OLGA Project Showcases European Innovations to Reduce Airports' Environmental Impact
The OLGA project successfully organised a technical seminar on June 23 in Paris, while also building on the momentum created by the Paris Air Show. The purpose of the seminar was to disseminate some of the OLGA innovative and sustainable solutions directly to end-users, specifically to airports, civil aviation authorities, industry, and local and regional public authorities.
The seminar began with a keynote address by Nora Susbielle, Head of Environment Policy at the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC). Following that, Yannael Billard, on behalf of OLGA’s coordinating organisation, Groupe ADP, provided an overview of the decarbonisation and green transition efforts carried out by the project. OLGA’s key contribution to improving the aviation sector's environmental impact was further highlighted by Ayce Celikel, CEO of Envisa - the project partner leading the work package responsible for developing a methodology for real-time emissions and air quality assessment.
To gain a deeper understanding of OLGA's work and its impact, the seminar featured three roundtable discussions:
1. Regulation of hydrogen at airports: Examples from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Milan Malpensa airports.
This roundtable discussed the challenges in adopting hydrogen-powered aircraft, regulations surrounding hydrogen usage at airports, the roadmap to green hydrogen production, and the retrofitting of airport fleet vehicles to use hydrogen. Virginie Pasquier, OLGA project coordinator, Groupe ADP, highlighted the OLGA project as a research initiative aimed at supporting the decarbonization of the aviation sector.
2. Landside airport connectivity: Examples from Milan, Cluj, and Zagreb airports.
This roundtable explored the challenges and solutions related to landside airport connectivity. The three airports shared their experiences and discussed specific challenges they faced, as well as the innovative solutions they implemented to improve connectivity.
3. APU Off: Results of successful experimentation and perspectives given by APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) Monitoring.
This roundtable focused on the importance of reducing aircraft emissions during ground operations. Participants discussed the successful experimentation of using APU Off (Auxiliary Power Unit Off) strategies and shared perspectives on APU monitoring and future possibilities.
After synthesising the three roundtable discussions, participants called attention to the growing urgency and commitment within the aviation community to achieve sustainability goals. With the OLGA project leading the way, it goes without saying that collaboration and knowledge-sharing play a crucial role in shaping a greener and more sustainable future for the aviation industry.
Stay tuned for more updates on the OLGA project and its efforts to revolutionise the environmental impact of airports across Europe.