The event, held from May 28th to 30th, is co-hosted by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).

Jet Aviation will deliver a 35% blend of SAF to GVA for the event, marking the company’s third year providing SAF for EBACE.

“We are delighted to bring SAF to EBACE again this year,” said Joao Martins, vice president of FBO operations in Europe and GM Zurich, Jet Aviation. Jet Aviation will also make SAF available through its book and claim program.

In addition to ensuring availability of SAF, the event offers a variety of sustainability-focused experiences including a dedicated summit to help the industry towards net-zero, cutting-edge alternative propulsion technologies, future of urban transportation,  and the Innovation Pavilion to unveil next-generation sustainable aircraft and new industry sustainability standards.

“Business aviation is increasing efficiency and reducing carbon emissions on the ground and in the air. SAF remains a cornerstone of our plan for achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. We thank Jet Aviation for stepping forward to make SAF and its benefits available to those joining us at what will be an exciting EBACE,” said Ed Bolen, President and CEO, NBAA.

Meanwhile, EBAA Secretary General Holger Krahmer said: “We need to continue to increase the availability, production and use of SAF, and we applaud Jet Aviation for playing such an important role in expanding sustainable fuel supplies around the world.”

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The plan outlines ambitious targets, starting with a goal of 5% SAF usage by 2025; 20% by 2030, followed by a significant jump to 60% by 2040. The roadmap then aims for an 80% utilisation by 2045, culminating in a 100% SAF adoption by 2050. The move goes beyond the current legislative requirements.

EBAA and GAMA shared their roadmap in Sustainable Aviation Fuel Recommendations for Business Aviation Across Europe laying out the strategies and measures to encourage operators to adopt SAF at a higher rate than what is mandated by existing regulations such as ReFuel EU.

“This initiative is a testament to our industry’s dedication to sustainability. We are not just meeting regulatory requirements; we are setting higher standards for ourselves and leading by example. It’s crucial that we support the development and distribution of SAF, and the ‘Book & Claim’ system is a crucial tool allowing for an accelerated uptake of sustainable fuels,” said Holger Krahmer, secretary general, EBAA.

Despite the ambitious targets, the initiative also acknowledges the challenges faced in sourcing SAF, particularly its limited availability in certain regions. To address this, EBAA and GAMA call for the need to implement a robust and reliable ‘Book & Claim’ system.

“With SAF playing a key role in decarbonising business aviation, it is vital that we work with authorities and legislators to incentivise and strengthen efforts to develop, deploy and increase overall usage of SAF. This initiative further demonstrates the industry’s commitment to achieving our sustainability goals,” added Pete Bunce, president and CEO, GAMA.

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During the question-and-answer session, Khan was interrupted by two (uninvited) climate change protesters who burst into the conference shouting: “Aviation is ruining our future.” It was a sharp reminder for our record audience (of around 600 delegates) about the importance of addressing sustainability topics and green concerns, while focusing on keeping their businesses in the black.

Recovering swiftly from the surprise interruption, the EBAA secretary general went on to say business aviation should be proud of what it has achieved already but could do more to promote its contribution to the global economy, to individuals’ lifestyle and to humanitarian causes, such as medical flights. “Business aviation is the Formula One of the skies,” said Khan. “It is the test bed for aviation innovation [particularly sustainability]” that points the way for commercial aviation.

While the sector faced “unjustified demonisation”, if it “can show more of itself”, it could persuade more people of its merits. “By drawing from our many strengths, we can shape the narrative [about business aviation] to our perspective,” he said.

Many speakers noted how aviation needs to improve its environmental record. “The business aviation industry has been slow to pick up on sustainability,” conceded Chadi Saade, vice president Commercial, Airbus Corporate Jets. “But in the past six months to a year, things had changed fast. Sustainability is not an option. We have never experienced a time when we need to change as fast as now. It’s all about safety – the safety of our planet.”

In the medium to long term, innovative research and new technologies, like electric and hydrogen propulsion, offered scope to cut or eliminate business aviation’s carbon footprint ahead of the zero emissions target of 2050. But for now, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) offered the best practical means to cut emissions (alongside carbon offsetting schemes) and to be seen to do by global opinion, according to speakers.

Nancy Bsales, chief operating officer with the sustainability consultancy 4Air returned to business aviation’s pioneering role. “What you have to remember is that we are the people who are laying the foundation for the rest of aviation,” she said.

