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Testimony from Nathanaël Lecompte, 2021 alumni of the ISAE-SUPAERO engineering programme

Nathanaël Lecompte

Head of connections and HTB projects at Elys

Testimonial Category :

Alumni

Date :

18 Jan 2023

Our alumni have their say: Meet Nathanaël Lecompte (S2021)

Nathanaël is a young graduate of ISAE-SUPAERO, an engineer, who, of all the opportunities open to him, chose the renewable energy sector. Here he explains his motivations and his career path!

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I have a fairly classic academic background, scientific baccalaureate, prépa and Mines Ponts competitive exam, I joined ISAE-SUPAERO in 2017. In my second year, I spent a semester at the Politehnica University of Bucharest in Romania in order to discover Eastern Europe.

During my gap year, I did an internship in Strategy and Development at EDF, which is also where I developed my appetite for RE (Renewable Energies). On the strength of this experience, I decided to look for an end-of-studies placement in a company in the sector, so I contacted an alumni who worked in this field and he recommended ELYS. I got a lot out of the placement and decided to start my career there. The SME spirit suited me perfectly: Very agile with enough framework to progress quickly, but which also leaves a certain amount of freedom.

What are your current positions at ELYS?

Elys is a 35-strong SME specialising in project management and project assistance in the field of renewable energy. It is particularly involved in the construction of renewable energy infrastructure: wind farms, photovoltaic farms and private HV (High Voltage)/MV (Medium Voltage) transformer stations. We help our customers to design and build their projects.

I’m attached to the Paris branch, where I’m in charge of HV connections and projects. I’m in charge of designing and building private MV/LV substations to connect renewable energy parks to the RTE electricity transmission network.

How has training at ISAE-SUPAERO helped you in your career?

I think that the core curriculum at the Institute gives us a multidisciplinary perspective on a complex project. The students and alumni have a great capacity to learn quickly about subjects in which they are initially neophytes. This is a real asset that the school has been able to give me. When we leave the school, we’re not specialists in every subject, but we’ve learnt to develop our skills.

When I arrived at the Institute, I wasn’t particularly familiar with environmental issues, but I felt that these problems were very present among the students and in the training, and I’ve been able to witness this evolution throughout my career. As we are a flexible school, it adapts to societal and environmental issues. This is one of our strengths today. This is illustrated in particular by the creation of the ETE (ENERGY, TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT) course in 2015 and the growing number of students who enrol each year.

Do you have any advice for our students?

In my opinion, another of ISAE-SUPAERO’s strengths is that the Institute remains a school with a human dimension and a caring working environment. As a result, I believe that students can realise their dreams by relying on the Department of Studies, the School as a whole and the alumni network. No two students have the same career path, and the School has always succeeded in adapting to each student’s plans and helping them to achieve their goals. So don’t hesitate to ask!

Renewable energy is a market with huge needs; there are plans for several decades, with very significant employment prospects. If any ISAE-SUPAERO students are interested in renewable energies for an internship or a job, please don’t hesitate to contact me on Linkedin or by email.

Finally, I would advise them to work in a field that is in line with their values, it’s important for me to believe in what I do. When you start working at the age of 23, if you don’t believe in what you’re doing, the time may seem long!

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Our alumni have their say: Meeting with Nathanaël Lecompte (S2021)

Nathanaël is a recent graduate of ISAE-SUPAERO with a degree in engineering. Of all the opportunities available to him, he chose to pursue a career in renewable energy. He explains his motivations and his career path!

Sustainability

Testimonial

Testimonials

World Alumni Days 2026: Testimonial from Awadh Kapoor, 2017 graduate of the Master’s in Aerospace Engineering program

Alumni

International

Testimonial

Testimonials

Testimonial of Baptiste Sigal, Advanced Master® TAS ASTRO student (class) 2025

Advanced Master

Aerospace

Space

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Our Challenge for the Environmental Transition

At ISAE-SUPAERO, we are committed to a sustainable society through “Horizons” in the field of environmental transition. Supported by a manifesto and a carbon footprint, our strategy mobilizes researchers, teachers, staff, and students to accelerate the transition and design the low-carbon aeronautics of tomorrow.

Horizons

Sustainability

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Let's make together a durable commitment to new horizons

Aeronautics

Horizons

Sustainability

Videos

Sophie Adenot is flying out on February 11th for a eight-month mission with Crew-12 on the ISS!

