All articles by Alexander Love
Alexander Love
Lift off: How Scotland is building climate resilience with satellite data
Data from Earth observation satellites offers numerous advantages for businesses seeking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and future-proof operations against threats posed by climate change. Scotland is rapidly developing its expertise in this crucial area to strengthen supply chains and meet net zero targets.
Earth observation from space: monitoring supply chains and deforestation
The number of satellites in orbit has transformed the ability to monitor activities and events on earth, from supply chain routes to emissions performance and habitat loss – all through space data.
Electric planes: the battery tech helping to decarbonise aviation
Battery-powered electric planes are expected to take to the skies for commercial flights in the next few years, with crucial projects taking place in Brabant in the Netherlands.
Why investors are looking at Scotland’s space sector
Venture capital (VC) investment is required for new industries to develop and grow, with public funds only going so far. Scotland has much to offer VC investors with low-risk opportunities in emerging sectors such as tech and space.
Airports seek to avoid summer of strikes
After a long year of lockdowns and travel restrictions, things were looking up for air travel as international travel started to open up. However, following redundancies, pay cuts, and more during the last year, many airport staff still find their jobs in uncertain positions. We take a look at the industrial action that has already taken place and asks if there is more to come.
Flight FR4978 interception: what’s the threat response?
While the increase in security measures and passenger controls post-9/11 has helped with threats such as hijacking, the diversion of Ryanair flight FR4978 by Belarus in May shows that vulnerabilities to interference with flights remain. We explore what procedures are in place to deal with such incidents.
The Red Sea Airport: designing a new luxury airport in Saudi Arabia
British architect firm Foster + Partners has been awarded a design contract for Red Sea International Airport in Saudi Arabia. The airport is set to serve one million passengers by 2030, and is part of the country’s ‘Red Sea Project’ which aims to create a new luxury tourism destination in the coming years. Foster + Partners talk about what they aim to achieve in this project, the unique considerations involved with developing a project in this region.
Australia’s bush fires and the effect on airport visibility
Fires have ravaged significant portions of Australia in late 2019 and early 2020, and while disruption to flights has been relatively small, the stark situation is a reminder of how critical technology can be. Here is a closer look at the impact of this devastating event on airports in the country.
A staggering new approach to boosting runway capacity
Eurocontrol and SESAR recently authenticated two new concepts based on scenarios tested at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport aimed at improving runway capacity. Static pairwise separation focuses on wake turbulence and the second ‘dual threshold’ focuses on staggered thresholds. Frederic Rooseleer at EUROCONTROL explains how it all works.
Air Passenger Duty post Brexit: in or out?
Several MPs recently urged the UK Government to cut or abolish Air Passenger Duty (APD) post-Brexit. They argue that the UK’s APD rate is higher than any other EU country and that these taxes add unreasonable amounts to the cost of every ticket. Furthermore, they believe that reducing APD by 50% would encourage two two-thirds of airlines to pick up new routes. Are they right?