But high prices and low availability meant sustainable fuel faced a big challenge. Toby Edwards, CEO, Victor told delegates: “Last year, we [SAF] only accounted for 0.1% of aviation fuel. So, getting that to 10% by 2030 is going to be a huge challenge,” he said. But he reported rising demand, as clients realised the sustainability and reputational benefits of using the fuel. “What we are seeing that is super exciting, is that one in five customers are requesting and using SAF when they book with us.”

Karl Mills, chief commercial officer, Europe, TAG Aviation saw SAF delivering business as well as sustainability benefits. “Sustainability is a very powerful sales tool, which has been overlooked,” he said. “In the future aircraft owners may choose a management company based on their sustainability record, especially corporate clients.”

Corporate interest in SAF was confirmed by Elouisa Dalli, senior vice president, Marketing and Communications, Jet Aviation. ”You are seeing corporate flight departments use SAF to meet their ESG targets, some even going as far as using 100% using the book-and-claim system.”

New legislation is becoming a big incentive to invest in SAF now, said Jonathan Wood, vice president, Renewable Aviation, Neste. “Policy is going to be incredibly important in SAFs future. In the EU around 2% of all fuel used in aviation will need to be SAF by 2025.”

But it wasn’t just green topics that dominated discussion at this year’s London conference. Staying profitably in the black also framed much of the debate. Many speakers thought that while private jet aviation market may be cooling, significant gains had been made on pre-pandemic levels. Myles Walton, MD Wolfe Research acknowledged the business jet market may be slowing down but said it is still 15% to 20% ahead of 2019 levels.

The North American market may continue to grow but “in Europe, they are going to have a tough time continuing to grow”, he said. Overall OEMs were facing both supply side and certification restraints.

Growth was very much on the agenda of most companies, including Jetex. “Last year was a massive year for us,” said Adel Mardini, president and CEO, Jetex. The company handled more than 71,000 flights compared with 51,000 in 2021. Regions singled out for growth were Europe and Asia.

Answering the question are we seeing a more balanced market, Andy Priester, chairman and CEO Priester Aviation said: “We are still playing catch up. We got so far behind with the human capital infrastructure that we still have years of catch up, but at least it’s not as bad because there aren’t as many new entrants.”

Stephen Friedrich, chief commercial officer, Embraer Executive Jets said the North American market had coped with soaring demand. “The US has been able to absorb it [rapidly rising demand] because we have the infrastructure.”

Fabian Bello, CEO Journey Aviation said: “I had a handful of clients who bought at the right time and their aircraft appreciated. In the last three months with pilot issues increasing and pilots quitting, [new clients] are saying they’re going to sell their airplane, pocket the money and be done. I do think there’s going to be a shake-off where these new assets go right back into the market.”

While pre-owned jets inventories are now climbing for some categories, Zipporah Marmor, vice president, Aircraft Transactions, ACASS highlighted soaring business last year. “The surprise of 2022 was what a great year it was, after a record 2021. At the end of 2021, I thought we would never see a year like that and we saw an even better one [in 2022].”

Chris Miller, managing partner, Shearwater Global Capital predicted: “In six months’ time, we will look back and see this as the start of more normal depreciation.”

Turning to cybersecurity, Katie Bancroft, associate, Jaffa & Co said aviation was becoming more aware of the risks. “People are taking steps to protect their sensitive personal data. But it is not a one-and-done thing. You need continuous improvements to ensure your information remains cybersecure.” 

Andrew Douglas, founder, Make Tech Fly put the scale of the challenge into perspective. “If you knew some of the cyber threats out there, you would probably go back to pen and paper.”

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But one that should be resisted. Open communication and transparency are the keys to gaining traction in winning over public opinion, according to Mark Masluch, senior director, Communications, Bombardier. Business aviation has done well in planning and delivering progress on sustainability topics and being transparent about both the progress made and the challenges faced.

“The industry can be proud of what it has achieved so far,” Masluch tells CJI. “Aviation has pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2050. And a lot of work has been done with OEMs and engine manufacturers both to track and report progress.” For Bombardier, the widespread use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) backed by a book-and-claim system (to avoid the irony of transporting SAF big distances) are the twin keys to improve the industry’s sustainability record. And, also, to win friends and influence the sector’s many vociferous critics. (Bombardier uses SAF for all company flights and, in the process, has cut its net CO2 emissions by 25%).

