“This is an industry that creates absolutely gigantic amounts of emissions per person and it delivers essentially zero public benefit,” said Alethea Warrington, senior campaigner at environment charity Possible. “It is simply not viable for a small group of ultra-wealthy people to keep flying around on almost empty private jets, producing a huge amount of emissions, particularly given that these flights are virtually tax-free.”

All three of the speakers said that they were opposed to the inequality of business aviation as well as the environmental effects. “Ultimately, when mayors all across the world and politicians are asking people to change their habits,” said Zack Polanski, deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. “How possibly can elected politicians do this when at the same time people are flying and soaring through the skies in private jets literally mocking those in poverty beneath them?”

“There’s no environmental justice without social, racial, economic justice too”

Polanski was asked if the inequality is more important than the environmental impact. “There’s no environmental justice without social, racial, economic justice too. All these things are inextricably linked. The environmental reason is clearly a top high priority because we’re talking about ecological collapse. Fundamentally, private jets are the pinnacle of climate justice because this is where super-rich get to do something that is disproportionately polluting, disproportionately noisy,” he said. “The problem is for the climate, but actually it’s inequality, too, because those are two sides of a cent coin.”

Todd Smith, a former airline pilot and founder of Safe Landing, stressed his love of flying but said it is no longer able to work in aviation. “I believe corporate jets have played a pivotal role in connecting our world in a way which was previously unimaginable. That said, I had a realisation that the climate is breaking down rapidly, and ultimately, my conscience will no longer allow me to be a part of the aviation sector.”

Kurt Edwards, director general, International Business Aviation Council, said that there is still much misunderstanding about business aviation. “When I’m traveling visiting my associations around the world, I can see they are keen to grow the industry because they don’t have the connectivity that a lot of places do, and they need it for their own businesses,” he said. “They need it for their livelihood. Think of the medevac, think of humanitarian lift that comes with these aircraft as well. It’s an exciting time for the business and we see a lot of young folks coming in because of the commitment we have made in terms of the environmental sustainability going forward. The business aviation community along with the rest of the global aviation community has committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

Safe Landing’s Smith could not believe he was invited to speak after protesting at London Farnborough Airport with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg the week before.

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Kurt Edwards, director general, IBAC said: “We are excited to have these two distinguished business aviation leaders join IBAC as partners and thank them for their support. IBAC’s work serves the diverse needs of the global business aviation community and we welcome industry participation to further build our resources, capabilities, and ultimately strengthening the voice of business aviation.”

With about 4,000 employees and 50 locations worldwide, Jet Aviation’s offerings include: aircraft management, charter, completions, defence, FBO, maintenance and staffing. “We are delighted to partner with IBAC to continue to work together to strengthen the industry in service of our customers and our employees,” said David Best, senior vice president regional operations & GM Americas, Jet Aviation.

“We are committed to enabling global flight, with passion and we look forward to the opportunity to contribute the knowledge we have gained over 55 years as a global business aviation service provider to further the important work that IBAC does to keep business aviation flying around the world.”

Corporate Jet Investor strengthens business aviation by informing and connecting the aircraft transactional sector, since 2010, with its global events, and conferences and timely industry editorial commentary and guidance, said Edwards.

Alasdair and Louisa Whyte are co-founders of Corporate Jet Investor. “It is an honour to join IBAC as an Industry Partner and we look forward to working with them to further advance business aviation, especially as the industry evolves with advanced air mobility and a heightened focus on sustainability,” said Louisa.

The IBAC Industry Partner programme is open to business aviation manufacturers and service providers including MRO, aircraft management, transactional and other sectors. As an Industry Partner, members have the unique opportunity to assist IBAC in shaping standards before they are adopted and applied as regulations by CAAs in their sovereign countries.

 In addition, there are opportunities for Industry Partners to work closely with the 15 IBAC member associations, participate in an IBAC advisory committee, and be recognised for leadership and commitment to the global business aviation community.

Pictured above, Alasdair Whyte (L) and Louisa Whyte, co-founders of Corporate Jet Investor, receive their certificate marking their admission to IBAC’s Industry Partners programme from the council’s Kurt Edwards and Leo Knappen. They received the certificate at CJI’s Dealmakers Dinner at EBACE 2023.

