regulatory changes to be identified in the conceptual stage, and developed swiftly once the technologies are more mature.