Today, the entire ISAE-SUPAERO community is coming together: students, staff, faculty, and alumni are showing their support for Sophie Adenot, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and ISAE-SUPAERO alumna, as she embarks on a eight-month mission to the ISS. Sophie is the second French woman, 30 years after Claudie Haigneré, to fly on a long-duration mission. On the ISS, she will conduct around 200 scientific experiments, including 10 French experiments, covering fields such as medicine and materials physics. Have a good flight, Sophie. We will be following you throughout this amazing journey!

Alumni

Exploration

Space

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Carbon neutrality: What strategy should ISAE-SUPAERO adopt?

Sustainability

Pages

Job offers

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Videos

Pierre-Eric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group: European leader in naval defense and partner of ISAE-SUPAERO

Discover the interview with Pierre-Eric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group and ISAE-SUPAERO alumnus, who talks about cooperation between schools and companies.

Career

Company

Partner

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Luca Parmitano, Artemis III astronaut: an ISAE-SUPAERO graduate at the heart of the next step in the return to the Moon

On June 9, 2026, NASA announced the crew for Artemis III, a key mission in the U.S. lunar program scheduled for 2027.

Advanced Master

Alumni

Space

News

Nicolas Cruaud, Engineer at ISAE-SUPAERO and co-founder of the start-up Néolithe

Meeting

Presentation

Startup

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Testimony of Eric Vicente, Director of Human Resources at Sabina Technics

Eric Vicente tells us about Sabena Technics, a company specializing in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), which was present at the Village Entreprises to meet students from ISAE-SUPAERO, experts in aeronautics and trained in innovation in this field! Their aim is to offer them professional opportunities and internships. These meetings also enable them to strengthen their presence among future engineers, and to propose future partnerships for the Institute's research and development (R&D) projects.

Career

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The Institute is involved in the ecological transition of the aerospace ecosystem

Aerospace

Meeting

Sustainability

Testimonials

World Alumni Day: 3 questions for Florian DELPECH, Engineering Cycle – Data and Decision Sciences Track Class of 2022

Aerospace

Alumni

Testimonials

Testimony from Rémi Caresche, student (class of 2025) of the TAS ASTRO Advanced Master®

Aerospace

Alumni

Testimonial

News

ISAE-SUPAERO awarded Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility (SD&CSR) label

The Institute has been awarded the label "Développement Durable et Responsabilité Sociétale" (DD&RS), official recognition of its environmental and societal strategy. By obtaining this label, our school confirms its determination to make the ecological and social transition a lever for innovation in training, the transformation of industrial sectors and the evolution of practices in everyday life on campus.

Corporate responsibility

Label

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3 questions to Marie Delaroche, 3ᵉ year student and MDRS 293 crew commander

Since February 18, seven ISAE-SUPAERO engineering students have been living a simulated Martian life and carrying out experiments in collaboration with CNES and several research laboratories at The Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in UTAH (USA)! For the second time, the mission is led by a woman: Marie Delaroche, a passionate #spaceexplorer, who was already part of crew 275 departing in 2023. We asked her 3 questions to find out more about the challenges of this mission and her feelings as #flightcommander! Alongside her, three young women and three young men in their 2ᵉ year of #engineering studies have taken on the roles of astronomer, scientist, botanist, journalist, health worker and onboard engineer. They are all members of the Mars Club ISAE-SUPAERO, a student association for the popularization of science focused on the Red Planet and the missions dedicated to its exploration and study. They are currently experimenting with AI4U, the artificial intelligence that assists astronauts in their daily tasks (environmental measurements, voice recognition, emergency exercises). They are also conducting a science popularization experiment in collaboration with secondary school pupils. Inspired by the film The Martian, in which an astronaut grows potatoes on the Red Planet, the aim of this experiment is to compare plant growth in Martian soil with growth in terrestrial soil! To follow their adventure, click here: https://mars.bde-supaero.fr/

Space

Student club

Student life

Testimonials

Testimony of Ernest Chi Tse, alumni class of 2018 of the Advanced Master® ASAA

Advanced Master

Alumni

Testimonial

Testimonials

Testimony of Giuseppe Cataldo, alumnus of the 2010 Engineer ISAE-SUPAERO programme

Alumni

Space

Testimonial

News

France Alumni Day: 3 questions for Marion Burnichon, ISAE-SUPAERO 2021 alumna of the Master's in Aerospace Engineering programme

Meet Marion Burnichon, 2021 alumna, now a Young Graduate Trainee in Gateway Operations.

