What’s the secret sauce behind air traffic management transformation? It’s collaboration!

Collaboration is the secret sauce behind air traffic management (ATM) transformation - and the 15th SESAR Innovation Days (SIDs), held from 1-4 December 2025 in Slovenia, showed how it is helping deliver results with real impact. Around 450 leading researchers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers gathered to explore Europe's path towards a Digital European Sky, sharing insights on the new service delivery model, human-machine teaming and satellite-based navigation. Hosted by Pipistrel and the University of Ljubljana, and organised by the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), the conference highlighted how collaboration across research, industry, and operations turns bold ideas into tangible solutions for safer, more efficient, and sustainable air traffic management.

Charting the course for a Digital European Sky

Opening the conference, Andreas Boschen, Executive Director of the SESAR JU, emphasised the importance of collaboration and continuous learning, noting that SESAR Innovation Days are designed to "connect people and ideas" and keep the ATM community "pushing the boundaries" of what's possible. He said: "SESAR Innovation Days 2025 demonstrate how collaboration powers progress. Together, we are turning bold ideas into tangible solutions that define the future of air traffic management-one that is efficient, sustainable, and resilient. The innovations we've seen this week bring us closer to our shared goal of a Digital European Sky."

In his opening address, Gabriel Massey, President and Managing Director ofPipistrel, shared the perspective of an aircraft manufacturer, highlighting the interplay between aircraft innovation and air traffic management. He underlined that innovation is "embedded in our DNA" at Pipistrel, and that exploring new frontiers requires "courage and collaboration." He said: "The truth is, no single company, no matter how innovative, can transform the entire aviation ecosystem alone. That's precisely why we need to work closely with our SESAR partners, with regulators and with academia. […] Through SESAR's research ecosystem, we are collectively accelerating the digitalisation of our skies and forging new paths for aviation across Europe."

Keynotes were also delivered by Flor Díaz Pulido, Head of Unit for the Single European Sky at the European Commission. She highlighted the role of innovation in addressing the sector's most pressing challenges, noting the importance of connecting ideas and skills across the ATM community. "Innovation must now translate into impact. Faster, together, with safety and cybersecurity in mind and with a clear commitment to delivering benefits for passengers and business while supporting ambitious sustainable objectives. The Digital European Sky is not an easy journey, it is an exciting one, that will not happen suddenly to us - we have to build it together. And it starts with the work we all commit to today," she said. She also emphasised that people are at the heart of progress, highlighting the need to train the next generation and attract new talent into the ATM community.

FIRESIDE CHAT WITH FORMER EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER

A highlight of the conference was the fireside chat with Violeta Bulc, Former Commissioner for Transport and Former Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia, moderated by David Batchelor, SESAR JU. The discussion focused on U-space, Europe's initiative to safely integrate drones and innovative air mobility into the airspace. Bulc recalled how her childhood fascination with science fiction helped her imagine mobility in the sky long before she took on the EU transport portfolio. Once in office, drone intrusions and the growing use of drones for a wide range of applications made it clear that Europe needed a coherent approach to safely integrate this new form of traffic. This helped propel U-space from concept to policy, supported by close cooperation between policymakers and engineers. She shared her insights on the challenges and opportunities of deploying U-space, emphasising the need for regulatory agility, industry collaboration, and public acceptance to ensure its success. "U-space is the biggest change maker in transport in the 21^st century. It is not just about technology-it's about creating an ecosystem where innovation thrives, safety is paramount, and all stakeholders work together. The progress we've made is encouraging, but the real test lies in scaling these solutions across Europe," she said.

SESAR YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARDS

Curiosity, creativity, and a drive to make flying even safer and more sustainable - that's what united the winners of this year'sSESAR Young Scientist Award. In the PhD category, first place went to Hannes Braßel, Technische Universität Dresden, for research on enhancing ground safety at airports, with a solution scalable to airports anywhere and future vertiport environments. In the student category, the top place was awarded to Vera Tessa Cornelie Buis, Wageningen University & Research in collaboration with LVNL , for applying machine learning algorithms to improve airport visibility forecasting, especially in low-visibility conditions.
Read about this year's ceremony

SLOVENIAN PERSPECTIVES

Slovenia's contribution to air traffic management innovation took centre stage at the conference, with speakers offering insights into the future of European aviation and the country's commitment to research and innovation.