Promoting the growing use of SAF to the public and the millions of OEM dollars poured into sustainability programmes (such as Bombardier’s EcoJet research) will exert a big positive influence, he says. “It’s now time to take the next steps to gain traction with the general public.”

Engaging critics is also the preferred solution of Marc Cornelius, founder & CEO of media agency 8020 Communications. Not least because there is no alternative. “There is no possibility of business aviation keeping its head down in the sustainability debate,” he tells CJI. “Environmental lobbying groups, the news media and an increasingly concerned public will see to that. The best form of defence is to engage: show real determination in tackling the issues, sincerity in discussing them and confidence in the unique role the industry must continue to play.”

So, is private aviation doing enough? Cornelius has a frank and worrying answer. “Currently, not well enough to safeguard its future. In Europe, sustainability is a high priority generally and criticism levelled at business aviation is resonating with the public and politicians. We’re already seeing the idea of demand-reduction measures being considered by some politicians, and this seems likely to spread to other regions.”

The solution, according to him and many others, is a deeper and broader understanding of how the industry meets criticism with common and consistent messages around the most difficult topics.

Trade associations and industry leaders should engage more publicly in the debate about how to weigh business aviation’s economic value against climate impact, argues Cornelius. “Most people only hear from the critics, so the debate is one-sided. But to do this credibly, the industry needs to demonstrate real seriousness in how it is tackling the climate challenge.”

Róman Kok, senior communications manager, European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) says business aviation is taking decisive action to address the concerns raised by its critics and is committed to continuous improvement. The industry has made significant investments in sustainability – including implementing fuel-efficient technologies, reducing emissions and promoting responsible operations – and many business aviation companies are transparent about their environmental impact while working to reduce their carbon footprint.

But there is still room for progress. “The industry can further improve its response to criticism by engaging more actively with stakeholders, promoting the positive economic benefits of business aviation and communicating more effectively about its sustainability efforts,” says Kok. He believes, like Bombardier’s Masluch, that transparency is key in addressing criticism and companies should be open about their environmental impact and sustainability efforts.

“Keeping a low profile is not an effective solution, as it may lead to increased criticism and negative perceptions. The industry has a lot to offer society and should be proud to share its achievements and initiatives with the public.”

Lindsey Oliver, MD, British Business General Aviation Association (BBGA) sees a role for everyone in promoting business aviation. “We are committed to being less defensive – arming ourselves with facts and figures on our remarkable industry. We can’t be on the back foot,” Oliver says. “Covid has helped us write our narrative and that is our chosen route – not to defend but talk up our value.”

 Perhaps loud and proud really does offer the best answer to business aviation’s critics.

Countering criticism: Open communication and transparency is the best policy, says Mark Masluch, Bombardier.

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“We are back,” were the opening words of Athar Husain Khan, secretary-general, European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), in his keynote address on the opening day (May 22nd) of the first European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) show in Geneva in three years.

“And we couldn’t be more happy to have European business aviation and world aviation back on European soil for the first time in three years,” he said. “The industry had gone through a lot changes in the past three years and new technology is highlighted here at this year’s show.”

Advanced air mobility (AAM), Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Rapid Air Mobility (RAM), all featured in this year’s event. “These are no longer things of the future – they are here now,” said the EBAA’s Khan.

Business aviation had grown in stature during the pandemic years, with a growing commitment to sustainability topics such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), he said. A new generation of young people were coming into the industry and finding a sector dedicated to equality and inclusion.

Business leaders had grown exasperated by Zoom calls and wanted to use business aviation to meet clients, partners and industry contacts around Europe and the wider world.

The theme of sustainability was picked up by André Schneider, CEO, Geneva Airport. “We must all fight in the industry for the freedom to travel,” he told show goers. “My dream is that aviation becomes climate compatible.” SAF had an important role to play in that process.

Covid had led to Geneva Airport experiencing three months without passengers, he said. “The industry has gone through the biggest crisis since the Second World War.” The airport has now reached 80% of the passengers seen in 2019 and during the summer should seen 90% to 100% of travellers see three years ago. “We are now getting to the end of the Covid crisis and I hope the war in Ukraine will not over take Covid [as a source of global disruption].”

Business aviation generates significant flight movements for Geneva Airport. In fact, the airport is seeing more business flights now than in 2019.  But as commercial aviation continues its long slow recovery, pressure on slots is likely to intensify, he warned.

