The chair of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said the country's progress with cutting emissions in aviation depends in part on how quickly airspace can be modernised.
That in turn requires closer collaboration between officials and industry, according to Stephen Hillier, adding that a "mindset shift" is taking place to "reconfigure" the regulator to respond more quickly to technological change in the aviation industry, which he said has responded positively to the CAA's efforts.
"What I ask from industry in return is early and frequent engagement with us," Hillier said, speaking at the Sustainable Skies World Summit 2023.
"Safety is not incompatible with technology", Hillier said, but added that closer collaboration between the CAA and industry would not mean any short cuts for certification.
Hillier said the CAA is "keen for airspace modernisation" but added that "timely progress" on emissions reduction efforts depend on regulators' ability to "adapt at pace" and on the technological developments in the aviation industry.
"We have to take into account the environment and sustainability in all the CAA's decision making and regulations", Hillier said.