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IBAC has joined ICAO’s Assistance, Capacity-building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ACT-SAF) programme to train and educate companies on how to develop their full potential in SAF.

“The business aviation sector is known for innovation. We look forward to working with ICAO and other ACT-SAF participants to expand the development and use of SAF in greater quantities for use by all operators around the world,” said Kurt Edwards, director general, IBAC.

ICAO’s ACT-SAF programme involves monthly training sessions focusing on sustainability, environmental policy, economics and financing certification, as well as logistics relating to SAF.

Edwards signed the partnership agreement with Juan Carlos Salazar, secretary general, ICAO yesterday (March 29th) at ICAO headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

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The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and other industry groups such as the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) have developed four guiding principles for the 41st International Civil Aviation (ICAO) Triennial Assembly taking place this week. ICAO, a United Nations agency, convenes its 193 member states every three years to set worldwide aviation policy, with the current assembly running from today until October 7th.

The four guiding principles are to:

1. Foster investments that scale the production, availability and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), including tax credits
2. Promote the use of industry initiatives such as SAF book-and-claim, especially at small airports where business aviation is prevalent
3. Support innovations such as electric powered aircraft that can greatly cut C02 emissions
4. Encourage cooperative programmes between member states to spread the use of best practices proven to increase business aviation sustainability.

The four guidelines are meant to provide a roadmap to ensure the sector continues to build on its sustainability and help achieve net-zero C02 emissions by 2050, as put forward by the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change.

A working paper presented by the global aviation industry to ICAO in July estimated that 53%-71% of aviation decarbonisation will need to be delivered through a shift to SAF. It said that significant global SAF production is “achievable with the right policy support and market signals” and could “generate or sustain up to 14m million jobs”.

Kurt Edwards, director, IBAC said: “We know what our industry needs to accomplish to reach our goal of net-zero emissions and we have the tools available to do so. Now is the time to put in place the appropriate policies for this vision to become a reality.”

In recent months there has been a big push towards the development and use of SAF in the sector. In July, AEG Fuels launched a digital network that allows aircraft operators to access SAF at more than 20 locations worldwide. A month later, Embraer partnered with Brazilian energy company Raízen to improve the supply of SAF in the country. This month, blockchain technology has been backed by Directional Aviation, Alder Fuels, 4Air and Flexjet to provide transparency about the production of SAF and document its compliance with regulatory programmes and carbon reduction milestones.

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“Paul was an industry leader with an extensive understanding of global business aviation operations,” commented Kurt Edwards, IBAC Director General. “His contributions to IBAC over the years were outstanding. He made an impact on our association’s success. Paul will be missed for his passion and dedication to business aviation, and we are forever grateful for inspiration and support.”

Active in the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), Stinebring represented NBAA on the IBAC Governing Board. He served as chairman of the IBAC Board for 12-years and as vice chairman prior to that. Passionate about business aviation safety, Stinebring also served as chairman of the IBAC International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Standards Board. Most recently, Stinebring served with distinction as the IBAC representative to a critical working group of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) North Atlantic Systems Panel, where he earned the well-deserved respect of the group for his contributions on behalf of the business aviation community.

A memorial service for Stinebring was held in Manchester, MO, a suburb of St. Louis, on November 29. Contributions may be made to Wings of Hope, an aviation nonprofit supporting humanitarian programs around the globe to lift people in need toward health and self-sufficiency.

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Toughened doors are required for aircraft operating charter flights.

Previous rules stated that hardened doors were needed for business jets with 19 seats or fewer, with a maximum take-off weight of 100,310lbs.

The new rules increase the maximum take-off weight to 120,152lbs.

By increasing the weight, the need for aircraft including the Gulfstream G650ER and the upcoming Global 7000 to have the strengthened doors has been removed.

Kurt Edwards, director general of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) welcomed the news, saying “For the last three years, IBAC has worked closely with the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA), Bombardier, and Gulfstream to make this amendment a reality. The effort took much planning and working through the full standard-making process at ICAO and shows ICAO recognition of greater operational capabilities and industry evolution,”

The new rules will be effective as of July 16 2018.

