EBAA/NBAA Partnership Said Key To Unleashing Biz Aviation in Europe

The first EBACE is a historical event, solely dedicated to business aviation and organized by aviation businesses, according to European Business Aviation Association chairman Brian Humphries. EBACE 2001 is the first of an annual series of business aviation forums attended by aviation experts, policymakers, regulators, operations leaders, the media and technology leaders, intended to catalyze business aviation growth in Europe, Humphries said here Wednesday.

Business aviation is a largely untapped transportation resource in Europe, having experienced little or no growth in the past decade, Humphries said. Restricted airport and airspace access, couple with an image problem, are the two main reasons that business aviation has stagnated here.

"Clearly, business aviation is a transportation resource that offers great opportunity for Europe," U.S. National Business Aviation Association president Jack Olcott said. NBAA was founded 54 years ago, largely in response to issues of airport and airspace access in the U.S. In contrast to Europe, business aviation has come to be seen as "a travel necessity" in the U.S., according to Olcott, as corporations seek ways to reduce the cost of lost time.

Today, as a result, 9,400 U.S. companies operate 14,000 fixed-wing turbine aircraft, compared with just 2,000 business aircraft operated in Europe.

Humphries and Olcott explained the benefits of business aviation to an audience, made up primarily of operators, manufacturers, suppliers or service providers. They also explained why business aircraft don't vie with scheduled air carriers for the scarce slots at major European airports.

"Business aircraft operate at ten times the number of airports served by scheduled air carriers and 100 times more locations than the airports most often served by air carriers," Humphries said. "Business aircraft are safe, effective, clean and quiet," Humphries claimed, often making less noise at airports than surrounding auto and truck traffic.

Most of the two-hours-plus session was taken up by presentations given by a large number of panelists representing Geneva International Airport, the European Commission, JAA, FAA and business aviation proponents.

While several participants commented on business aircraft operators' perception of being treated as second-class airport and airspace users, Klaus Koplin, secretary general of the Joint Aviation Authorities, offered a piquant perspective. "You ask how does JAA interact with business aviation? We ask how does business aviation interact with JAA? You have several seats available on various panels and committees, but you don't always use them.

"We need to have you there. I urge you to do something about this," Koplin chided. EBAA's Humphries said he would take action on that issue.

By Fred George