Skellefteå Airport partners in European project to advance regional aviation

The European research project INGERA takes a broad approach to the transition of regional aviation. Researchers, companies and airports will explore areas ranging from new propulsion technologies and air traffic management to airport operations and the environmental and economic impacts of the transition.

For Skellefteå Airport, the project is closely aligned with the development already underway within Arctic Aviation Hub through other research projects and the infrastructure for electric aviation that has already been established. The airport will be responsible for the part of INGERA focusing on how airport processes and infrastructure need to evolve to accommodate hybrid electric and fully electric regional aircraft.

Airports need to evolve alongside aviation

As new types of aircraft are introduced, conditions on the ground will change as well. New energy and propulsion systems may, for example, affect how long aircraft need to remain at the gate, how ground handling is organised and how airport capacity can be utilised.

As part of the project, Skellefteå Airport and Arctic Aviation Hub will lead a work package examining how charging and other forms of energy supply affect turnaround times, slot allocation and gate usage. The work will also result in recommendations for how airport operational planning, infrastructure, safety and digital systems need to evolve.

“The aviation industry is undergoing a major transition, and this project gives us the opportunity to contribute to the European development of the future of regional aviation, drawing on the experience and knowledge we have built here in Skellefteå. At the same time, the collaboration gives us new insights into the solutions airports will need in order to be ready when new types of aircraft enter service,” says Robert Lindberg, CEO of Skellefteå Airport.