A new phase is confirmed for a sector in complete transition. The third phase of the WINGS Innovation Partnership has been approved by the Walloon government. Support from the Walloon Region will enable further research into decarbonizing aeronautics, while strengthening the position of Walloon players in the aeronautics industry.
Herstal, January 10, 2024 - Willy Borsus, Vice-President and Walloon Minister for the Economy; Yves Delatte, Sonaca Group's CEO, and François Lepot, CEO of Safran Aero Boosters and their 17 partners kick off the third phase of the Innovation Partnership, named WINGS (Walloon Innovations for Green Skies). Motivated by the results achieved over the past three years, these partners from the Walloon aeronautical sector have renewed their commitment to moving towards a low-carbon aircraft by 2035, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
The challenges of decarbonizing aviation are numerous, and require the development of innovative technologies for both components and manufacturing processes. With Wings, major companies, SMEs and research centers have already made major advances over the past 3 years. The third phase of this project will take these technologies even further, so that they can be used on the next generation of aircraft, putting Wallonia and its players at the forefront of the aeronautics industry.