EU-wide Advantages & Opportunities of the call **“Integration of the next generation aircraft for zero/low emission aviation”** (HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA2-2)

1. Access to the world’s largest integrated aviation market

- 450+ million passengers in a border-free Single European Sky (SES) give unrivalled critical mass for testing and mainstreaming hydrogen/electric operations.

- Harmonised slot, traffic-flow and safety rules allow pan-European demonstration flights without re-certification in each Member State, shortening time-to-market.

- Easier entry into secondary & regional airports (over 500 in the EU) that are ideal early adopters for short-range, low-noise aircraft.

2. Cross-border collaboration & knowledge exchange

- Mandatory multi-country consortia unlock complementary strengths: OEMs (DE/FR/ES), fuel-cell & battery specialists (NL, SE, IT), ANSPs (DFS, ENAIRE, ENAV, NATS), airports (FRA, AMS, CPH) and top research labs (DLR, ONERA, CIRA, SINTEF).

- The SESAR “proactive dissemination” clause obliges projects in the same call to share results royalty-free, creating a continuous EU learning loop.

- Alignment with the AZEA Concept of Operations and Clean Aviation work packages ensures that ATM, aircraft design and airport infrastructure teams iterate together, avoiding siloed national pilots.

3. Alignment with flagship EU policies

- European Green Deal & Fit-for-55: direct contribution to the 55 % GHG reduction target by 2030 and climate-neutrality by 2050.

- Sustainable & Smart Mobility Strategy: delivers two key milestones – zero-emission aircraft ready by 2035 and climate-neutral aviation by 2050.

- Digital Europe & Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR 3): leverages EU-wide data spaces, AI-based trajectory optimisation and open digital twins for airports/airspace.

4. Regulatory harmonisation & standardisation benefits

- Early dialogue with EASA & EUROCONTROL through the project accelerates EU-level Special Condition/CS-25 amendments for H₂ & electric aircraft.

- Results feed directly into RECAT-EU & future wake-vortex standards, guaranteeing alignment across all 27 Member States and associated countries.

- A single, EU-wide framework for hydrogen ground-handling, de-risking airport investments vs. fragmented national rules.

5. Plug-in to Europe’s innovation ecosystem

- Preferential access to EU research infrastructures (e.g., wind tunnels, hydrogen test stands, ATM validation platforms like EUROCONTROL’s EEC).

- Synergies with KIC-EIT Urban Mobility, Batteries Europe, Clean Hydrogen JU and Digital Innovation Hubs provide additional expertise and demonstration venues.

- Possibility to engage Living Labs in EU Regions in Transition (Just Transition Fund) that seek to decarbonise local airports/industries.

6. Funding synergies & financial leverage

- Horizons Lump-Sum model offers 100 % funding & simplified cost reporting, attractive for SMEs and public operators.

- Results can be scaled with:

• CEF2 Transport (hydrogen refuelling infrastructure at TEN-T airports)

• InvestEU & EIB Green Aviation window (CAPEX for first commercial fleets)

• Innovation Fund (large-scale H₂ production linked to airport hubs).

- National Recovery & Resilience Plans (RRF) earmark >€8 bn for green aviation; EU-level proof points increase Member States’ co-financing appetite.

7. EU-wide deployment & long-term impact

- Common operational concepts produced under this call will feed the European ATM Master Plan 2040+, locking in uptake across all ANSPs.

- Harmonised procedures lower integration costs, stimulating faster fleet ramp-up and earlier climate benefits (est. 6–9 Mt CO₂ avoided annually by 2040).

- Creation of new value chains (H₂ supply, battery servicing, MRO adaptation) estimated at 200 000 skilled jobs EU-wide.

8. Strategic take-aways for applicants

1. Build a truly pan-European consortium mixing at least three Member/Associated States, covering aircraft OEMs, ANSPs, major & regional airports and academic partners.

2. Map deliverables to EU policy KPIs (GHG-55 %, contrail reduction, SESAR performance: capacity, cost-efficiency, safety) to maximise evaluation scores.

3. Exploit standardisation influence: allocate work packages to feed CEN-CENELEC & EUROCAE working groups, underlining regulatory impact.

4. Plan funding blending early: include a task on post-project financing via CEF2/InvestEU to show a credible path from TRL 3-5 to TRL 7-8.

5. Demonstrate open-data commitment through FAIR-compliant repositories and interfaces with other SESAR calls, fulfilling the additional JU exploitation obligations.

> Operating at EU scale transforms a complex national transition into a cohesive, de-risked and rapidly scalable European green-aviation ecosystem, delivering maximum climate, economic and societal returns for participants and citizens alike.