Aviation and the sustainability agenda: to fly or not to fly?

Join the panel to discuss whether ‘fly shaming’ is obscuring the air industry’s drive and advances towards meeting net zero carbon targets by 2045, as well as the benefits of travel and tourism to the Scottish economy. Or is flying the inexcusable culprit when it comes to emissions and a 21st-century travel choice?

Chair: Graham Simpson MSP, Co-Convener, Cross-Party Group on Aviation

Panellists:

Mike Robinson is Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. In 2006 he established Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), the largest coalition ever formed in Scotland. He is an advisor to Government and trustee on several boards, mostly in the spheres of education, agriculture and transport, and is hosting a series of Climate Emergency Summits with more than 40 organisations to identify suitable responses to the emergency, and to inform government thinking.

Charandeep Singh is the Deputy Chief Executive at the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, Scotland’s largest business network, where he leads on business policy, internationalisation and external engagement. He is a Board Member of City of Glasgow College and Sikhs in Scotland, and serves as a Lay Advisory Member at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow. Charandeep received a British Empire Medal in the Queen's New Years Honours List 2021 and a Pride of Scotland Award for Services to Charity.

Gordon Dewar is Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport. Rebranding the airport as the place where ‘Scotland meets the world’, Gordon has overseen significant capital investment in capacity, productivity improvements and customer service enhancements. Gordon spent 4 years with BAA running Glasgow and Edinburgh airports and spent 2 years as Chief Executive at Bahrain International Airport. Gordon has held several senior positions with leading transport operators, including commercial, general management and business development roles in bus and rail operations.

Finlay Asher is an aerospace engineer and spent 8 years at Rolls-Royce, one of the world’s largest aircraft engine manufacturers, where he designed engine concepts for future Airbus and Boeing aircraft. He is now the co-founder of Safe Landing: a group of aviation workers pushing for long-term sustainable employment. They do this by challenging industry leaders to conform with climate science and reject dangerous growth.