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EAC25 Research Day, Call for Papers and Posters
The European Aviation Conference (EAC) invites academics, aviation practitioners, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to submit their research for EAC Research Day.
EAC25 in Warsaw (Poland)
The EAC25 will be hosted by the Lazarski University based in Warsaw (Poland). The place is well chosen because the main theme of the EAC25 with the title
“Looking East: Aviation Policy, Geopolitics and Business Strategy in Eastern Europe”
will be the aviation markets in the Central and Eastern European countries, also in the context of Asian aviation markets being the most dynamic across the globe.
The aviation sector in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has recovered from the COVID pandemic faster than Western Europe, driven in particular by the growth of low-cost carriers and despite the many problems created by the war in Ukraine. The situation in CEE is dynamic, to say the least, creating both challenges and opportunities for the aviation industry in the whole of Europe and beyond. This will be the focus of EAC25.
As has become a tradition of EAC conferences, the EAC25 will cover economic, business and legal issues of both passenger and cargo markets. It will bring academic researchers, industry representatives and regulatory agencies together so that they can jointly further the understanding of management, economic, and policy aspects of the aviation industry. The list of confirmed speakers include (selection in random order):
Filip Cornelis (video message), DG MOVE
Damien Meadows, DG Climate
Honorata Hencel, Boeing Global
Michał Grochowski, LOT Polish Airlines
Volodymyr Bilotkach, Purdue University
Steven Truxal, Leiden University
Guillaume Burghout, Schipohl Airport
Michał Wolański, Warsaw School of Economics
Radosav Jovanović, University of Belgrade
Viktoriia Ivannikova, Dublin City University
Anna Midera, Lodsz Airport, Association Regional Airports
Xiaowen Fu, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Marina Efthymiou, Dublin City University
Wouter Dewulf, University of Antwerp
Andrea Papu Carrone, OECD ITF
Eric Pels, VU Amsterdam
Michael Stanton-Geddes, ACI Europe
Nicolas Cazalis, ENAC
PRELIMINARY AGENDA
11th Nov 2025: A multi-polar world
| Begin | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Welcome and opening remarks |
| 09:15 | Scene-setting panel The aviation sector in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has recovered from the COVID pandemic faster than Western Europe, driven in particular by the growth of low-cost carriers and despite the many problems created by the war in Ukraine. The situation in CEE is dynamic, to say the least, creating both challenges and opportunities for the aviation industry in the whole of Europe and beyond. |
| 11:00 | Health break |
| 11:30 | Impact of the Ukrainian war on European connectivity and competitiveness The war in Ukraine and the associated closure of European and Russian airspace has had a major impact on aviation throughout Europe. This session will focus on two aspects in particular: 1) The increase in European airspace congestion, resulting in flight delays and additional costs. 2) The reduction in the competitiveness of European airlines compared with their Far East competitors. |
| 13:00 | Lunch |
| 14:30 | The constraints on aviation growth The aviation industry is growing fast. To do this, it has to overcome many concerns. These include environmental effects such as noise and climate, the cost of infrastructure expansion on the ground (airports) and in the air (air traffic control), workforce availability, the willingness for reforms by policy makers, and managing public opinion. |
| 15:15 | OECD ITF Panel: "Decarbonising Aviation: Assessing Potential Consequences" Aviation is one of the most challenging transport sectors to decarbonise. Clear policy frameworks and strong international coordination are essential to rapidly scale up alternative low-carbon fuels, alongside efficiency and operational improvements. Ambitious measures to align aviation with global climate objectives will inevitably increase costs, potentially affecting demand growth. Ensuring a just transition—supporting workers, maintaining connectivity, and safeguarding regions reliant on tourism—is equally critical to achieve a fair and effective decarbonisation. |
| 16:00 | Health break |
| 16:30 | The Mike Tretheway Debate on the following motion: “Geopolitics will determine the future success of the aviation sector in Central and Eastern Europe” |
| 17:30 | Announcements |
| 19:00 | Gala dinner and honouring the memory of David Gillen |
12th Nov 2025: The way forward
| Begin | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Opening and review of Day 1 |
