3 February 2011

Over 2,600 students have registered for the second Airbus Fly Your Ideas (FYI) university contest which challenges students from all around the world to develop new ideas for a greener aviation industry. Students of 75 nationalities made up the 315 teams which entered in round 1. This is a 40 percent increase in the number of teams compared to FYI 2009. Of these 315 teams representing 287 universities, 84 teams have been selected to advance to round 2 with a chance to participate in the final at the International Paris Airshow-Le Bourget in France.

Airbus invited students to make proposals on any or all stages of the aviation ‘Environmental Life Cycle’, an approach Airbus uses to improve the environmental performance of an aircraft and its production process in five areas: design; supply chain; manufacturing; aircraft operations and aircraft end-of-life.

The round 2 teams were chosen following a thorough, questionnaire-based assessment of their proposals. They will now be supported by an Airbus mentor as they develop their initial ideas into more detailed submissions. One in five participants to FYI 2011 came from a non-technical discipline such as marketing, business, management or design, twice as many as in 2009. Four out of five have a science and / or engineering background. All continents are represented with in particular 44 percent of the teams based in Europe and 39 percent in the Asia Pacific region. The FYI contest, like Airbus, brings people of different cultures and horizons together – 76 percent of the competing teams are international and multidisciplinary-

Charles Champion, Airbus’ Executive Vice President Engineering and FYI Patron, said: “We are delighted to have received a record number of entries to the second Airbus FYI challenge and we are particularly happy to see a wide diversity of participants. By engaging with universities and young people worldwide we can continue to stimulate more new ideas for a greener aviation industry. This is part of our vision for the eco-efficient aviation industry of the future, balancing the growing demand for air travel with a better environment for all.”

The biennial contest involves three progressively challenging rounds. Five teams with the most exciting projects will be chosen in May and advance to the FYI final. The winning team will be picked by a high-profile panel of judges and take home the €30,000 first prize. The runner-up will receive €15,000.

Source and image: Airbus