A Greener Aviation: Reflections from the Two Day Sustainability Skies Summit in Farnborough, 2023.
A Sustainable Aviation.
THE TWO TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES THAT CAUGHT MY EYE ON THIS GREAT SUMMIT!
Recently, I attended the 2-day Sustainability Skies Summit 2023 in Farnborough. A host of organisations and SMEs were present to showcase how they are making aviation sustainable. The summit was held across two days on 17th and 18th April 2023. The event began at 10am and finished around 5.30pm. A number of speakers were present – such as the leads at Rolls Royce, Airbus, IAG, Virgin Atlantic, EasyJet, National Grid, CAA, Air League, UK Government, FAA and IATA.
Slink Tech.
It was interesting speaking with Alissa from Slink Tech FlyPortal. Slink Tech are a drone technology company innovating their way through landing solutions. Fly Portal offers portable drone operations at any given area with automated landings for precision, efficiency and minimal infrastructure. This is incredibly useful for small airfields where space is often limited or a busy airfield with tight schedules. This offers another option for airfields!
Alissa from Slink Tech explains how their systems works below. Slink Tech came to life in 2018 when John Goudie from Bristol was exploring new ways to advance the drone technology. Instead, he noted it was incredibly “awkward” to safely fly drones in built-up places with little to no flexibility. This system will definitely revolutionise the potential drones have to offer in the commercial sector – such as food deliveries and better network in rural areas. I really look forward to seeing Slink Tech grow. We have a private drone company at the airfield I work at. It’d be great to have them at our airfield! I’m sure they company will be open to the idea!
WheelTug.
The second great technology company I spoke to was WheelTug. Their ambition is to cut personnel, equipment and processes at airports by using electric propulsion without jet engines or tugs in use. I spoke yo some incredible people that were behind such ingenuity. So let’s look into who they are…
So who and what is WheelTug all about? Wheel Tug is a company that specialises in developing and providing electric taxiing systems for commercial aircraft. This innovative technology allows airplanes to move on the ground without using their engines, reducing fuel consumption, emissions, and noise. The WheelTug system is designed to enhance operational efficiency and improve the overall passenger experience in airports. How amazing is that? I thought this was fantastic! This will be revolutionary at any airport. I live quite close to Heathrow and the sheer number of planes that land and fly out every day is incredible. This will definitely make a massive difference in time spent on the ground vs in the air. I know this will be a massive success with budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet given their entire model is built on keeping planes in the air longer with little time spent on the ground.