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AfBAA says the move “has further strengthened its position on the global business aviation landscape”.

As a member of IBAC, AfBAA will help to promote international standards, policies and best safety practices for the global business aviation sector.

“We are delighted to have been confirmed as the latest member of this prestigious organisation,” said Rady Fahmy, AfBAA CEO. “It is a major milestone for us and one that we have worked hard to achieve. We look forward to collaborating with our fellow members from around the world to continue to improve standards in Africa, and worldwide. It is a very exciting development for us.”

As AfBAA marks its fifth year of supporting the sustainable development of business aviation across Africa, it joins IBAC at a time of significant growth. AfBAA membership continues to grow and, from 29 November to 1 December, the first AfBAC EXPO, Africa’s first business aviation event, will take place in Johannesburg.

“We are very pleased to welcome AfBAA to the IBAC family,” said Kurt Edwards, IBAC director general. “We aim to serve the varying needs of international business aviation and can only achieve this with the participation of the official organisations that represent the increasing value of business aviation across all regions of the world. We’re seeing growth in the number of African companies that demonstrate their commitment to safety and professionalism by achieving IS-BAH and IS-BAO registration. We look forward to working with AfBAA to further advance safety excellence across Africa.”

IBAC is an international trade association that holds permanent observer status at the International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN Specialized Agency for aviation matters. It promotes and manages standards for best safety practices through its International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAOTM), International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAHTM), Safety Management Tool Kit, SMS e-learning training, and Aircrew Identification Card.

Pictured left to right are Kurt Edwards; Alcinda Pereira with Best Fly; Nuno Pereira, vice chairman AfBAA; Scott Macpherson, chairman, IBAC; Rady Fahmy.

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The International Business Aviation Council is rolling out a modernised and consolidated version of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), a voluntary code of best practice for business aviation, following a unanimous vote by the IS-BAO Standards Board.

The IBAC says the safety standard has been “elevated to new heights” by a “big vote of confidence” in it by the industry leaders sitting on the Standards Board.

It had talked to almost 100 operators globally about what they wanted from the standard, and had changed it accordingly to make it simpler, less complex, and more able to respond to its participants’ needs. The new version allows operators more flexibility and time to implement improvements (called Vision 2020), improves efficiency, reduces workflow, and contains language “tailored to international business aviation”.

“This is a landmark change and paradigm shift that the aviation industry demanded,” said IS-BAO programme director Bennet Walsh, announcing the new standard at NBAA-BACE earlier this week. “After a year-long listening tour, we heard users wanted a step-by-step process for small operators and a more embedded system for established operators so audits become routine and not a distraction.

“We met with nearly 100 operators around the world to hear their concerns. By reviewing each existing standard with the question ‘How does this add value to an operator?’, the IS-BAO team was able to reduce the size and complexity of the IS-BAO Standard. The programme has become more responsive to its participants. In addition, it is adjusting to emerging technologies and applications in aviation and auditing.

“Being an IS-BAO-registered operator is a significant statement. It means you are committed to a proven safety and operational code of best practice. The Standards Board vote today is a result of a grassroots effort not only to refresh that Standard for current users but also to welcome new operators who wish to conform with this voluntary Standard of excellence.”

Also at NBAA-BACE, IBAC congratulated the flight departments of Coca Cola and Entergy for being IS-BAO-registered operators for 15 years – since the programme began.

“IBAC is pleased to recognise the commitment and professionalism of the Coca Cola and Entergy flight departments,” said Kurt Edwards, IBAC director general. “The executives, management and staff of Coca Cola and Entergy should be proud of the commitment to excellence and safety demonstrated by their flight departments’ continued participation in a global safety standard that counts nearly 800 operators worldwide.”

And the organisation announced three new appointments to its leadership team. Lawrence Fletcher has become audit manager of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling programme, a new position created due to the programme’s growth since its launch in 2014. He was previously audit manager of the IS-BAO programme, a role that has now been filled by Daniel Devraignes. And Yvonne Marinus has joined the IBAC as IS-BAO auditor accreditation manager.

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