In the occasion of the celebration of the 2011 Aeronautical Days held in Madrid on 30 March 2011, Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, presented a new long-term vision prepared by a high-level group on aviation and aeronautics research. Organised by the Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) and the Commission, the 2011 Aerodays provide an opportunity to present and disseminate information about EU-funded results of research and technological development activities.

In the "Flightpath 2050" report, the Commission lays out how and where the European research priorities in aviation should be set to bring clear EU-added value, so as to preserve EU growth and competitiveness worldwide, whilst meeting market needs as well as energy and environmental challenges. It is a first follow-up to some of the measures regarding aviation that had been put forward in the White Paper on Transport adopted on 28 March 2011.

The report was prepared for Commissioners Kallas and Geoghegan-Quinn, responsible for research and innovation, by representatives from the infrastructure, vehicle, operation, fuel and research sectors meeting in the high-level group on aviation and aeronautics research which was created in December 2010. The central message of the report is to promote global leadership of the European industry and a competitive, clean, safe and secure aviation by 2050, with citizens' and society's needs at the heart of the strategy.

Aerodays 2011

The 2011 Aerodays bring together in Madrid aeronautics stakeholders, ministries, agencies and research & development centres from all across Europe and overseas to network, present their latest research results and discuss common future R&D projects.

Organised by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) in Spain and the European Commission, the 2011 Aerodays provide an opportunity to present and disseminate information about EU-funded results of research and technological development activities, in view of creating a Single European Sky and a European Research Area and of finding innovative approaches to sustainable aviation in a global environment.