The keynote session ended with inspiration from two celebrity private aviators – one of whom is rather good at tennis. Star player Martina Navratilova, whose trophy cabinet contains 59 Grand Slam tennis titles, talked to Ed Bolen, president and CEO at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). During their conversation Navratilova revealed her determination to success in top level tennis (initially without a coach), her 1975 defection from Czechoslovakia and a battle against breast cancer.

Navratilova also remembered her battle against nerves while learning to fly a light single-engine aircraft in Aspen, Colorado and her unforgettable first solo in which one of the aircraft doors opened in flight.

The second celebrity guest was Zara Rutherford, the Belgian-British aviator, who at the age of 19 became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. Rutherford gave a thrilling account of piloting her Shark, single-engine microlight aircraft on an epic journey of 32,000 miles (51,000 km). Recalling the constraints of flying by Visual Flight Rules and a weather enforced month’s stay in Nome, Alaska, Rutherford drew a powerful message from her adventure: “If you have the opportunity – just go for it.”

Above: Celebrity aviators at EBACE: Tennis super star Martina Navratilova is pictured with the world’s youngest round the world pilot Zara Rutherford.

Top: Racket in hand, Navratilova was joined on stage by (L to R) André Schneider, Athar Husain Khan, Zara Rutherford and Ed Bolen.

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“There’s a sort of vaccine bounce now, as people grow more confident,” Harding told more than 550 delegates on the first day of the conference. “As we see vaccines roll out, they [prospective buyers] want to be ready to move as soon as they can get their vaccine.”

Harding’s comments followed The Great British Brunch Challenge sponsored by Bombardier Aviation and judged by Daniel Hulme, On Air Dining CEO. (Top honours were won by Paul Mulko, FlyEasy Software, with a little help from 10-year-old daughter Avital). Meanwhile, the influx of new buyers seen in the fourth quarter of 2020 was continuing in the first quarter, continued Harding. “Bonus depreciation [in the US market] was wonderful and, as usual, spurred some people into doing some amazingly fast transactions.”

But sourcing particular types of business aircraft was proving increasingly problematic. Harding cited the difficulties in finding a forward galley Gulfstream 450 from 2015 to 2017 – the last years of its production.

Rebecca Johnson, JetHQ, President, EMA agreed sourcing the right inventory was becoming more difficult. “One of the biggest challenges of 2021 is finding inventory,” said Johnson. “It’s not only finding inventory but finding it at the right price. We are finding it, but we are having to look real hard.”

‘Having to look real hard’

The return of corporate travellers to private aviation was detected by Pascal Bachmann, Jetcraft, Senior Vice President, Sales EMEA. “The corporates realise that travelling with the airlines is very difficult and is not going to improve any time soon. They only have 24 hours in their day just like everyone else,” said Bachman. “Many consider that private aviation has the solution to the problem they are encountering.”

Alireza Ittihadieh, Freestream Aircraft President and CEO, highlighted the growing impact of Chinese buyers. “All of a sudden, there’s a new audience in China,” he said. “It’s 70% American and 30% in China.” Confirmation of increasing interest from China was supplied by Stan Shparberg, Airbus Corporate Jets, Vice President Commercial. “China has really picked up,” he told the forum The large aircraft market. Tobias Laps, Comlux Executive Vice President, Sales agreed: “China has big potential for large aircraft [sales].”

In addition to the prospects for business aviation this year, sustainability was another key theme, with opinions aired on the future of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), book and claim systems and carbon offset schemes. Bryan Sherbacow, from SAF producer World Energy, said interest in SAF has picked up significantly in the past two years. “I’ve been working in this area for 12 years and it’s amazing to see what’s happened in the past 12 to 24 months – especially with the level of specificity. With this level of detail, we can really see things changing, particularly on policy.”

‘Still the hurdle of price’

Jonathan Wood, Neste Vice President, Renewable Aviation agreed. “In the past 12 months the conversations have changed from: ‘Should we, shouldn’t we?’ to ‘How much and when?’” But price remained an obstacle. “There is still the hurdle of price. With the best will in the world, it’s not going to be the same price as fossil fuel for the foreseeable future.”

Tim Obitts, National Air Transport Association (NATA), President and CEO, says more incentives are needed to boost adoption. “The demand is there. People want their SAF. But there needs to be incentives to make it happen to increase supply and to book and claim to disseminate that.”

