As part of the SESAR Open Demo Days for the ENSURE and SPATIO projects that took place on the 8th and 9th of April 2026, Collins Aerospace and FMCI facilitated a dedicated engagement opportunity for the AIRMOB project through a series of presentations, discussions, and panel interactions with stakeholders from across the aviation and innovative air mobility ecosystem. The event provided an ideal environment to position AIRMOB within wider European discussions on the future of aviation operations, workforce readiness, and innovation adoption. FMCI would also like to extend its appreciation to Collins Aerospace and all partners involved in the ENSURE and SPATIO projects for organising and supporting such a valuable collaborative event.
AIRMOB activities during the event focused strongly on raising awareness of the project’s ambition to address emerging skills gaps and support the development of a future-ready workforce for innovative air mobility. Through the joint presentation delivered by FMCI, TUS, and Avtrain, the consortium presented the project vision, its Centres of Vocational Excellence approach, and the role of cross-sector collaboration in building educational and training pathways aligned with industry needs.
A key component of the engagement was the detailed AIRMOB Roadmap presentation delivered by Brendan Dolan and Sumana Biswas from TUS. The roadmap presentation outlined the planned implementation activities of the project, including stakeholder engagement, programme development, and long-term ambitions to establish sustainable educational frameworks supporting innovative air mobility in Ireland and across Europe.
The event also created opportunities for direct interaction with stakeholders actively involved in advanced aviation technologies, U-space, and future airspace operations. Discussions highlighted strong interest in the educational dimension of AIRMOB, particularly regarding how the project could contribute to reducing identified workforce and competency gaps across the sector.
This theme was reinforced during the closing panel discussion, where Wassim Derguech (FMCI) and Julie Garland (Avtrain) emphasised the growing challenge of skills shortages within the aviation and innovative air mobility sectors. Both speakers positioned AIRMOB as an important initiative in helping bridge these gaps through coordinated training, vocational excellence, and industry-aligned educational development.
Overall, the event and associated engagement activities strengthened the visibility of the AIRMOB project among a highly relevant stakeholder audience and reinforced the importance of skills-focused collaboration in supporting the future growth of innovative air mobility.
The engagement generated constructive discussions and valuable qualitative feedback from participants, particularly regarding workforce development needs, future training requirements, and opportunities for collaboration across the innovative air mobility ecosystem. The event also strengthened awareness of the AIRMOB project among key European stakeholders and reinforced interest in future engagement with the consortium and its activities.
About AIRMOB
AIRMOB (Developing Skills and Capabilities for Innovative Air Mobility) focuses on the provision of excellent vocational education and training (VET) aligned with the IAM sector’s need. The AIRMOB pathway to excellent VET includes the design of joint curricula and training courses, professional development of teachers and trainers, internships, mobilities and other multi-level collaborations
Learn more about the project here.
Acknowledgement
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. [Grant Agreement number: 101194074]
