In bright sunshine, we had the pleasure of hosting the 5th Niedersachsen Aviation Day (NAD 2024) at AutoGyro in Hildesheim. The NAD impressively demonstrated the strength of Lower Saxony as an aerospace location in the field of general aviation and the innovative power that is unleashed by the interplay of research, production and infrastructure.

The event focused on the urgent question of how aviation can be transformed on the way to sustainable, CO2-neutral operations. Among other things, the focus was on electrification - a forward-looking topic that is not only important for Lower Saxony as a location, but for the entire aviation industry. In exciting specialist presentations, experts from various fields spoke about specific research and solution approaches that will help to achieve the goals of climate neutrality.

A particular highlight of the Lower Saxony Aviation Day (NAD 2024) was the panel discussion with Mr Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony's Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Construction and Digitalization. His participation underlined the importance of the event and the central role that Lower Saxony is playing in the transformation of the aviation industry. The lively discussion, which was also attended by representatives from leading companies and research institutions, focused on the topic of “Regional Air Mobility”. The key findings were:

1. regional air mobility as part of an overall mobility ecosystem is indispensable for Lower Saxony & Germany in order to secure mobility needs and competitiveness.

2. with its geographical location, Lower Saxony is the perfect use case for testing and commercial use of Regional Air Mobility.

3. various companies in Lower Saxony are working on the realization of climate-friendly regional aircraft.

4. the funding backdrop is essential for companies to drive R&D forward.

5. pooling the expertise of different companies from various sectors with similar challenges is important in order to achieve synergy effects.

Another highlight was the accompanying exhibition. Participants were able to experience new ideas and projects up close during the Niedersachsen Aviation Day. The diversity of the companies presented, including drone developers, component manufacturers and aircraft producers, impressively demonstrated that Lower Saxony's aviation industry is ideally equipped to tackle the challenges of aviation in the future.

The opportunities to fly in Autogyro helicopters were particularly popular. These 2-seaters have been manufactured in Hildesheim since 2003 and have already been sold over 3,100 times. The production tours also offered an exciting insight into the ultra-modern production technology and the innovative strength of our site.

The response to Niedersachsen Aviation Day 2024 was overwhelmingly positive and we are proud to have welcomed so many interested parties and experts to join us in tackling the challenges of the future. We would like to thank all participants, exhibitors and speakers and look forward to the next steps towards sustainable and climate-neutral aviation.