The ECATS International Association was founded in 2005 as a Network of Excellence on Aviation and Environment of more than 100 researchers within the European Framework Research Programme. After 5 years of joint research and exploring closer collaboration, this ECATS Network of Excellence was transformed into the ECATS International Association, officially registered on 2 November 2010 by a [Royal Decree] of Belgium. Their website reflects the change from a network into an Association’s homepage.

The objective of ECATS—as laid down in its statutes—is to promote and support its members’ joint activities and interests in the field of aviation and its environmental impact, especially to help make aviation sustainable, by:

• Building up, maintaining and extending scientific expertise;
• Connecting and integrating expertise in relevant thematic areas and to fully utilize the multidisciplinary platform available in ECATS;
• Organizing exchange of information, in particular concerning experience and development of related research; e.g., via workshops, reports and publications, education and training, and web-based information;
• Aiding liaison between customers and experts to provide integrated and professional support;
• Fostering technical, strategic and political debates, for instance to initiate research work which has been identified as being crucial in certain areas.

The ECATS International Association is a professional organization whose functions are highly relevant to the scope of the Aerospace. We look forward to collaborating with ECATS International Association and publishing the state-of-the-art research from its members in this field.