The European Business Aviation Association has appointed lobbyist and former politician Holger Krahmer as its new secretary general. He will join the industry group from January 1, having spent the past five years as head of European Union affairs with German automotive group Mercedes-Benz, after almost four years in a similar role with carmaker Opel.
With extensive experience in dealing with EU institutions, Krahmer was an elected member of the European Parliament for Germany’s Free Democratic Party between 2004 and 2014. He served on the parliament’s environment and regional development committees and was directly involved in setting policy on the Emissions Trading Scheme and Single European Sky initiative. Prior to entering politics, he had a career as an economist and banker.
“Being intimately familiar with the challenges of the European transportation sector and how the European institutions work, I look forward to this exciting position,” Krahmer commented when his appointment was announced on Tuesday. “I am well aware of the huge tasks that lie ahead to ensure that business aviation will continue to thrive, connect regions and enable economic and societal development as well as serve as an incubator for innovations in the overall aviation industry.”
EBAA’s board of directors has been working to appoint a new secretary general following the death of Athar Husain Khan in March 2023. The Brussels-based association has 700 member companies and operates a combined fleet of more than 1,000 aircraft.
“We are very pleased to welcome Holger at EBAA, especially during these challenging times for business aviation in Europe,” said EBAA chairman Juergen Wiese. “Given his diverse industry experience, notable tenure in Brussels as a legislator, and a commendable record in transport industry advocacy, we are optimistic about fortifying both EBAA and European business aviation under his guidance.”
This year, Europe’s business aviation community has come under intense political pressure over environmental sustainability, with protestors directly targeting aircraft owners and operators—and in some cases damaging aircraft and violating airport security. Governments in countries including France and the Netherlands have imposed restrictions on airport access and have indicated possible changes to tax regimes to disincentivize private aircraft use.
EBAA is working with its members to establish a framework of standards through which the industry can achieve consistent benchmarks to measure the environmental and social sustainability of aircraft operations and the ecosystem that supports flights. The new Standards & Training for Aviation Responsibility and Sustainability (STARS) program will result in the implementation of a compliance label that could be applicable to all companies within the business aviation value chain, including not only aircraft operators but also FBOs, maintenance providers, law firms, and finance and insurance companies. A draft outline of the program has been distributed among some EBAA members as the group prepares to launch a pilot program in 2024.