Jesús Caballero, CEO of SOF Connect – the operator of Sofia Airport, delivered a lecture in front of second year students of aviation engineering at the Technical University. The lecture is part of the initiatives envisaged in the cooperation agreement signed at the end of last year between the university and the operator of the Sofia airport.
During the presentation the future aviation engineers were introduced to the current trends and challenges in aviation. It is one of the fastest growing economic sectors worldwide – every minute of the day there are 11,000 airplanes in the air. The industry expects air travel over the next 10 years to nearly double from the pre-pandemic year of 2019 to 7.2 billion passengers.
Jesús Caballero also focused on environment sustainability. Even though aviation accounts for only 2.5% of the total carbon dioxide emissions, the industry invests heavily in finding alternative sources of energy and means of transport to mitigate its climate impact – for example, the development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) taxis. IATA’s (International Air Transport Association) 2050 carbon neutrality strategy envisages that 65% of this will come from the use of sustainable aviation fuel.
“In line with global trends, we at SOF Connect, have set out in our strategy to fully decarbonise by 2036 and sustainable aviation fuel is a key part of the process and the future of the sector. The industry must continue to invest in environmentally friendly technologies that reduce environmental impact while maintaining high standards of safety and quality of service,” Jesús Caballero told the students.
During the presentation, he drew attention to the implementation of artificial intelligence and digitalization of airport processes. Jesús Caballero highlighted how innovation in technology plays a key role in managing operations more efficiently and safely. SOF Connect is fully committed to innovation and international best practices in its investment projects.
The partnership between the operator of Sofia Airport and the Technical University includes also the development of a joint internship program, participation of experts from the company in the curriculum, organization of open days at Sofia Airport for the students, renovation of the university’s educational facilities, etc.
Photos from the lecture can be downloaded from this link: https://tinyurl.com/mwd85k89