The EASA Scientific Committee (SciCom) Annual Report 2025 is now available. This report covers the Committee’s fourth year of operation, and presents the activities undertaken, key achievements, and recommendations for future work.
During 2025, the Scientific Committee continued its work through three dedicated Task Forces focusing on: the development of an EASA–Academia Networking Platform; the impact of climate change on aviation; and the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Levels 2 and 3 in the air transport system.
These activities delivered valuable results supporting both immediate operational needs and EASA’s long-term strategic objectives.
- The Academia Networking Task Force strengthened cooperation with the SESAR Joint Undertaking to establish a structured European framework for engagement with academia.
- The AI Task Force contributed to the development of EASA’s AI Programme by aligning guidance with the EU AI Act, advancing ethics and human oversight concepts, and supporting the publication of key reports and the next issue of the EASA AI Concept Paper.
- The Climate Change Task Force made significant progress in consolidating the scientific understanding of climate-related hazards affecting aviation. During 2025, this Task Force completed comprehensive assessments of convective weather hazards, including heavy precipitation, hail, turbulence, lightning, and icing, while also addressing the growing challenge of coastal flooding and sea-level rise. Building on previous work, the focus shifted from hazard identification towards the development of practical adaptation measures to enhance aviation resilience. The Task Force's findings have been recognised internationally and are contributing to the work of the European Network on the Impact of Climate Change on Aviation (EN-ICCA) and other international initiatives, providing a unique scientific foundation for future research, operational guidance, and regulatory decision-making.
Looking ahead, the report also identifies quantum technologies as a promising future area of work and provides recommendations for the Committee’s activities in 2026.
Background:
The EASA Scientific Committee was established in 2022 to advise the EASA Executive Director on scientific matters and emerging technologies. The primary focus of this advice is on areas with the potential to influence the future development of EASA expertise in scientific and technical domains linked to research, innovation and disruptive technologies. The committee consists of a small number of internationally recognised experts in relevant fields, who have direct access to relevant academic stakeholders.