Both Neste and World energy are making “massive investment” in production facilities to make boost SAF production, according to Sherbacow of World Energy. “In the next two to three years there will be another 1bn gallons of real SAF between our two companies. That’s a significant amount.”

Neste’s Wood agreed about the need to boost production but said some existing capacity still went unused. “We need more capacity [in total] but we have some capacity that is not fully used.” He went on to pledge Neste would deliver SAF to destinations worldwide to meet significant demand. “If we have firm demand from customers, we will bring that SAF to the customer, wherever they are.”

Nancy Bsales, 4Air, COO Sustainability, highlighted the role of carbon offsets. “There are ways that you can reduce your carbon footprint, by technologies like winglets and sustainable aviation fuel and that will reduce your carbon footprint, but there is still a footprint left,” said Bsales.

Business Aviation needs to be more sustainable

“Sustainability has stayed an issue,” added Bsales. “We don’t get to choose the challenges but how we respond to them.” The conference audience agreed with her. In a poll, 95% of respondents said business aviation needs to be more sustainable.

Speakers warned that unless the industry took decisive action to improve its sustainability record, some governments may introduce legislation to regulate the sector. Athar Husain Khan, European Business Aviation Association warned: “If we don’t reach those [sustainability] targets, they are going to clamp down on the industry in Europe.”

But worries about sustainability, the continuing impact of Covid-19 and sourcing good quality inventory did little to dent the optimism of delegates about the prospects for business aviation. An audience poll revealed 65% of respondents were fairly optimistic, 29% were very optimistic and 6% were fairly pessimistic.

There is still time to register to join us and yesterday’s sessions are still available on demand.

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“We are pleased that lawmakers and regulators recognise that business aviation is critical to our nation’s economy and our transportation infrastructure and they’re taking necessary steps to make sure that we not only survive, but find ourselves in a position to thrive when the coronavirus challenge has been met,” said Bolen.

Contributing to the CJI Global 2020 forum Working with regulators – the view from associations, he highlighted the work of NBAA and other associations  to ensure the concerns of the business aviation community are addressed by the US government under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act; widely known as the CARES Act.

He also acknowledged some frustration on the part of companies owning and operating their own aircraft that they were not flying more frequently. “There is some pent-up excitement about the ability to get back [to full flight operations],” he said. “But there are concerns the coronavirus is not lessening its grip [in the US] at the present time.”

‘Pent-up excitement’

The NBAA boss added that he was excited new customers were coming to the industry and that the sector had a great opportunity to showcase what it can deliver for society and the economy.

Tim Obitts, President and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), spoke of the big personal emotional costs exacted on individual operators by the Covid-19 crisis. In telephone conversations, some were reduced to tears at the prospect of having to make staff redundant or furlough them, he said. But he went on to describe a “huge pick up [in business aviation] over the past three weeks”. However, customers remained cautious because of the recent uptick in Covid-19 cases in the US. “We need to demonstrate that we [as an industry] are safe, clean and secure,” said Obitts.

Airports cutting their presence at US regional airports represented a significant opportunity for business aviation. “Corporations still have senior executives that need to fly and there’s cargo that needs to be transported,” said Obitts. “That’s what business aviation does. So, we have a great story to tell.”

‘Leading indicator of recovery’

Bolen suggested that business aviation may recover quickly – unlike in previous downturns. “Oftentimes, business aviation has been a trailing indicator of recessions. But this time, there are indications it is a leading indicator of recovery,” he  said. “I think there’s a sense that, this time, we can lead, facilitate and foster that recovery. Our members can actually lead the sprint and hand off the baton as we go forward.”

Athar Husain Khan, secretary general of the European Business Aircraft Association (EBAA), said the Covid-19 crisis offered a major opportunity for business aviation in Europe. Private aviation operated from more airports than commercial airlines and was proving much quicker to recover from the Covid-19 crisis. “Within  Europe, business aviation operators use three times as many airports than commercial operators,” Khan told delegates.

“If there’s an aviation that can lead the recovery, it is business aviation. These arguments are gaining traction and seeing recognition at regulatory and political level,” he added.

Meanwhile, you can watch panel discussions and presentations from CJI Global 2020 here.

Working with regulators – the view from associations

-Athar Husain Khan, secretary general of the European Business Aircraft Association

-Ed Bolen, President and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association

-Tim Obitts, President and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association.

Tim Obitts:  Business aviation “has a great story to tell …”.

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