| 09:15 | Keynote: Honorata Hencel (Boeing) Honorata Hencel is the Managing Director for Boeing in Poland and Ukraine. She is responsible for integrating Boeing Global commercial and defense activities in the region of 2400 employees and 4 locations. She represents the company’s interests in the government and industry meetings. She serves on the Board of Directors of American Chamber of Commerce in Poland and is a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine. She is also a Board Member at the Łazarski Aviation Academy. |
| 10:00 | Keynote: TBA |
| 10:45 | Health break |
| 11:15 | Martin Kunz lecture: Volodymyr Bilotkach (Purdue University) Dr. Bilotkach’s research covers many economic aspects of the aviation sector. He has published over 35 papers in scholarly journals, and a book titled "Economics of Airlines". He is an Associate Professor at Purdue University and Co-Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Air Transport Management. He teaches intensive courses for IATA Training, and has advised The Netherlands Competition Authority, the European Commission, Incheon International Airport, and Malaysian Aviation Commission on various policy issues in the aviation sector |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 13:30 | An evolving competitive landscape: what is next for full-service and low-cost carriers in Central and Eastern Europe? The Czech and Hungarian flag carriers went bankrupt. Low-cost carriers took their place. LOT Polish is a remaining flag carrier. Austrian Airlines another. What are the implications for the standing and development of Central and Eastern European aviation markets? |
| 15:00 | Health break |
| 15:30 | Are regional airports the “real” backbones of European aviation markets? Regional airports seem to be an important part of the success of Central and Eastern European aviation markets. What is hindering or helping them contribute to an efficient and dynamic airport network? |
| 17:00 | Reflections and future "flight paths" | 17:30 | Closing |
“Schiphol airport too big? Should it downsize? The Significance for The Netherlands and Europe”
Wouter Dewulf from the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Antwerp, Eric Pels from the Department of Spatial Economics at VU Amsterdam and I, Achim I. Czerny from the Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, discuss the significance of downsizing Schiphol Airport for The Netherlands and Europe. This podcast is inspired by a recent post by Wouter Dewulf about a report he wrote together with Eric Pels for the "Commission Infrastructuur and Waterstaat" (here's the link to the post).
“The EU ETS Works: Evidence from Aviation Markets! The effect on passengers, frequencies, and fleets!”
Xavier Fageda from the Department of Economic Policy of the Universitat de Barcelona and I, Achim I. Czerny from the Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, discuss a set of Xavier's recent studies assessing the role of the EU ETS for airline behavior in terms of passengers served, frequencies offered, and technology diffusion. These are the details of two of the four studies presented by Xavier (please contact him directly if you are interested in receiving the working-paper versions of the other two studies which are work-in-progress):
"Pricing carbon in the aviation sector: Evidence from the European emissions trading system," joint with J. J. Teixidó: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2021.102591
"The impact of carbon pricing on tourist destinations: Shifts in demand, supply and emissions in the European aviation market," joint paper with Katrin Oesingmann: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecotra.2025.100414
“Let's talk German aviation market! How competitive is it? How to improve the competitiveness?”
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) recently published a study on the competitiveness of the German aviation market. This study has exclusively been published in German language (https://www.dlr.de/de/aktuelles/nachrichten/2025/dlr-erstellt-studie-zu-standortkosten-im-luftverkehr). Anyway, an Executive Summary in English language is available online: https://www.dlr.de/en/lv/multimedia/publications/studies-reports. One of the authors, Sven Maertens, who also happens to be part of the GARS team, is one of the authors. He kindly agreed to present the study results in this podcast.
“Learn about the new hub airport for Poland: Public acceptance, capacity, sustainability, and more!”
Dr Filip Czernicki is the CEO of the new hub airport for Poland, CPK. He and Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy) talk about the need for the airport capacity in Poland, the role of public acceptance, the importance of low-cost carriers, airport competitors, lessons from Berlin airport, and labour shortage amongst other topics. Remember that the EAC25 is hosted by Lazarski University in Warsaw. We will keep discussing such issues in Warsaw November 10-12.