Alumni

Master in Aerospace Engineering

Portrait

Pages

Innovating in a World of Transition - Safran

The challenges facing the aerospace industry (energy transition, New Space, digitalization) are driving a growing need for professionals with the ability to innovate. Against this backdrop, Safran and ISAE-SUPAERO are creating the Innovating in a World in Transition Chair.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Chair

Videos

Energy efficiency at ISAE-SUPAERO

ISAE-SUPAERO is fully committed to reducing its environmental footprint, particularly its energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels. Since 2019, our campus has been evolving to improve the energy performance of our buildings. Let's find out together how this progress is being translated, the actions that have been put in place and our objectives for the future. To find out more: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/horizons-186/vivre-un-campus-bas-carbone/vivre-un-campus-bas-carbone/

Corporate responsibility

Horizons

Sustainability

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ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Congress: Laurent Joly, Deputy Director of Research at ISAE-SUPAERO, talks about the Institute's commitments

Event

Sustainability

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"We designed a satellite and performed heat transfer simulations and calculations on it, which was both challenging and rewarding. “

Aerospace summer program

Testimonial

Testimonials

Testimony of Matthieu LP, student (class of 2025) of the IEM Advanced Master®

Aerospace

Alumni

Testimonial

Videos

Testimonials from Alex Dejoie and Sofia Cardola, engineering and master in aerospace engineering students

ISAE-SUPAERO recently welcomed some 40 companies from a wide range of industrial and service sectors to its campus. These companies, represented by alumni and HR managers, were able to share internship and job opportunities with over 500 students in attendance. The event also provided an opportunity for privileged exchanges between students and professionals on current and future challenges and projects. These close encounters were particularly enriching, providing young talent with sound advice and a mutual understanding of needs and expectations! The Enterprise Village is a fantastic opportunity to forge links and develop your professional network, while at the same time widening the field of possibilities. Through this initiative, ISAE-SUPAERO, at the heart of our students' training, has reaffirmed its central role in guiding them towards the professional world. Read the testimonials of Alex Dejoie, a student engineer specializing in astrophysics and space, and Sofia Cardola, a student in the Master in Aerospace Engineering program.

Career

Company

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Decarbonisation of aviation: ISAE-SUPAERO launches training programme for professionals with GIFAS

This one-day training course aims to help employees in the aeronautics sector play an active and informed role in the decarbonisation of the sector. The first two sessions will be held on Thursday 3 April 2025 in Toulouse and Thursday 10 April 2025 in Paris.

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Programme

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Testimony from Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez, elected member of the Air and Space Academy

DCAS

Space

Teacher researcher

Testimonials

World Alumni Days 2026: Testimonial from Steven Bouchired, a 1995 graduate of the general engineering program

Alumni

International

Testimonial

Pages

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« Ingénieur ISAE-SUPAERO » by apprenticeship

Advanced Master

Alumni

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Clean Aviation – the European HERA project

Environmental issues are central to the strategy of ISAE-SUPAERO's Department of Research and Pedagogical Resources. This commitment is reflected in its participation in HERA, Hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft, one of the European research projects on decarbonising aviation.

Decarbonization

Sustainability

News

Envision responsible air transport

Aeronautics

Sustainability

Testimonials

Testimonial from Maëlle Joseph, student (class of 2025) of the Advanced Master® IEM

Aerospace

Alumni

Testimonial

News

ISAE-SUPAERO publishes its carbon footprint assessment

The average French person emits 9 tonnes of CO2e per year. In order to comply with the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to +1.5°C, the carbon footprint must be reduced to 2 tonnes of CO2e per person per year by 2050.

Sustainability

News

COP2 Student: ISAE-SUPAERO affirms its commitment to ecological transition by signing the Grenoble Agreement

Sustainability

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"Futurs Proches" Festival in October 9: tickets are now available!

ISAE-SUPAERO's CSR department, in partnership with the Toulouse Community of Universities and Establishments (COMUE), invites you to join us on Thursday, October 9 for the 2ᵉ edition of the Festival Futurs Proches, Festival des Campus en transitions!

