Raising the Aviation Bar

In this special episode for the Raising the Aviation Bar podcast recorded at Airspace World in Lisbon, Elisabeth Landrichter, Executive Manager of Austro Control, Áron Eichinger, Director Area Control at HungaroControl, Francesco Gaetani, Flight Standards Director at EASA, and Simon Hocquard, Director General at CANSO give their take on some of the most relevant air traffic management developments and updates from Airspace World. All interviews were recorded at the podcast booth EUROCONTROL set up in cooperation with the eight other Europe For Aviation partners at Airspace World 2026 reflecting the value of bringing partners together at one of the leading global air traffic management events.

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.

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 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 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 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 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.