“Eastern European air cargo seems in good shape!”
Michał Grochowski is the Cargo and Mail Director at LOT Polish Airlines. He and Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy) talk about air cargo businesses in Eastern Europe and especially Poland, and how they are different from air cargo businesses in Western European countries such as Germany. Remember that the EAC25 is hosted by Lazarski University in Warsaw. We will keep discussing these issues in Warsaw November 10-12.
“How AI can help airports and airlines to become greener, more efficient, better, and safer!”
Abhishek Krishna from Amadeus, Head of Data, AI and Platform, Product Management- AirOps and I, Achim I. Czerny from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, discuss how AI changes the aviation industry. We cover a wide range of topics including environment, data sharing/collaboration, data security, labor shortages, and safety.
“AI: Europe falling behind? What are the implications for aviation?”
Alex Brooker from Airside Labs and Wouter de Wulf from the University of Antwerp discusses with Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy) whether the EU is lagging behind other regions such as the US and China in terms of the development of AI. It should be no surprise that the discussion especially focusses on the implications for aviation business and policies.
“EU ETS, ReFuelEU Aviation: How do they manage the greening of aviation inside and outside the EU?”
Stef Proost from KU Leuven and Robert Malina from Hasselt University discuss with Achim I. Czerny (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) a topic that has been brought up during last year's European Aviation Conference hosted by the University of Antwerp. Stef highlights that the EU greenhouse gas emissions are capped by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Robert identifies a realization gap in terms of the supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) needed to fulfill the SAF quota imposed by the ReFuelEU Aviation policy. The discussion in this podcast sheds light on the environmental impact of (possibly) missing the SAF quota in the presence of the EU ETS. We also talk about about Carrots (US policy) versus Sticks (EU policy) which had been a big topic in two past podcasts. Please check the following videos for more information:
The EU approach towards decarbonizing aviation: https://youtu.be/dBpk0Hfcmzg
The US SAF Grand Challenge: https://youtu.be/PpsPlKeujcE
EAC24 - Keynote by Vivien Lau
Vivien Lau is the Director Airport Freight Forwarding Centre (Hong Kong). The title of her keynote speech at the EAC24 at the University of Antwerp was "How Technological Developments Are Changing Air Cargo Business Now and In The Future." We recorded the video as a backup in case there would have been technological issues at the conference venue. There weren't any technical issues; but it's great to have the video so that we can share it with you now. For more information about the speaker, Vivien Lau, please check her LinkedIn account at linkedin.com/in/vivienlau
“Greenfield airport projects in Europe: A rare species!”
One exciting aspect of airports is how different the market environments are depending on the geographic location around the globe. For instance, many new airports are constructed in Asia, whereas new so-called "greenfield" airports are rare in Europe. But, there are two examples. One in Lisbon (Portugal) and the other near Warsaw (Poland). In this podcast, we have two experts discussing what these airport projects have in common and in which aspects they differ from each other. Rosário Macário (CITUA - IST - Universidade de Lisboa; TPR - University of Antwerp) will be sharing her insights about the Lisbon airport project. Piotr Schielmann (Lazarski Aviation Academy) will do the same for the Polish Central Transportation Hub to which the new airport will belong.
EACI/GARS webinar “EAC24: The logic, agenda and speakers”
The European Aviation Conference 2024 (EAC 24) is approaching. We used October’s webinar on Monday 28th, to share more details about this year’s EAC conference with you (see the below-attached picture). What is the logic behind the agenda, who are the speakers and panelists, and what can you expect? All these questions were answered in the October webinar. The speakers were Dan Elliott (Frontier Economics) and Bill Morrison (Wilfried Laurier University). The webinar was moderated by Andrew Charlton.
EACI/GARS webinar “Unmanned Aerial Mobility: The commercial potential”
Earlier this year a passenger-carrying pilotless eVTOL has obtained a production certificate in China. This is considered a significant leap towards mass production. So, some wonder, what’s the commercial potential of such passenger and, of course, cargo services? This question was discussed in the September webinar.
