As aviation pushes towards decarbonisation and next-generation aircraft move from concept to prototype, it is Europe’s regional airports that will host them first, providing a key testing ground for the industry’s next phase.
For Victoire Totah, Director of Strategy and Development at Edeis Concessions and ERA Board member representing Dole Jura Airport, Nîmes Airport and Tours Val de Loire Airport, this role is already visible.
“Regional and proximity airports are the natural playground for decarbonised aviation startups,” she explains. “In the short to medium term, electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft simply won’t have the range for long-haul operations, meaning they will primarily serve regional connectivity and point-to-point aviation.”
But it is not just about route length. It is about freedom to innovate.
“Unlike major hubs, regional airports are not constrained by dense traffic, slot saturation or passenger flows,” she adds. “That flexibility allows manufacturers and operators to test and deploy innovative technologies in real operating conditions.”
In practice, this makes regional airports the first true testbeds for sustainable aviation ecosystems, not only for aircraft performance, but also for the infrastructure that must support them: charging systems, hydrogen supply chains, maintenance processes and new passenger operations.
Collaboration is the turning point
But no airport can deliver this transition alone. Building a functioning sustainable aviation ecosystem requires alignment.
“The transition to sustainable aviation cannot be achieved by a single stakeholder alone,” says Totah. “Airport operators bring infrastructure, operational expertise and territorial integration. Manufacturers bring technological innovation and aircraft development. Aviation associations help connect pilots, aeroclubs, institutions and the broader aviation community.”
The key, she stresses, is acting early. Collaboration between all these actors is essential to ensure every part of the system understands the urgency of planning for tomorrow’s aviation today.
“These infrastructure adaptations are long-term projects that must be planned years in advance. Funding mechanisms also need to be identified early, particularly during tender processes for the management of future airports.”
Yet progress is uneven. Aircraft development is accelerating, but regulation, infrastructure, certification and funding are not always moving in sync.
“All four are interconnected,” Totah notes, “but the challenge today is synchronisation. Airports often need to invest ahead of demand while manufacturers need operational ecosystems ready before scaling production.”
This mismatch is becoming one of the defining bottlenecks in aviation’s transition.
“This initiative perfectly reflects Edeis’ long-term vision: positioning regional airports as the first ecosystem for the deployment of decarbonised aviation”
A transitional role for regional aviation
Against this backdrop, Edeis Concessions and the French Aeronautical Federation (FFA) hosted the Edeis Tour 2026 (Western edition), from 26 May to 1 June, across four regional airports in France.
The initiative brings together today’s operational electric aviation with emerging hydrogen and hybrid-electric aircraft – connecting demonstration flights, stakeholder engagement and infrastructure deployment in real airport environments.
It is a concrete expression of Edeis’ long-term vision, says Totah: “This initiative perfectly reflects Edeis’ long-term vision: positioning regional airports as the first ecosystem for the deployment of decarbonised aviation. Through its network of 21 airports, Edeis aims to transform regional platforms into operational hubs for quieter, lower-carbon and more locally accepted aviation.”
Regional airports as active shapers of aviation’s future
What emerges is a clear shift in role. Regional airports are not just adapting to change; they are helping define how aviation decarbonisation will actually work in practice.
By providing space to test, flexibility to innovate and real-world environments to scale new technologies, they are becoming critical enablers of the next generation of aviation.
And in doing so, they are ensuring something essential: that the transition to sustainable aviation is not developed in isolation, but delivered through the very networks that keep Europe connected.