Solakonferansen 2025

Stiftelsen Solakonferansen Org. nr. 975 834 425 Contact leder@solakonferansen.no Tel. +47 90 47 37 02
 solakonferansen.no Address Flyplassvegen 180 NO-4055 Sola 2 Stiftelsen Solakonferansen Org. nr. 975 834 425 Contact leder@solakonferansen.no Tel. +47 90 47 37 02
 solakonferansen.no Address Flyplassvegen 180 NO-4055 Sola

Solakonferansen 2025 22 – 24 September

At Clarion Hotel Air, NO-4055 Sola, Norway

Covering Safety, Quality and Environment in Aviation - discussing Sustainability through improved environmental footprint and adopting new technologies such as Advanced Air Mobility – Zero Emission – UAS – eVTOL – Offshore Aviation including Wind Farm Operations

Monday 22 September

1055 Seated in conference hall Air London, Air New York & Air Sydney – Safety Brief and Announcements

1100 – 1120 Welcoming Remarks Andreas Kollbye Aks, Chairman of the Board, Stiftelsen Solakonferansen (Solakonferansen Foundation) Solakonferansen 2025 Official Opening and Opening Speech Mayor Janne Stangeland Rege, Conservative (H), Sola Municipality

1120 – 1130 Introduction to Today’s Programme Lead Host Speaker Axel Knutsen, Stiftelsen Solakonferansen

1130 – 1220 Lunch

 1220 – 1245 Keynote Speaker Ketil Solvik-Olsen, Associated Partner, Geelmuyden Kiese Norge

 1245 – 1305 NOK One Billion on Restructuring Aviation and Design a New Drone Strategy. What? – Where? – Not at all? – And a strategy? Open slot – What’s In It Today (2025)? Knut Roar Wiig, Founding Partner, SkyPal AS

1305 – 1330 Threat Assessment – Status of The Current Picture Specifically Related to Offshore Activity and Helicopters - Jan Otto Johansen, Head of Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System, Norwegian National Police, Oslo Police District

1330 – 1345 Break

1345 – 1410 Norway as an International Test Arena for Zero- and Low-emission Aviation – Arena SVG – BGO Mats Bye Gjertsen, Head of Avinor Drone Programme, Avinor AS and David Stepanek, EVP, Chief Transformation Officer, Bristow Group Inc

1410 – 1510 Roundtable Introduction of the Panelists on Advanced Air Mobility

1410 – 1420 Beta Technologies Introduction Name, pos – tbc, Beta Technologies

1420 – 1430 Væridion Introduction Ivor van Dartel, CEO, Væridion

1430 – 1440 Eve Air Mobility Introduction Juliana Kiraly, Head of Business Development – Europe, Eve Air Mobility – tbc

1440 – 1450 Elfy Group Introduction Eric Lithun, CEO, Elfly Group

1450 – 1500 Archer Introduction Name and position tbc

 1510 – 1520 Electra Aero Introduction Name and position tbc

1520 – 1535 Break

1535 – 1605 Panel discussion on Zero- and Low-emission Aviation – AAM etc – title tbd Panel: Archer – Beta Technologies – Electra Aero – Elfly Group – Eve Air Mobility – Væridion Moderator: Andreas Aks, Chair, Stiftelsen Solakonferansen

1605 – 1630 Establishment of Joint and Clear Frameworks and Standards for Drone Operations, Also Across Borders Nikola Tufekcic, Head of Unmanned Traffic Management & Counter-UAS, Avinor AS

1630 – 1635 Summary and Close of Today’s Programme Axel Knutsen, Lead Host Speaker 1635 Move to Sky Tower, 10th floor

1645 – 1700 Flyby of ALIA CX300 CTOL_N214BT Operated by Bristow Norway AS

1855 Attendees, please report to and be seated in conference hall Air London, Air New York & Air Sydney – Safety Brief and Announcements

1900 – 1905 Welcome to The Table Andreas Kollbye Aks, Chairman of the Board

1905 – 2200 Evening Social with Buffet Dinner – Co-hosted by Airbus Helicopters – Bell Textron Inc – Leonardo Helicopters – Sikorsky Clarion Hotel Air, Atrium/Lobby

1900 Aperitif

1930 Buffet Dinner

Tuesday 23 September

0800 Registration commences – Coffee etc in the hotel lobby

 0840 Seated in conference hall Air London, Air New York & Air Sydney – Safety Brief and Announcements

0840 – 0845 Introduction to Today’s Programme Axel Knutsen, Lead Host Speaker

0845 – 0910 Airbus Helicopters Presentation Jérôme Fagot, Head of H175 Helicopter Program, Airbus Helicopters

0910 – 0935 Sikorsky Helicopters Presentation Leon Silva, VP, Global Commercial & Military Systems (GCMS), Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company

0935 – 1000 Bell Textron (Helicopters) presentation

 tbc 1000 – 1020 Break

1020 – 1045 Leonardo Helicopters Presentation Name, position, company etc – tbc

1045 – 1115 Human Factors – A Continued Journey to Improvement J.J. Gerber, Operations Service Manager / Operations Manager, Cougar Helicopters Inc

1115 – 1145 Lessons Learned Duncan Moore, Executive Vice President International Offshore and Onshore & Group CSO, Omni Helicopters International (OHI)

1145 – 1240 Buffet Lunch

1240 – 1310 Panel  on: Implementation of Fatigue Management to Reduce Maintenance Errors. Is this the Answer? (What and how do you do it efficiently)

