European Modus project at SESAR Innovation Days 2021

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The Modus project was represented for the second time at the SESAR Innovation Days (SIDs) held online from 7 to 9 December.

The second day of the event featured a plenary session on ‘Multimodality, why is it taking so long?’ moderated by Andrew Cook (University of Westminster, London and member of the Modus project team). The round table panel comprised:

Annika Paul, Researcher, Bauhaus Luftfahrt and leader, SESAR 2020 Modus project
Christoph Schneider, Munich Airport, Chairman of ACARE WG1
Ralf Bärwalde, Head of Intermodal & Mobility Innovation, Lufthansa
Delphine Grandsart, Research Officer, European Passengers’ Federation
Riccardo Santoro, Manager of Innovation Programmes, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane group

The very interesting discussions revealed that although 60% of customers are ready for multimodality, it is difficult to put multimodal solutions in place due to limited coordination between different modes of transport, which means that it is often easier for the end customer to travel by car.

Stakeholders also discussed the digital transformation of the sector and the need to establish standards and make data available in sales platforms in order to provide greater travel flexibility.

The transport sector can no longer operate in silos, as it has in the past.

The discussions highlighted that multimodality requires further research, greater inventiveness, increased market opportunities and greater flexibility to adapt to the situation from a door-to-door perspective.

On the business side, it was noted that technology must be used to take into account the costs for operators themselves, customers (by offering packages) and intermediaries, whose aim is to obtain benefits.

The SESAR Innovation Days provided an opportunity to share progress and disseminate exploratory research results. The event reflects Europe’s commitment to the long-term sustainability of the aviation industry, as well as its recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.

The event featured 12 technical sessions with 37 presentations on papers, exhibitions and posters, as well as keynotes and virtual networking events, providing participants with the opportunity to learn about interesting projects and meet like-minded researchers.

The Modus project consortium has seven members: Bauhaus Luftfahrt, ENAC, University of Westminster, Innaxis, Skymantics, Eurocontrol and UIC.

The Modus project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme on the topic SESAR-ER4-10-2019 ATM Role in Intermodal Transport under grant agreement No 891166. It started in June 2020 and will run until November 2022.