Corporate responsibility

Decarbonization

Event

Testimonials

Testimony of Jonathan Andrieu, student (class of 2025) of the AIBT Advanced Master®

Advanced Master

Testimonial

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ISAE-SUPAERO publishes its Aviation and Climate Reference Framework

The ISAE-SUPAERO #Aviation and #Climate reference framework aims to provide #scientific information useful for understanding the challenges facing aviation and the climate. This work has undergone a specific review process involving both ISAE-SUPAERO staff and external researchers from various institutes.

Decarbonization

Researcher

Sustainability

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ISAE SUPAERO ENSICA Alumni Association

ISAE SUPAERO ENSICA Alumni is much more than a network of graduates: it's a close-knit, committed and proactive community, driven by a spirit of mutual aid and sharing at the service of society.

Aerospace

Alumni

Association

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ISAE-SUPAERO develops a methodology to quantify the environmental impact of its research projects

The Research Department has introduced a metric to assess the ambition of ISAE-SUPAERO's research activities in the transition to a sustainable society. The assessment reveals that more than a third (35%) of the research projects carried out at the Institute aim to have a significant impact on the environment.

Horizons

Sustainability

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HORIZONS, ISAE-SUPAERO's renewed sustainable development strategy

At ISAE-SUPAERO, environmental issues are at the heart of our commitment. We are therefore mobilizing our teaching skills and scientific expertise to help build the aeronautical and space components of this sustainable society, and in particular to invent the low-carbon air transport of tomorrow.

Horizons

Sustainability

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Meeting with Joseph Risson, engineering student and winner of a scholarship for his Viraj H2 project

On Friday, 8 December, the Swiss Jean-Jacques and Felicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation for Academic Excellence awarded a prize to Viraj H2, a project developed at ISAE-SUPAERO. Joseph Risson, a third-year engineering student, is studying a hybridisation between a hydrogen turboprop engine and a fuel cell in order to accelerate the decarbonisation of air transport. The €1 million grant will enable Joseph and his partner Paul de Goÿs to validate the technology behind their innovation.

Entrepreneurship

InnovSpace

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Testimony from Axel Coulon, student (class of 2024) of the TAS ASTRO Advanced Master®

Advanced Master

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Our partners are going green!

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Our alumni have their say: Meeting with Nathanaël Lecompte (S2021)

Date :

18 Jan 2023

Meeting with Nathanaël Lecompte

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

During my gap year, I did an internship in Strategy and Development at EDF, which is also where I developed my appetite for RE (Renewable Energies). On the strength of this experience, I decided to look for an end-of-studies placement in a company in the sector, so I contacted an alumni who worked in this field and he recommended ELYS. I got a lot out of the placement and decided to start my career there. The SME spirit suited me perfectly: very agile with enough framework to progress quickly, but which also leaves a certain amount of freedom.

What are your current positions at ELYS?

Elys is a 35-strong SME specialising in project management and project assistance in the field of renewable energy. It is particularly involved in the construction of renewable energy infrastructure: wind farms, photovoltaic farms and private HV (High Voltage)/HV (Medium Voltage) transformer stations. We help our customers to design and build their projects.

I’m attached to the Paris branch, where I’m in charge of HV connections and projects. I’m in charge of designing and building private MV/LV substations to connect renewable energy parks to the RTE electricity transmission network.

How has training at ISAE-SUPAERO helped you in your career?

I think that the core curriculum at the Institute gives us a multidisciplinary perspective on a complex project. The students and alumni have a great capacity to learn quickly about subjects in which they are initially neophytes. This is a real asset that the school has been able to give me. When we leave the school, we’re not specialists in every subject, but we’ve learned to develop our skills.

Do you have any advice for our students?

In my opinion, another of ISAE-SUPAERO’s strengths is that the Institute remains a school with a human dimension and a caring working environment. As a result, I believe that students can realise their dreams by relying on the Training Department, the school as a whole and the alumni network. No two students have the same career path, and the school has always succeeded in adapting to each student’s plans and helping them to achieve their goals. So don’t hesitate to ask!

Finally, I would advise them to work in a field that is in line with their values, it’s important for me to believe in what I do. When you start working at the age of 23, if you don’t believe in what you’re doing, the time may seem long!

ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC are collaborating on the design of a 100% digital degree programme in English on the subject of aviation transitions!

Date :

03 Jan 2023

Aviation, like all sectors of human activity, must now step up its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, in particular to keep the global temperature increase below 2°C by 2050 (ICAO commitment).

These efforts must cover all components, from technological innovations and breakthroughs to flight operations, system design and the establishment of new standards. This requires the current aeronautical sector (some 300,000 people in France) to train and acquire new skills that can be put to immediate use. Professionals in the sector therefore need to be offered training courses tailored to these needs!