Panelists: Scott Allan MSc FRAeS, Technical Director, HeliOffshore Ltd J.J. Gerber, Operations Service Manager / Operations Manager, Cougar Helicopters Inc Dr Simon Gill, PhD B.Eng C.Eng MRAeS Dr Cristina Ruscitto, Chartered Psychologist and Senior Consultant in Fatigue Risk Management, FRMSc Ltd Moderator: Emilie Blikra, Maintenance Manager, CHC Helikopter Service AS

1310 – 1345 Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Product Quality in Aviation: Air bp’s Return Fuel Offer) Mariann Grønevik, Nordics Account Manager, Air bp – tbc Norsk e-Fuel: Sustainable Aviation Fuels from CO2, Water and Renewable Power Lars Bjørn Larsen, Co-Managing Director and CCO, Norsk e-Fuel AS

1345 – 1400 Break 

A tentative headliner of this session: How to sustain and further develop the high standards within safety, quality and environmental issues in our segment of the aviation industry

1400 – 1415 Bristow Introduction Cristopher Bradshaw, President and CEO, Bristow 1415– 1430 CHC Introduction Tom Burke, CEO, CHC Group

1430 – 1445 Lufttransport Introduction Erlend Olsen, CEO, Lufttransport  

1445 – 1500 Omni Helicopters International Introduction Duncan Moore, Executive Vice President International Offshore and Onshore & Group Chief Safety Officer (CSO), Omni Helicopters International (OHI)

1500 – 1525 Break

1525 – 1555 Panel on: Provide a high-level outline of the major quantitative and qualitative characteristics of your safety management system including safety culture, with main emphasis on continuing improvement. Panel: CEO Bristow – CEO CHC – CEO Lufttransport – Group CSO OHI Moderator: Tim Rolfe, CEO, HeliOffshore

1555 – 1620 Artificial Intelligence in the Rotary Wing Aviation Industry Company, name. pos tbc

1620 – 1625 Summary and Close of Today’s Programme Axel Knutsen, Lead Host Speaker

 1625 Optional and back up for Monday 22 September – Move to Sky Tower, 10th floor

1635 – 1650 Back up for the Monday option – Flyby of ALIA CX300 CTOL_N214BT Operated by Bristow Norway AS 1850 Transport by bus from Clarion Hotel Air to Aircontact Group/Aircontact Services, Flyplassvegen 180, 4055 Sola to Static Display Site 1905 Static Display: ALIA CX300 CTOL_N214BT 

1930 Transport by bus from Flyplassvegen 180 to Sola Strand Hotel, Axel Lunds veg 27, Sola

1945 – 1950 Welcome to The Table Andreas Kollbye Aks, Chairman of the Board

1950 – 2215 Evening Social with Buffet Dinner – Co-hosted by Lufttransport AS Erlend Olsen, CEO Lufttransport AS

1945 Aperitif

2015 Buffet Dinner

2220 Return by bus from Sola Strand Hotel to Clarion Hotel Air

2230 Arrive Clarion Hotel Air

Wednesday 24 September

0800 Registration commences – Coffee etc in the hotel lobby

0840 Seated in conference hall Air London, Air New York & Air Sydney – Safety Brief and Announcements  

0840 – 0845 Introduction to Today’s Programme Axel Knutsen, Lead Host Speaker

0900 – 0950 IOGP and HeliOffshore Joint Presentation – Collaboration and Leadership Driving Safe Offshore Helicopter Operations Tony Hahn, Senior Aviation Advisor, ConocoPhillips Global Aviation, Vice Chair IOGP Aviation Safety Subcommittee and Tim Rolfe, CEO, HeliOffshore

 0950 – 1020 The Norwegian Ministry of Transport Presentation Name, position, party etc – tbc

1020 – 1050 Break

1050 – 1120 Safety update from Civil Aviation Authority Norway (CAA Norway) Wenche E. Olsen, Director, Department of Air Operations, CAA Norway

1120 – 1150 Civil Aviation Authority United Kingdom presentation Richard Naylor, Offshore Lead/Flight Operations Training Inspector, Civil Aviation Authority United Kingdom (CAA UK) 1150 – 1250 Buffet Lunch

1250 – 1320 Avinor AS Presentation Abraham Foss, CEO, Avinor AS

 1320 – 1350 The Federation of Norwegian Aviation Industries Presentation Erik Lahnstein, Managing Director, The Federation of Norwegian Aviation Industries (NHO Luftfart)

1350 – 1420 Break

1420 – 1450 Talents of Tomorrow – Accessing and Securing the Future Aviation Workforce Espen Høiby, CEO, AAP Aviation

1450 – 1520 The aviation industry stands at a critical crossroads. The challenge is clear: How can we attract, train, and retain the next generation of aviation professionals? Panel: Erik Lahnstein, Espen Høiby, Andre van Niekerk, Manager Flight Operations, CHC Helikopter Service AS, Erlend Dybvik Indrelid, NTNU/Aviation Engineer Bachelor Degree student. Moderator: Hans Nilsson, Global Practice Leader Civil Aviation, Country Manager Norway, Alumni Global – tbc – headliner subject to discussion vs Hans Nilsson

1520 – 1525 Summary and Closing Remarks Axel Knutsen, Lead Host Speaker and Andreas Kollbye Aks, Chairman of the Board

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Wish you all a safe journey back home with all the best from here –

 Flight Safety First – Solakonferansen, for Aviation Safety Since 1987. 7 Photo: CHC HS AS As Solakonferansen 2025 is closing – the next upcoming event: We are having the great pleasure to welcome you to SOLAKONFERANSEN 2026 21-23 September 2026 Clarion Hotel Air, NO-4055 Sola, Norway