We had three guest speakers joining the discussion. Anna Straubinger from the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research Mannheim in Germany, Amin Vafadar from the Advanced Air Mobility Institute in Boston (US), and Philip Butterworth-Hayes who is the Editor of Unmanned Airspace (https://www.unmannedairspace.info/). The webinar was moderated by Andrew Charlton.
The EACI/GARS webinars usually take place every last Monday of a month at 1 pm CEST. Please mark the dates in your calendar! If you are new to the series, please register at: https://forms.office.com/r/TN0Wse1sAd
EACI/GARS webinar “Transportation science associations and how they are related to each other - ATRS, EACI, ITEA, GARS, SOAR”
The August webinar shaded light on the relationships among five associations. The associations are (in alphabetical order) the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS), the European Aviation Conference Institute (EACI), the German Aviation Research Society (GARS), the International Transportation Economics Association (ITEA), and the Symposium on Aviation Research (SOAR). Guest speakers were Martin Dresner from the University of Maryland for ATRS, Erik Verhoef from VU Amsterdam for ITEA, Gianmaria Martini from the University of Bergamo for SOAR, and I from The HK PolyU for EACI and GARS. Andrew Charlton from Aviation Advocacy was again so kind to moderate the webinar.
The EACI/GARS webinars usually take place every last Monday of a month at 1 pm CEST. Please mark the dates in your calendar! If you are new to the series, please register at: https://forms.office.com/r/TN0Wse1sAd
EACI/GARS webinar “Revolutionary aviation technology solutions: How far reaching are the benefits?”
The guest speaker was Gary Cutts. He is the Challenge Director of the Future Flight, UK Research and Innovation initiative involving a £300m programme to research, plan and demonstrate new integrated systems of aviation using low-carbon and autonomous technologies. We are pleased to announce that Gary will be one of the keynote speakers at this year’s European Aviation Conference hosted by the University of Antwerp in Belgium. The moderator was Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy).
EACI/GARS webinar “Decarbonizing aviation: The EU approach”
The guest speakers were Damien Meadows and Laurent Donceel. Damien Meadows is an Advisor on European and International Carbon Markets of the European Commission’s DG Climate Action. He also is a contributor to a recently published book titled “Delivering a Climate Neutral Europe” published by Routledge (who also kindly sponsors the GARS Junior Award with book vouchers). Laurent Donceel is a Policy Director at A4E, where he is in charge of sustainability dossiers. His expertise is in political communication both in Brussels and across EU capitals. The moderator was Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy).
EACI/GARS webinar “The EU AI Law: Does it Make Aviation Safer?”
Guest speaker was Samar Abbas Nawaz (Peace Research Institute, Oslo). The moderator was Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy).
EACI/GARS webinar “UK airport slot reform”
The moderator was Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy). Guest speakers were Brian Pearce (University College London) and Dan Elliott (Frontier Economics).
EACI/GARS webinar EXTRA EDITION “US SAF Grand Challenge”
We had two great speakers in this extra edition. One was Nikita Pavlenko (ICCT). The ICCT recently published a report discussing the US SAF Grand Challenge. Here's the link: https://theicct.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ID-37-%E2%80%93-SAF-Grand-Challenge-white-paper-letter-40036-v3.pdf. The other was Stephen Holland from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. In a previous webinar, he already discussed the policy lessons from California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard for SAF policies.
EACI/GARS webinar “Can AI speed up digitization of the air cargo industry? What is the role of policy makers?”
The moderator was Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy). Guest speakers were Glyn Hughes (TIACA) and Oliver Ditz (Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics).
EACI/GARS webinar “Aviation, technology and innovation – Still a frontrunner?”
The moderator was Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy). Alex Brooker, VP of R&D at Cirium was the guest speaker.
EACI/GARS webinar “Let’s give air cargo what it deserves!”
The moderator was Andrew Charlton (Aviation Advocacy). The panel members (in alphabetical order) were Anne Lange (Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences), Benny Mantin (University of Luxembourg), and Carlos Grau Tanner (Global Express Association).