In response, ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC have just launched a new programme aimed at experienced aeronautical engineers who want to fully integrate current and future transitions into their work.

These transitions include the ecological transition, a real collective challenge to which aviation is contributing in the same way as other sectors, but also technological and operational challenges.

The launch of the Advanced Masters®, scheduled for 2026, will be preceded by other, shorter and complementary distance learning programmes on the same theme.

Ranking of the top schools most committed to ecological transition: ISAE-SUPAERO in 2nd place!

Date :

03 Nov 2022

ISAE-SUPAERO on the podium

58 schools took part in this year’s ChangeNOW/Les Echos START ranking, compared with 47 last year.

With numerous actions and initiatives in sustainable development and energy renovation in particular, ISAE-SUPAERO, an aeronautical and space engineering school, occupies the 2ᵉ position in the ranking. The Institute recognises this ecological and energy transition as an unavoidable requirement for all our societies in order to tackle global warming.

“All our students are trained at the Climate Fresco. Since 2015, we have been offering an environmental engineering certificate delivered as part of the ‘aircraft eco-design’ chair. We also offer 15 different modules on environmental issues, including energy and the circular economy. We also offer a course on climate and aviation, in partnership with Météo-France. Several projects to improve and complement our training courses are underway, such as the creation of a master’s degree specialising in the transition of the aviation sector.“

Emilie TOTA – Deputy President of the Institute

“What we can say, as aeronautical engineers, is that while the technological and industrial challenge is major, it is on a par with those faced by our predecessors. We now have 30 years to decarbonise air transport, and if history is any guide, it should make us optimistic about our ability to succeed.”
Olivier LESBRE – President of ISAE-SUPAERO

ISAE-SUPAERO makes a long-term commitment

ISAE-SUPAERO is placing environmental issues at the heart of its commitment through the deployment of its HORIZONS strategy. The Institute is mobilising its teaching skills and scientific expertise to help build the aeronautical and space components of this sustainable society, and in particular to invent the low-carbon air transport of tomorrow.

Its teachers-researchers, students and staff are all working towards the same goal, to meet the challenge of the ecological transition: working with all stakeholders to build a sustainable society.

ISAE-SUPAERO publishes its Aviation and Climate Report

In September 2021, the Institute published the ISAE-SUPAERO Aviation and Climate Report, which aims to provide scientific elements that are useful for understanding aviation and climate issues. This work was subjected to a specific review process, involving both ISAE-SUPAERO staff and external researchers from various institutes.

> To consult and download them online

Aviation and Climate Standard / Summary of the standard

ISAE-SUPAERO students’ commitment to sustainable development ISAE-SUPAERO

More information at: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/

Date :

24 Jan 2022

Carbon neutrality: What strategy should ISAE-SUPAERO adopt?

Date :

06 Jan 2022

Where do we stand on greenhouse gas emissions and higher education?

As the recent publication of part 1ʳᵉ of the IPCC’s VIᵉ report reminds us, mankind’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will have to be radically reduced in the next few years at the risk of major climate change. Today, higher education in France involves between 2.5 and 3 million students spread across different structures (communities of universities and establishments, universities, grandes écoles, etc.). All these structures consume energy…

Find out more about the correlation between greenhouse gas emissions and higher education

Low-carbon strategy: ISAE-SUPAERO, what method?

A clear method is needed to take into account the climate impacts of higher education establishments. In this article, we would like to detail the method applied internally at ISAE-SUPAERO, with the dual aim of being transparent about our approach and sharing our feedback.

Find out more about ISAE-SUPAERO’s low-carbon strategy

ISAE-SUPAERO, what results?

Applying the method described in the previous article to 2019, we estimate that our activities result in emissions of just over 10,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, or 6 tonnes of CO2 eq per student. By way of comparison, we are a long way from the neutrality targets set by the Paris Agreement for 2050 (around 2 tonnes per person), although in this calculation we are only considering the portion generated by our students’ studies.

Find out more about ISAE-SUPAERO’s carbon footprint in 2019

Greenhouse gas reduction targets: what action plans?

Once the carbon assessment has been carried out and the major items identified, the next steps are to identify the levers for reduction, set targets accordingly and then implement coherent and ambitious action plans.
These targets should not be a marketing ploy, but a response to a real constraint: that of trying to stay below 2°C of global warming (and ideally to limit it to 1.5°C) as set out in the Paris agreements.