Tomaž Pečnik, Director General of Slovenia's Directorate of Aviation and Maritime Transport, highlighted Slovenia's support for innovation and the importance of a knowledge-based society for Europe's competitiveness. He stressed that research - including in aviation - must remain a cross-cutting priority, recognising Slovenia's contributions and the value of SESAR as a key partnership supporting teamwork and skills across Europe.

Marko Hrastovec, Head of System Design and Development Division, Slovenia Control underlined the important role that ANSPs can play in shaping innovation as Europe moves towards a new service delivery model. He called on the SESAR community to "think boldly and act collaboratively. Let us view every prototype, every simulation, every policy dialogue as a building block of the Digital European Sky."

Tine Tomažič, Director of Engineering and Innovation at Pipistrel, delivered a powerful reminder that technology's greatest impact is driven by human ingenuity and collaboration. "No matter how sophisticated technology becomes, its true success will always rest on the human spirit. Transformative progress emerges when we dare to reinvent ourselves, embracing both technologies and collaboration as new possibilities unfold. Make no mistake: innovation is not an accident-it is the result of inspiration and relentless perseverance. It demands extraordinary effort, but it is the effort that shapes the future."

Peter Vidmar, Dean of the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport, University of Ljubljana, explored how academic research propels aviation from the lecture hall to lift-off.

Plenary sessions: addressing key challenges in ATM

Unlocking Innovation Through the New Service Delivery Model

Moderated by Andreas Boschen, with panellists from Austro Control, Indra, Tern Systems and the University of Zagreb the session explored how Europe's shift to a modular, cloud-enabled, and service-oriented approach to air traffic management can break away from legacy systems and speed up innovation. Panellists shared this move is essential for a more flexible, scalable and resilient European sky.
Read about the plenary

Human-machine teaming - From concept to reality

Led by Olivia Nunez, Head of Technology and Master Planning at SESAR JU, this session brought together experts from EASA, Airbus, IFATCA, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and EUROCONTROL, who explored how human expertise and intelligent systems can team up safely and transparently in tomorrow's ATM. The panel delved into trust, responsibility, automation boundaries and what it really takes to operationalise human-machine teaming.
Read about the plenary

Future-proofing aviation - From GNSS to virtual operations

Moderated by Chrystelle Damar, SESAR JU, this session highlighted next-generation technologies, including GNSS advancements, virtual operations, and cybersecurity. Speakers from Pipistrel, PANSA, and SINTEF Digital highlighted why multi-sensor resilience, civil-military cooperation and early-stage design choices will be critical to keeping Europe's aviation system secure and future-ready.
Read about the plenary

Technical papers, Posters and knowledge exchange

Over the course of the event, 56 technical papers were presented across 12 sessions, covering topics from climate-optimised trajectories, innovative air mobility (IAM) to digital flight rules and quantum computing, and safety and cybersecurity in ATM. The exhibition also featured 40 posters and interactive demonstrations from projects across the Digital European Sky programme and beyond, including contributions from the Engage 2 knowledge network, which showcased its collaborative wiki and ongoing work to strengthen knowledge sharing across the ATM research community.

Showcasing innovation in action

INNOVATION IN ACTION
Participants had the opportunity to see:

• Slovenia Control: Attendees gained first-hand insights into Europe's smallest Flight Information Region (FIR), exploring the unique challenges and solutions in managing a small but complex airspace.
• Pipistrel: A tour of the facilities highlighted the manufacturing process of Europe's first certified electric aircraft, showcasing Pipistrel's leadership in sustainable aviation.

Nasvidenje, Slovenija! Dia dHuit, Corcaigh (Cork)!

The conference drew to a close with an exciting announcement that the 2026 edition will take place in Cork, Ireland, hosted at University College Cork during the Irish Presidency of the EU and supported by Cork Airport, Fáilte Ireland (Irish Tourist Board), and the Atlantic Flight Training Academy.