ENAC (French national civil aviation school), supported by Air Caraïbes and French bee airlines (Dubreuil group) via the ENAC Foundation, have officially launched, on the school’s campus in Toulouse, a new research chair named TRAVEL (susTainable aiR mobility and new pAssenger behaViour modELling), dedicated to the study of new sustainable air mobilities, through the prism of passenger behaviour.
This new chair is a double first: it is the first Economic Sciences chair in France applied to air transport and the first chair in the world dedicated to the study of passenger demand. Its role will be to carry out surveys, collect data and provide quantitative and formalised analysis of consumer behaviour, on an unprecedented scale.
The objectives of the TRAVEL chair:
To better understand structural changes in passenger demand, particularly by looking into their choices in terms of transportation modes and intermodality (partnership/competition between modes of transport);
To study the conditions in which technical progress and different operational innovations could address new demands, particularly in terms of sustainability.
Its missions:
Produce and analyse quantitative data, for a better understanding of the evolution of passenger demand;
Produce economic models, to quantify and analyse the mechanisms at work in the evolution of demand in transport;
Use the results of its research to produce directly operational elements for the definition of strategies for air transport operators and decision-makers;
Disseminate the results of its work to all players and decision-makers in the sector, in particular through publications and scientific events.
The TRAVEL chair will adopt a unique multidisciplinary scientific approach, based on its expertise in economy and economy applied to air transport.
The chairholder, Estelle Malavolti, is a teacher at ENAC and an Associate Researcher at Toulouse School of Economics (TSE). Specialising in Industrial Economy applied to air transport markets and to regulation and competition policies, Estelle Malavolti is also a member of the European Commission Performance Review Body and an expert advisor in air transport with several major institutions (ICAO, EuropeanUnion, French Academy of Science, The World Bank…).
Olivier Chansou, Director of ENAC, said: “This chair, based on the unique expertise of ENAC, is a fantastic opportunity for our school, and for the whole sector. Better understanding demand is essential to anticipate and support structural evolutions in air transport systems. This research work will also be strategic to fully address the expectations of users, and more globally, that of society”.
The chair patron, Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO of Air Caraïbes and President of French bee, added: “It was crucial for us to support a project of such general interest. Mobilising the expertise of ENAC to get a better understanding of the evolution of demand is very interesting for us of course, as airlines, but it is also interesting for the rest of the sector. The results of this work, which will be public and aimed at decision-makers, will enable us to move forward together, while being informed on the evolutions necessary for our activities in order to shape the future of air transport “.
The chairholder, Estelle Malavolti, is delighted with her mission: “The current work, often based on management disciplines, is mostly focused on technical progress as a solution to address the sustainability challenges of air transport. This work is necessary and contributes to the debate about decarbonizing the sector, but it is not enough. We must work on the demand, on the evolution of passenger needs, uses and expectations, and this will root the debate in reality, and therefore make them more objective”.
Finally, Sadika Houari, President of the ENAC Foundation, added: “We are very proud to have the support of French bee and AirCaraïbes, as patrons of this new research chair, whose goals are particularly relevant and consistent with the Foundation’s actions to develop research and innovation and its commitment to the ecological transition of air transport”.
The chair is launched for an initial duration of 5 years and has a budget of 800,000 euros.
The article ENAC, Air Caraïbes, French bee and the ENAC Foundation launch the TRAVEL research chair first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.