Find out more about ISAE-SUPAERO’s greenhouse gas reduction targets

ISAE-SUPAERO publishes its Aviation and Climate Reference Framework

Date :

08 Dec 2021

ISAE-SUPAERO publishes an aviation and climate report

Date :

01 Dec 2021

This 200-page report is the fruit of a year’s work by a team of 5 teacher-researchers and the Institute’s sustainable development manager. Accompanied by a 15-page summary, it is based on more than 200 scientific publications and the latest reports from institutions in the aeronautical sector. The researchers have supplemented this reference framework by integrating research results specific to ISAE-SUPAERO. The entire document has undergone a rigorous review process, both internally and by recognised scientific experts in the aviation sector, climatology, energy, etc.

The writing of this reference report was motivated by questions relating to the impact of aviation on the climate. Is it possible to characterise the impact of aviation on the climate? Can we compare CO2 and non-CO2 effects? What are the technological solutions and avenues for innovation linked to aviation and the climate? Can we link the rate of growth in air traffic to the proportion of the carbon budget devoted to aviation? Can we assess the energy resources available?

A collaborative tool

The aim of this work is not to take sides or to provide answers to the various questions raised, as the answers depend largely on societal choices and techno-economic developments that are impossible to predict with any certainty.

On the other hand, the aim is to provide everyone, on the basis of scientists’ positions, with the information they need to form informed opinions on these issues, as objectively as possible. The scientists hope to stimulate debate and thus contribute to the emergence of a collective position on these crucial issues.

This reference guide sets out the state of the art of the various levers that the aviation sector can use to reduce its environmental impact.

Key messages for low-carbon aviation

The purpose of the ISAE-SUPAERO Aviation and Climate Report is to provide scientific information useful for understanding aviation and climate issues. It consists of three main parts.

The first presents the impact of aviation on the climate, its CO2 and non-CO2 effects, while the second looks at the technological levers for reducing it.

Finally, illustrative transition scenarios for the aviation sector are proposed in the last section. This is based in particular on CAST (AEROmaps), an innovative modelling tool developed at ISAE-SUPAERO and available as a web application, which can be used to assess the climate impact of aviation as a function of variables such as traffic volume, the pace of technological change and the rate of decarbonisation of the fuel used.

The climate impact of aviation: estimates that depend on the scope of the study

Aviation contributes to global warming through its CO2 emissions and a number of non-CO2 effects such as condensation trails. The assessment of the impact of the aviation sector can be limited to CO2 emissions alone, or it can take into account all the effects. In the first case, commercial aviation was responsible for 2.6% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions in 2018. If all effects are considered (CO2 and non-CO2), commercial aviation accounted for 5.1% of the climate impact over the period 2000-2018.

Non-CO2 effects: promising strategies

Specific strategies to reduce non-CO2 effects represent a major lever for limiting the climate impact of aviation. Because of the short lifespan of non-CO2 effects, these strategies can be effective very quickly. Even if more research is needed to reduce uncertainties, these strategies could be deployed in the short term. Nevertheless, these measures cannot replace efforts to reduce the sector’s CO2 emissions.

CO2 effects: technological opportunities limited in the short term

Between now and 2050, breakthrough solutions offer the prospect of a low-carbon aircraft. In the shorter term, the only mature levers for reducing CO2 emissions within the timeframe set by the climate emergency are incremental improvements in aircraft efficiency and the use of biofuels. However, incremental improvements are on the verge of reaching their technological limits, while the constraints of energy availability, production capacity and competition over uses are likely to limit the availability of biofuels.

A necessary trade-off between traffic levels and the share of the global carbon budget allocated to the aviation sector

Apart from technological and operational levers, the level of traffic and the share of the global carbon budget allocated to aviation are the two parameters that determine the sustainability of a trajectory for the aviation sector. Their value must be set by political decisions. The limits on the aviation sector’s ability to rapidly reduce its CO2 emissions imply that, if traffic grows at the rate envisaged by the aviation industry, it will consume a larger share of the carbon budget than its current share of emissions, thus requiring other sectors of activity to reduce their emissions faster than the average.

Uncertainties over energy availability

The decarbonisation of aviation fuels could be limited by the availability of low-carbon energy resources. Their massive use could then lead to a displacement of environmental problems, particularly related to land use. Generally speaking, it is necessary to consider the transition of the aviation sector in a systemic way within the framework of planetary limits.

