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Icao innovation fair BV panel
ICAO Innovation Fair: Bureau Veritas at the Heart of Tomorrow's Aviation Regulatory Challenges
Sep. 30 2025
On September 21 and 22, ahead of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) triennial Assembly, the ICAO Innovation Fair brought together major global aviation stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities for innovation in the aeronautical sector. Bureau Veritas was represented by Philippe Fonta, Head of the Sustainable Aviation and Advanced Air Mobility Business Unit, who participated in the panel "Timely Development of Global Policies and Standards".
The Urgency of a Regulatory Framework Adapted to Innovation
The panel highlighted a major challenge: how to rapidly develop global policies and standards that support the pace of innovation while preserving safety, security, and sustainability requirements?
Key Issues Identified:
- Technological Acceleration: Emergence of new technologies (electric aircraft, advanced aerial mobility, sustainable fuels) requires unprecedented regulatory frameworks
- International Harmonization: Need for coherent global standards to facilitate worldwide innovation deployment
- Delicate Balance: Enabling innovation (including disruptive technologies) without compromising operational safety
Bureau Veritas' Vision: Supporting Transformation
During his intervention, our expert emphasized the importance of collaborative approaches between regulators, industry players, and certification bodies. "Innovation can only thrive in a predictable and adaptive regulatory environment," he stated. He explained how specific operation risk analyses (SORA) can ensure operational safety (under various conditions) and illustrated this through the partnership established in June 2025 between Bureau Veritas and Wings for Aid.
Our Approach:
- Regulatory Anticipation: Supporting clients in understanding normative developments
- Technical Expertise: Providing in-depth knowledge of emerging technologies
- Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with authorities to develop relevant standards
Head of the Sustainable Aviation and Advanced Aerial Mobility Business Unit
Bureau Veritas Aeronautics & Space Division
Standard development and risk analyses must establish trust in innovation by protecting users, operators, and innovators; certification must be an accelerator for implementing these new technologies and mobilities.
Focus on Sustainable Aviation and Advanced Aerial Mobility
The panel particularly emphasized two priority innovation areas
Sustainable Aviation
- Certification of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), both in resource and fuel transformation
- Standards for new propulsion systems (electric, hydrogen)
- Methods for evaluating environmental impact and benefits
More about Bureau Veritas' services dedicated to Sustainable Aviation.
Advanced Aerial Mobility
- Regulation of autonomous or self-piloted aircraft
- Integration into existing airspace
- Safety standards for new operational concepts
Future Perspectives
The ICAO Innovation Fair confirmed that aviation's future relies on enhanced collaboration among all ecosystem actors. Bureau Veritas, with its audit and inspection expertise, continues to invest in these future domains to support the aeronautical sector's transformation.
Our Commitments
- Over 100 years of historical experience in airworthiness and safety
- Proven methodology adapted to your challenges
- Team training on emerging technologies
- Active participation in international working groups