Raising the Aviation Bar

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.

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 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 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 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 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 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 Pierre Depireux How will one of EUROCONTROL's key aviation services – the Central Route Charges Office – develop in the future? This episode of our #RaisingTheAviationBar podcast catches up with Pierre Depireux,  our Head of EUROCONTROL's Central Route Charges Office (CRCO) to learn how the route charges system works, and how EUROCONTROL is using digital technology to provide an even better service and customer experience – a priority for the future CRCO 2.0 roadmap set out in our corporate programme #RaisingtheBar: Building EUROCONTROL 2030. In this podcast episode Pierre explains how the CRCO supports Member States and the aviation sector by collecting route charges, which cover the cost of ATC air traffic control for every flight and are the main source of liquidity for air navigation service providers across Europe. Pierre explains how route charges are calculated – and discusses potential system evolutions. The episode is a must-listen to understand better how crucial route charges are to the efficient functioning of the European aviation network.

Talking to Dorothea von Boxberg The CEO of Brussels Airlines on the aviation business, sustainability and preparing for busy summer traffic. In this episode of our #RaisingTheAviationBar podcast we speak to Dorothea von Boxberg about her plans of growing Brussels Airlines' profitability, with a strong focus on the airline's routes to Africa. Brussels Airlines connects the capital of Belgium with over 85 destinations, 18 of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa, and has over 3,000 staff members. As the European aviation sector prepares for busy summer traffic, Dorothea shares her insights into the airline's preparations, as well as the latest business developments facing the sector.  

Talking to Marylin Bastin and Tamara Pejovic   Talking about EUROCONTROL's work on aviation sustainability and FlyingGreen, its new green aviation services platform In this episode of our #RaisingTheAviationBar podcast we speak to Marylin Bastin, Acting Director of EUROCONTROL's European Green Sky Directorate and Head of Aviation Sustainability and EUROCONTROL FlyingGreen Platform Programme Manager Tamara Pejovic about the first release of FlyingGreen, EUROCONTROL's unique one-stop-shop of green aviation services. FlyingGreen provides vital data and tools for informed decision-making on aviation decarbonisation strategies and climate change resilience.

Talking to Charlotte Pedersen In our latest EUROCONTROL Raising the Aviation Bar podcast, pioneering helicopter pilot, CEO and diversity champion Charlotte Pedersen provides insights into a life-long career in aviation, and what it takes to attract a young generation to aviation. Born on the Danish island of Bornholm, Charlotte became the first female pilot in the Royal Danish Air Force in 1989, and served for many years as a helicopter search and rescue pilot. She worked at the Civil Aviation Authority in Luxembourg as a flight operations inspector, and later became CEO of Luxaviation Helicopters. She is currently the Founder and CEO of advisory company Pegasus Consilium SarL and serves among others, as a Member of the Board to WizzAir and Air Greenland. Drawing on her own experience she stresses the enormous potential for exciting opportunities the sector has to offer and hopes in particular to reach a young generation with her story.

Talking to Predrag Vranjkovic   This episode of our #RaisingTheAviationBar podcast catches up with Predrag Vranjkovic, Team Lead of EUROCONTROL's CNS Programme Manager. Predrag explains how EUROCONTROL is supporting the sector in optimising its Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) infrastructure, with the aim of increasing operational efficiency, resilience and sustainability while maintaining the highest levels of safety and security.  While CNS infrastructure is a national responsibility, aviation transcends borders, and there is a common interest for the sector to take into account aspects that are relevant for the air traffic network as a whole. In 2024, EUROCONTROL was given the role of CNS Programme Manager to accelerate the upgrade of CNS equipment across Europe. In this episode Predrag explains EUROCONTROL's work to create a process and the collaboration between national CNS experts to best support the evolution of CNS over time across the air traffic network.

Our new #RTAB podcast episode with Tony Licu, EUROCONTROL's Head of Technology Division shares invaluable insights into iNM - the integrated Network Management programme set to modernise EUROCONTROL's operational systems by 2030.  Tony explains how iNM will renew our legacy operational systems with advanced digital products, utilising the latest technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, and cloud services. Most important are of course improvements to the user experience through more intuitive user interfaces and increasing the security and resilience of the system. The episode also sheds light on the challenges of such a large-scale transformation and Tony's experience and advice on how to make progress.

Special Edition: International Women's Day How important are strong role models throughout one's career? What barriers do women still face when entering leadership roles – and what can organisations like ours do to help? In our special edition of the EUROCONTROL Raising the Aviation Bar podcast on the occasion of International Women's Day 2025 EUROCONTROL Directors Peggy Devestel (Director EUROCONTROL MUAC), Céline Shakouri-Dias (Director of People) and Tânia Cardoso Simões (Director of the European Green Sky Directorate) answer these questions and share their thoughts about leadership and their perspectives on diversity, equity and inclusion. All three of our female Directors came on board in 2024, which marked a historic moment in our history: for the first time, EUROCONTROL has achieved a gender balanced top leadership team – which was one of the key aims of our Raising the Bar programme to modernise our Agency and be ambitious on improving diversity and especially gender balance here and in our sector. In the episode, the Directors share insight into their personal career and the challenges they encountered along the way.