While carbon reduction remains the core goal, the panel agreed that the next wave of innovation will go beyond fuel burn. One of the most promising areas is contrail avoidance.

This month’s episode of Altitude, recorded on the floor of the DroneX conference in London, was about moving from innovation to integration — how drones are changing the way we live in exciting ways along, together with and a desire to see an acceleration away from trials towards more routine operations.

This isn’t about replacing helicopters with uncrewed aircraft. It’s about widening the spectrum, building a toolbox where each instrument has its role. The EC135 helicopters: fast, agile, able to drop into a scene in minutes. The uncrewed aircraft: quieter, cleaner, able to stay aloft for hours at a time.

This month on Altitude, we tuned in to a special episode celebrating Women in Engineering. But this wasn’t just a celebration — it was a reckoning, a reflection, a rallying cry. More than anything, it was a powerful reminder: engineering isn’t just about things. It’s about people.

This month on Altitude, we stood at the crossroads of the old and the new, guided by three people who are shaping aviation’s digital journey: Marco Rueckert, CTO of Searidge Technologies; Michelle Ho, former Manager of Airfield Digital Transformation at Hong Kong International Airport; and Andy Taylor, Chief Solutions Officer at NATS. Together with our host, Russell Porter, they laid out a compelling vision of what happens when we rewire the airport for the 21st century. 

On the latest episode of Altitude, our expert panel explored the progress made in aviation sustainability and the challenges that remain. Their insights revealed a mix of optimism, determination, and a clear commitment to a more sustainable future. The key question: are we doing enough to shift the trajectory?

Following the deployment of Pairwise Separation at Heathrow Airport in December, I sat with John Eden, Service Technical Expert for Traffic Synchronisation, and a key member of the project team, to discuss the intricacies involved, the challenges encountered, and how they were successfully overcome.

In the latest episode of Altitude, Kelly Stone MBE, Heathrow Head of Operations and Jeannine Fernandes, NATS Heathrow Air Traffic Coordinator, joined our host Ady Dolan for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of Europe’s busiest airport and how the centre is evolving to meet future demands.