“We set out to consider air transport as a whole, to take stock of this complex industry with its incredible variety of players, and to research the current prospects for air transport in order to propose an implementable solution to meet the climate challenges”, Corentin points out.
Their report, entitled “Innovating and renewing: a flight plan for a sustainable aviation industry”, presents a technological analysis of the sector and develops proposals for innovative economic, institutional and legal reforms to meet the climate challenge from a new angle.
In it, they discuss an overhaul of the way the aeronautics industry is organised, based on sustainable technological innovation, international cooperation and a fair distribution of intellectual property and economic and social benefits across the value chain.
Reform on an international scale
In their view, the industry needs to focus not only on new technologies, but also on its institutions, in order to meet the commitments of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) to halve its CO2 emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Improving aircraft structures and engines, or using drop-in alternative fuels, will not be enough. The students suggest the creation of an “International Council for Sustainable Aviation” to set guidelines for airlines on a global scale, or the introduction of “transition bonds”, systems for financing innovative low-CO2 emission projects, which are just as important in establishing sustainable aviation.
In concluding their manifesto, they state that the success of air transport in the future cannot be summed up in a simple technological solution, and that international institutions will also have to be reinvented to enable the emergence and development of fully sustainable aviation.
“I am convinced that the collective awareness of the climate challenges is a tremendous opportunity to rethink the world of tomorrow. The aviation industry has a lot to do to integrate environmental issues and reinvent itself. I’d like to be part of these changes and be able to propose solutions”, explains Corentin.
A clear path
With a lifelong passion for aeronautics, Corentin Lefloch joined ISAE-SUPAERO after a preparatory class for the “Grandes Écoles”. He then went on to do a double-diploma with Sciences Po Paris, in a Masters in Finance and Strategy. He is convinced of the need to combine this knowledge with engineering to develop a detailed understanding of the aeronautics industry, in order to play an active part in its future development. He is currently in his final year of the engineering curriculum, specialising in decision data sciences.
It was during this double degree at Sciences Po Paris that he met Florian Gandon, a glider pilot and aviation enthusiast, who is convinced that finance and public affairs are two pillars of this strategic and capital-intensive industry. After completing his Master’s degree and gaining experience at Airbus and other companies, he became a trainee private equity analyst at Ace Management, the company that manages the €1 billion recovery fund for the aerospace industry, financed by Airbus, Safran, Dassault Aviation, Thales, Tikehau Capital and the French government.
This USAIRE jury-awarded pair got involved very early on to develop their own thinking on the future of air transport and its ecological transition, “be green, keep flying”, in the midst of the health crisis, at a time when the vast majority of aircraft were grounded, while aid to support the sector was conditional on environmental commitments.
For the past 15 years, the USAIRE association has organised the USAIRE Student Awards, an international competition recognised by industry professionals and sponsored by aerospace leaders such as Rolls-Royce, Boeing and Airbus.
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