Regional Gateway editor Chloë Greenbank summarises the latest happenings across airports serving business, regional and low-fare routes.
Last week’s pledge by the UK’s Labour Party to ban corporate aircraft by 2025 has proven a controversial and emotive issue.
As the influential voice for business aviation in the UK, The British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) has highlighted that such a sweeping statement shows a worrying lack of understanding of the business aviation industry. It also negates the impact such a measure would have on the UK’s economy, GDP, employment and the facilitation of business to and from the UK.
Acknowledging that climate change is an issue that must be addressed, BBGA highlights that aviation contributes 2% of global emissions and business aviation accounts for 2% of that. What’s more, the 3,000 corporate aircraft registered in Europe includes air ambulance models, which perform 1,000 medical flights per month and save hundreds of lives.
Alongside other industry leaders, BBGA has emphasised that to make a positive impact on the environment the government should support sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use and production, explore better and more efficient use of airspace and pioneer new forms of propulsion.
Meanwhile, Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), urged leaders in the UK and elsewhere to “set aside punitive proposals like [Labour’s pledge] and work with us to build upon the significant progress made to date.”
It’s also important to factor in that dedicated business aviation airports and small airfields are key enablers in facilitating growth and trade with otherwise difficult-to-reach locations. They enable business owners and users to get where they need to go, quickly and efficiently, taking in multiple international cities in one day.
Rather than backing BizAv into a corner and introducing a ban which the International Business Aviation Council’s Kurt Edwards insists “lacks meaningful value”, surely government should be focusing on proposals that will have a real effect on emissions reduction and driving forward a sustainable future for aviation.
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