Speaker Bio

David Batchelor is Chief External Affairs & Communication at the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking (SJU), Europe’s research and innovation partnership delivering the modernisation and digitalisation of air traffic management. He is responsible for communications, stakeholder relations and international affairs.

He previously represented the SJU in Washington DC from 2012 to 2016 fostering relations with the FAA’s NextGen programme, with the overall objective of supporting interoperability between SESAR and NextGen.

Prior to this, David worked in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE). From 2008 to 2012, he worked on aviation and environment, and was the European Union Observer to the ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP). From 2003 to 2007, he worked on the EU-US air transport negotiations, which culminated in the EU-US “open skies” air transport agreement in 2007.

David’s career began at the UK Civil Aviation Authority as an economist, before becoming Head of International Aviation Policy in the CAA’s Economic Regulation Group in 1995. He graduated from Oxford University with a BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.