Evolving strategies

Several conclusions can be drawn from this benchmark. In particular, it reveals that the formation of clouds by aircraft condensation trails currently has a greater effect on global warming than their CO2 emissions. However, it seems possible to radically reduce these condensation trails by modifying the trajectories of a small proportion of flights: this subject, which has not yet been studied in depth, needs to be investigated as soon as possible. There are technical solutions and avenues of innovation for aviation and the climate that would make it possible to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by further improving aircraft fuel efficiency and switching to low-carbon fuels. However, it will take several decades to develop, industrialise and deploy these solutions across the entire fleet.

Based on possible scenarios between now and 2050, the report highlights the relationship between the level of air traffic in the coming decades and the share of the global carbon budget allocated to aviation. This document is aimed at players in the aviation sector, to help them define their decarbonisation strategies, while contributing to the public debate by providing the most objective possible insight into a subject that is as complex as it is important.

Standards and summary of standards :

Photo of the team of 6 authors from ISAE-SUPAERO: 5 teachers-researchers and the sustainable development manager

ISAE-SUPAERO ranked among the top three institutions most committed to ecological and societal transition!

Date :

05 Nov 2021

ISAE-SUPAERO is one of the top 3 engineering schools for environmental and societal issues!

The first edition of the “Universities and schools changing the world” ranking bears witness to this “awakening” of schools. Some fifty higher education establishments responded to the call of this ranking. An integrative approach in which the quality of training in impact and transition issues does not replace the traditional criteria of excellence, but complements them.

Taking these issues into account could become an increasingly important criterion in students’ choice of education. In fact, 8 out of 10 students consider that an institution that takes these issues into account is more attractive than others, according to the Réseau étudiant pour une société écologique et solidaire (Student Network for an Ecological and United Society) in a consultation of 50,000 students carried out between late 2019 and early 2020.

An institution’s commitment to the environment is now a decisive criterion for choosing a school.

To discover the overall ranking of the Grandes Ecoles committed to the ecological and societal transition, click here.

OSE L’ISAE-SUPAERO: a long-term commitment

Date :

13 Sep 2021

PICs to find solutions

As part of the Innovation and Creativity Projects (PIC) to be carried out by first-year students at ISAE-SUPAERO, a number of initiatives have been launched in schools in the Toulouse Academy:

PIC “light pollution” carried out in the Antoine Pons secondary school (Chalabre) and the Mirepoix secondary school. Several explanatory sessions and brainstorming sessions were held to try and find solutions to light pollution in their respective communes, such as switching off certain streetlights in places that are not used in the evening, and running an awareness-raising campaign in the communes.
Floating wind turbine” PIC offered to a class from Tournefeuille high school. The students were able to learn from their experience how to stabilise the buoyancy of a model wind turbine at sea.
Greenhouse construction” PIC at Hubertine Auclert secondary school in Toulouse. This project, which began two years ago, was aimed at 4th year students who built a garden in the first year, with the help of students from ISAE-SUPAERO, and then built the greenhouse in the second year. This greenhouse can be used by all secondary school pupils and teachers.
Discover the work of the young people in pictures
A project to build a wind turbine also took place in the same school with a class of 5th graders. Students from the “SupaeroForEarth” student association at ISAE-SUPAERO accompanied the pupils. See the construction of the mini-wind turbine
PIC “raising awareness of sustainable development” at the Louis Pasteur secondary school in Lavelanet and the Gorge Sand secondary school in Toulouse, with the production of a Fresque du climat game using recycled paper. The youngsters discovered the Climate Fresco game by making the support themselves.

The Climate Fresk: a key awareness-raising tool

The climate fresk is a scientific, collaborative and creative workshop designed to raise awareness of climate change in a fun way. It’s educational, enabling a team to discover in a short space of time how the climate works, and the causes and consequences of climate change.

Taking part in this workshop raises awareness of the complexity of climate change, gives an overview of this vast issue and provides the keys to understanding how to take effective action, both collectively and individually.

6 climate fresks were created in various schools in the Toulouse Academy: Collège Hubertine Auclert (Toulouse), Collège Jean Jaurès (Colomiers), Cité scolaire (Mirepoix), Centre Jean Lagarde (Toulouse), Collège George Sand (Toulouse), Collège Louis Pasteur (Graulhet).