Raising the Aviation Bar

Talking to Luis Gallego

The CEO of IAG, International Airlines Group on leadership, teamwork and sustainability

In this episode of our #RaisingTheAviationBar podcast we speak to Luis Gallego about his upbringing, his leadership style, IAG’s investment into sustainable technology and why teamwork is so important to him. IAG is one of the world’s largest airline groups – flying to more than 250 destinations and carrying around 95 million passengers in 2022 – and the parent company of airlines such as Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL and Vueling.  IAG is also pursuing an acquisition of Air Europa, in order to further develop the Madrid hub, currently the fifth busiest airport in Europe, but with the potential to grow.

Talking to Milena Bowman and Tamara Pejovic

Driving diversity, equity & inclusion forward in aviation

In this of our #RaisingTheAviationBar podcast we discuss with EUROCONTROL Diversity Ambassadors Milena Bowman and Tamara Pejovic how aviation can drive forward diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to ensure it attracts the best talent. As a technology-driven sector, aviation needs to attract the brightest minds, people who will be able to come up with the innovative solutions the sector needs to reduce its environmental impact – and help operational actors manage increasingly complex airspace. Milena and Tamara share their personal stories and talk about the DEI initiatives they have been contributing to, such as EUROCONTROL’s cooperation with ICAO on their Next Generation Aviation Professionals Programme, our participation in the European Commission’s Ambassadors for #DiversityInTransport Network, our cooperation with non-profit organisation AviAll - Aviation for All as well as a range of other initiatives designed to promote careers in aviation to diverse sets of schoolchildren, school leavers and young professionals. 

Talking to Munish Khurana: How can we integrate drones and related technology in today’s airspace ?

In this episode of our #RaisingTheAviationBar podcast catches up with Munish Khurana, EUROCONTROL’s Senior Manager Business Development Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM), to talk about the challenges of safely integrating drone traffic and related technologies in today’s airspace. 

Munish explains how EUROCONTROL works in partnership with the aviation sector, European and national regulators on research and innovation, airspace risk assessments and the implementation of U-space – the EU’s concept for the safe and secure integration of drones into Europe’s airspace.

Talking to Rachel Burbidge: How is climate change affecting aviation operations, and what is being done to reduce these impacts?

In this episode of our #RaisingTheAviationBar podcast catches up with Rachel Burbidge, Environmental Officer at EUROCONTROL, to talk about her work with airports, airlines, air navigation service providers and other aviation representatives on climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Climate change is accelerating, with extreme weather posing increasing challenges for airlines and airports alike. Rachel talks us through the various risks, focusing especially on what airports should be looking at in order to reduce the impact of climate change on their operations.

Talking to Patrick Mana: European aviation under cyber-attack

Cyber criminals impersonating an airline, state-led cyber-attacks, or hacktivists trying to send a political message; the cybersecurity threat to aviation is real. In EUROCONTROL’s new "Raising the Aviation Bar" podcast episode Patrick Mana, EUROCONTROL’s Cyber Security Program Manager shares insight into the range of cyber threats the aviation sector faces, and explains also what can be done to best prepare and mitigate a cyberattack.

Talking to Marylin Bastin: Is aviation on track to deliver net-zero emissions?

Making aviation sustainable is the greatest challenge facing our sector. In this episode we talk to Marylin Bastin, EUROCONTROL Head of Aviation Sustainability, about whether the aviation industry is on track to achieve its challenging sustainability goals – and how ‘Flying Green’, EUROCONTROL’s green aviation services platform that is a core element in the ‘EUROCONTROL 2030: Raising the Bar’ programme, aims to help by providing stakeholders with data and tools to take informed decisions on the transition to net zero, energy needs, climate change adaptation and financing.

Talking to Steven Moore: Is the network prepared for summer 23 traffic?

The bar has been raised for aviation as air traffic this summer is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels. In this episode we speak to Steven Moore, EUROCONTROL’s Head of Air Traffic Management Operations, to investigate how well all aviation actors are preparing for summer 2023. Steven and the EUROCONTROL Network Manager team work closely with airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and other operational actors to make sure the aviation network is as stable, efficient and predictable as possible.