Bizav Organizations Refute WEF Flight Emissions Claims

In response to a recently published white paper by Netherlands-based environmental consultancy CE Delft highlighting the CO2 emissions from business aircraft headed to the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, this week, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), NBAA, and NATA have issued a rebuttal statement.

The organizations countered the document’s assertion that the WEF draws as many as 1,000 extra flights, faulting its methodology and claiming its totals include activity not associated with the event, as well as that of military and government aircraft. WEF itself notes that the number of private jet movements for the event is typically around 250.

For officials and other people heading to the event, business aviation offers more benefits than other forms of transportation, the groups noted. Davos is in a remote, mountainous area, and, while travel to it from London by train takes a full day each way, by private aircraft that span drops to just 1.5 hours. As well, private aviation offers a higher degree of security, which is important to government officials and business leaders.

Lastly, the organizations pointed to their industry’s track record of progress in sustainability, with continuous improvement driven by research and development leading the push toward the decarbonization of the aviation sector. The conference organizers partnered with Jet Aviation this year to make sustainable aviation fuel book-and-claim service available to visitors.