On Friday 13 September air transport alumni returned to Â鶹´«Ã½AV campus to celebrate 60 years of air transport teaching and research. This event was not only a chance to celebrate the collective achievements but also to showcase the remarkable impact of the Centre for Air Transport Management.
Attendees got the chance to hear from world-class faculty, engage with the extensive alumni community, and discover some of the latest work with our partners. Industry experts shared insights into digitalisation, investment, customer experience, and operations within the aviation sector, and explored the opportunities and challenges that aviation leaders face today and in the future.
Special guest David Hyde, who was the original Course Director of the MSc in Air Transport Engineering at Cranfield in 1964, also joined the celebrations. David introduced "this unique course which will make a significant contribution towards the operation and economy of the air transport industry" after being inspired by the late Dr Ken Wilkinson's paper of 1963. The course now has an outstanding, global reputation with over 1,500 graduates to date.
The day's agenda also included tours of Cranfield's cutting-edge facilities including the Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC) and the National Flying Laboratory Centre (NFLC) flying classroom. We also announced this year's Aviation Alumni Award winners and launched the diamond mentor programme, which invites air transport alumni to offer their unique insights to current Cranfield students to help them navigate their studies and early careers.
Reflecting on the day Anna Smallwood, Professor and Head of Centre for Air Transport Management, said:
"Air Transport at Cranfield has an esteemed and global reputation, as well as a long heritage, so it felt important that we celebrate this milestone, focusing not only on the history, but also on the enduring characteristics that will continue to serve us well into the future and enable us to continue to develop aviation leaders for our global industry."
