While research into sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and clean propulsion technologies remains crucial, this year’s Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) Conference revealed growing interest in leveraging traveller behaviour as a critical decarbonisation tool for air transport.

During the session, Ram Kamath – representing both Bauhaus Luftfahrt and the MultiModX project – gave a presentation on passenger-centric strategies for decarbonisation, thereby contributing to the present shift in sustainable aviation discourse.

In his presentation, Kamath introduced a novel approach for identifying and predicting passenger profiles using agile modelling and data-driven tools. This work forms part of the broader research efforts of the MultiModX project, funded by the Single European Sky ATM Research 3 Joint Undertaking (SESAR 3 JU) and the European Union, which explores multimodal transport solutions with a focus on integration, digitalisation, and sustainability.

Kamath’s presentation emphasised that we first need to understand how passenger decision-making works in order to encourage passengers to make more sustainable transport decisions (e.g. choosing more eco-friendly modes of transport, travelling during off-peak hours, or opting for multimodal journeys).

Several other speakers, including Wen-Chun Tseng, Henrik Wittwer, and Julia Herget, gave compelling talks explaining how passenger preferences, perceptions, and decisions directly influence the aviation sector’s sustainability trajectory.

The annual ATRS Conference is a major platform for academic and industry researchers in air transport economics, policy, and operations. It provides a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas at the intersection of technology, strategy, and traveller behaviour.

MultiModX’s participation reflects its commitment to addressing the complexity of sustainable mobility, not only through cleaner fuels and infrastructure, but also smart, passenger-centric solutions.