NOVA AIRLINES AB

Their core work

Nova Airlines AB is a Swedish commercial airline that brings operational flight expertise into EU aviation research. Their core contribution is the airline perspective: real-world knowledge of flight operations, airspace user behavior, and aircraft performance that technology developers and ATM researchers cannot replicate internally. In the DIGITS-AU project they acted as the airspace user representative, validating trajectory-sharing concepts from the cockpit side. In ALBATROSS they shifted focus to energy efficiency and green flight trajectories, contributing operational data and airline use-case validation to what is one of SESAR's sustainability-oriented Innovation Actions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (DIGITS-AU, 2018–2020), Nova Airlines focused on ATM data sharing — specifically how airlines as airspace users can share trajectory information early to improve network efficiency; the emphasis was procedural and data-interoperability. By their second project (ALBATROSS, 2020–2023), the focus shifted decisively toward environmental performance: green flight paths, energy efficiency, and CO2 reduction became the defining themes. This mirrors the broader European aviation sector's pivot from pure ATM efficiency to sustainability-driven operations, and suggests Nova Airlines is positioning itself as an airline partner for green aviation research rather than purely ATM modernization.

Nova Airlines is moving toward sustainable aviation research, making them a likely partner for future projects involving decarbonization, eco-routing, or low-emission flight operations that need an airline to provide operational validation.

How they like to work

Nova Airlines participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never led an H2020 project — which is typical for operational airlines whose value lies in providing real-world validation rather than driving research agendas. Their relatively large partner network (25 partners across 12 countries for just 2 projects) suggests they join well-connected, multi-stakeholder SESAR consortia rather than small bilateral arrangements. Working with them likely means accessing an airline that can test, validate, and provide operational feedback within a structured research programme.

Nova Airlines has connected with 25 unique partners across 12 countries through only 2 projects, indicating they join large, pan-European SESAR consortia. Their geographic reach is solidly European, consistent with the Single European Sky regulatory and research context.

What sets them apart

Nova Airlines brings something most aviation research partners cannot: they are an actual operating airline, not a simulator, vendor, or regulator. This means they can validate research concepts against real schedules, real routes, and real operational constraints — a critical gap in many research consortia. For project coordinators building SESAR or sustainable aviation proposals, having a commercial airline as a named partner significantly strengthens the operational credibility and impact case of the application.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ALBATROSS
  Nova Airlines' largest project by funding (€481,250) and the one that defines their current profile — a SESAR Innovation Action targeting energy-efficient flight trajectories and CO2 reduction, running through 2023.
• DIGITS-AU
  Their entry into EU research as the airspace user representative in an ATM trajectory-sharing demonstration, showing how airlines contribute the operational side to ATM research consortia.