ENAC and the Dubreuil group join forces to open up new horizons in the field of new air mobility with the creation of the TRAVEL Chair. An innovative and promising collaboration that promises to revolutionize the aeronautical industry.
L'ENAC (École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile) and the Dubreuil group, which includes the airlines Air Caraïbes and French bee, recently announced a new collaboration. Together, they are launching the TRAVEL research chair (susTainable aiR mobility and new pAssenger behaViour modELling) to gain a deeper understanding of passenger behaviour in the context of the new sustainable air mobility.
The need to think about decarbonizing air transport
This initiative comes at a time when the airline industry is facing a number of challenges, including ecological transition of the future. According to Olivier Chansou, Managing Director of ENAC, "a better understanding of demand is essential to anticipate and support structural changes in air transport systems". Visit TRAVEL chair aims to contribute to this understanding by providing valuable insights and data.
Objectives of the TRAVEL Chair
The TRAVEL Chair aims to achieve two main objectives:
- A better understanding of structural changes passenger demand, notably by studying transport mode choices and intermodality.
- Study technical and operational innovations to meet new expectations in terms of the sustainability of air transport.
A pilot initiative in applied economics
This chair is a first of its kind, being both the first French chair in economics applied to air transport, and the first in the world to focus on the study of passenger demand. An initial budget of €800,000 has been allocated to support this initiative over a five-year period.
Management and expertise of the TRAVEL Chair
The TRAVEL Chair is headed by Estelle Malavolti, Professor at ENAC and Associate Researcher at the Toulouse School of Economics (TSE). A specialist in industrial economics applied to air transport markets, regulation and competition policies, she brings considerable expertise to this project.
Methodology and consumer research
To achieve its objectives, the TRAVEL Chair will conduct large-scale consumer surveys. The data collected will be analyzed with the help of mathematicians and statisticians to develop economic and econometric models. These models will then be tested to understand and predict passenger behavior.
TRAVEL Chair missions
- Produce and analyze quantitative data to understand the evolution of passenger demand.
- Developing business models to quantify the mechanisms influencing demand in the transport market.
- Exploiting the results to provide air transport operators with operational recommendations.
- Disseminating results to decision-makers and industry players through publications and scientific events.
A new chapter in air transport research
Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO of Air Caraïbes and President of French bee, underlines the importance of this initiative at a time when the airline industry is catching its breath after the Covid-19 pandemic. "The results of this work, which will be public and aimed at decision-makers, will enable us to move forward collectively and in an enlightened way on the necessary evolutions of our activities", she declared.
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