Mobility Week triggers fresh ideas in LAirA project
21 September 2018, Milan – The LAirA consortium gathered in Milan for the 3rd transnational project meeting. The timing of the meeting fits perfectly with the mobility agenda and policy priorities, as the event was in sync with the European Mobility Week. Hence, LAirA partners had the chance to exchange ideas with the transport community, while also discussing the latest progress of the project.
LAirA partners mobilised to keep up with the latest mobility trends. This LAirA transnational project meeting came up with a little extra: it was not only a review of the project status, but it was also an opportunity for the partnership to engage with additional mobility experts, from areas beyond the LAirA partnership.
This meeting was hosted by SEA Milan Airports, the LAirA partner in charge of reinforcing behavioural changes for green mobility. Within this meeting, the exchange between LAirA experts and external experts fostered ripe environment for fresh ideas for interregional cooperation. This exchange gave food for thought related to sustainable modes of transport and it paved the way towards new research initiatives.
At the initiative of SEA Milan Airports, LAirA consortium participated in an international workshop on the topic of electric mobility at airports. The event brought together European airports (Milan Airports, Gatwick Airport, Stuttgart Airport), policy-makers (European Commission – DG Move) and local and regional public authorities (Lombardy Region, Municipality of Milan, Budapest District 18, Airport Regions Conference). The participants exchanged ideas on European policies for electric mobility as well as on national and international mobility practices. The aim was to determine the prospects of electric mobility solutions and to improve the sustainability of airports’ landside accessibility.
The project partners got inspired by this international workshop and its outcomes will surely contribute to LAirA’s results. More specifically, Gábor Csaba Soóki-Tóth, from Budapest District 18, the LAirA coordinator, mentions that “once again we see that there is will and motivation to reinforce low carbon mobility, but there are still technical obstacles and they can be overcome if they are supported by policies”. Massimo Corradi, in charge of funding programs at SEA Milan Airports, asserts that “Italy is on track with the low carbon mobility shift and we are ready to catch all the opportunities. Interreg projects like LAirA help us to facilitate the approach and to be innovative in the mobility field”. Also, Léa Bodossian, Secretary-General of Airport Regions Conference, the European network of airport regions marked that “the wealth of experiences shared during these meetings is invaluable, because it shows how much regions are at the forefront of green mobility”.
