Over the last one-and-a-half year, the European Union and Japan have followed through on the spirit of cooperation that was established with the EU-Japan Aviation Partnership Project (APP) in June 2023. Since then, the number of exchanges on subjects like Innovative Aerial Systems, sustainable aviation, safety management and many others have increased significantly.
With the attendance of the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) of the European Commission as well as industry partners, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) organised a Closing Event in Tokyo on 4 December, to take stock of the achievements under this FPI-supported project. Exchanging expert insights in rapidly advancing technology fields is essential for authorities to develop policies and regulations that facilitate their deployment. Among many other activities, and taking the future use of autonomy in the industry as an example, this year JCAB and EASA organised visits to Oslo Gardermoen Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport and Frankfurt Airport to evaluate progress and discuss approaches to safely introducing autonomous vehicles in airports.
In addition to reviewing results from the activities that were organised under the APP, the European and Japanese representatives stated their positive expectations for continuing collaboration in the future. Together with contributors from the aviation industry, the two sides intend to use this platform in the coming years to continue tackling the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow’s aviation landscape.
