Programme of events

# restricted attendance to ERA airline CEOs, airport CEOs and ERA Board members

Digitalisation and AI – the future of aviation 
Digitalisation and AI are fundamentally reshaping the aviation industry, improving operational efficiency, safety, sustainability and the customer experience. By harnessing these technologies, aviation can streamline operations, reduce costs, enhance service quality and make travel more sustainable. The ongoing development of AI applications, from predictive maintenance to autonomous flight, is likely to continue transforming aviation for years to come. As the technology matures, its integration will likely become deeper, offering further opportunities for growth, efficiency and innovation across the entire aviation ecosystem. 
Moderator: Nick Rhodes, Head of Operations, Safety and Infrastructure, ERA
Panellists to be announced.

Navigating the present and future of regional aircraft: OEM insights on sustainability, challenges, and market evolution.
The regional aircraft market is poised for a dynamic evolution over the next few decades, as our industry grapples with both short-term challenges and long-term sustainability goals. The shift toward a more sustainable aviation future will be driven by technological innovation, the readiness for aircraft to fly with 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuels, regulatory pressures and market demand, but it will face significant hurdles along the way. Will the short-term challenges such as aircraft availability constrained by supply chain issues, production delays and a backlog of orders, be the bottle neck for our industry’s long-term success?
Panellists to be announced.

The sky is no limit for this year’s inspirational speaker, Nicola Winter – pilot, reserve astronaut and aerospace engineer. Winter’s journey began in the German Armed Forces in 2004, where she was a Tornado pilot and flight instructor, before retraining to become one of only three women in the German Air Force to fly the Eurofighter. By the time she left the German Armed Forces as a Major she had trained young pilots in the USA for several years. 

After her time in the German Armed Forces, Winter advised large companies for McKinsey & Co. and experienced several emergencies as a paramedic. Via the aviation industry, she then moved into aerospace project management.

In 2017, Winter was a finalist in the ‘The Astronaut’ initiative, beating more than 22,500 other applicants in the ESA selection process and is now part of the astronaut reserve, where she could become the first German woman in space. Today, Winter is a renowned speaker, a consultant for crisis teams and companies, active in space research and a lecturer in emergency and crisis management. She is pursuing a PhD in space science and training to become a rescue helicopter pilot. Her credo is “with courage, empathy, discipline, passion and a bit of luck we can make it anywhere – even to the moon.”