Newsletter No 3 2025
SOLAKONFERANSEN 2025
Clarion Hotel Air, Sola
22 – 24 September
Covering
Safety, Quality and Environment in Aviation
Discussing
Sustainability through improved environmental footprint and adopting new technologies such as Advanced Air Mobility – Low and Zero Emission – SAF – UAS – eVTOL – and, last, but not least, Offshore Aviation
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 Key Note 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 – 1450 Væridion Introduction
Ivor van Dartel, CEO, Væridion
1450 – 1500 Eve Air Mobility Introduction
Juliana Kiraly, Head of Business Development -
Europe, Eve Air Mobility – tbc
1500 – 1510 Archer Introduction
Name and position tbc
1510 – 1535 Break
1535 – 1555 Panel discussion on Zero- and Low-emission Aviation – AAM etc – title tbd
Panel: Archer – Beta Technologies – Eve Air Mobility – Væridion
Moderator: Andreas Aks, Chair, Stiftelsen Solakonferansen
1555 – 1620 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
1615 – 1620 Summary and Close of Today’s Programme
Axel Knutsen, Lead Host Speaker
1620 Move to Sky Tower, 10th floor
1630 – 1645 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
Name, position, company etc – tbc
0910 – 0935 Sikorsky Helicopters Presentation
Leon Silva, VP, Global Commercial & Military Systems (GCMS),
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company
0935 – 1000 Bell Textron (Helicopters) presentation
Name, position, company etc – tbc
1000 – 1020 Break
1020 – 1045 Leonardo Helicopters Presentation
Name, position, company etc – tbc
1045 – 1115 Human Factors – Night Flying Related Human Factors/Update and Enhancing Employee Engagement Across the Company. May be change approach and title to reflect a correlation, balancing and complement to the OHI presentation
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 COO, Omni Helicopters International (OHI)
1145 – 1240 Buffet Lunch
1240 – 1310 Panel on Maintenance Error
Nominations of names, position, company etc – optional three panelists
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
Sustainability – Zero Emission
Ida M. Larsen, Funding and Research & Development, Norsk e-Fuel AS or
Lars Bjørn Larsen, CCO, Norsk e-Fuel AS – tbd
1345 – 1400 Break
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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 COO, 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 COO 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 – Fly by 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 – 0930 IOGP ASC Presentation
Tony Hahn, Senior Aviation Advisor, ConocoPhillips Global Aviation
Vice Chair IOGP Aviation Safety Subcommittee
0930 – 1000 HeliOffshore Presentation
Tim Rolfe, CEO, HeliOffshore
1000 – 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 (CAA UK) presentation
Name, position – tbc
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: NHO Luftfart, AAP Aviation, one of the three Bristow Norway/CHC Helikopter Service/Lufttransport, 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
Wish you all a safe journey back home with all the best from here – Flight Safety First – Solakonferansen, for Aviation Safety Since 1987.
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