The Climbing Fast advocacy campaign launched in 2023 by U.S.-based NBAA is expanding its reach with the launch this week of an international website that will include content posted by business aviation groups in multiple countries. The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) announced the initiative on the eve of EBACE 2025, and the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) has signed up to host one of the platform’s national “rooms.”
According to IBAC director general Kurt Edwards, Climbing Fast was always intended to be a global initiative. “We’re all facing the same issues and now we’re able to put more of an international window on it to connect with industry and governments worldwide,” he told AIN. “The international page will draw on resources from the national groups, addressing sustainability in economic, societal, and environmental terms.”
BBGA’s “room” on the site will now incorporate its ongoing “Did You Know?” advocacy campaign, which has been highlighting myriad contributions made by business aviation companies, mainly through social media posts. “We have focused a lot on our environmental sustainability and humanitarian roles, and now we have somewhere we can put all these stories in one place and signposting them for both the public, regulators, and the industry itself,” explained Lindsey Oliver, the UK group’s managing director.
Business Aviation Makes a Difference
So far, the BBGA campaign has been able to highlight examples of UK business aviation humanitarian and disaster relief roles in countries as far afield as Brazil and Chile. It has also highlighted the findings of the report published in January by Oxford Economics, which warned that government restrictions on the industry could cost Europe up to around €120 billion ($134 billion) in foreign direct investment and 104,000 jobs. The research was commissioned by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and EBAA.
According to IBAC, the international platform will help national associations in the conversations they have with policymakers, customers, and even protestors. “It is very timely because we have the ICAO general assembly coming up at the end of September,” Edwards commented.
The newly added international section of the Climbing Fast platform will feature graphics representing the various national associations providing content. Additionally, the various groups will be able to share content and information.
According to Edwards, business aviation groups are seeing some shifts in the lobbying environment. In Europe, for instance, whereas 18 months ago the conversation was dominated by hostility to the industry over environmental impacts, there now seems to be somewhat more of a priority being given to the continent’s weak economies and ongoing cost-of-living issues. He hopes this could lead to a more open-minded recognition that environmental objectives are not at odds with financial imperatives.
This week at EBACE 2025, BBGA, IBAC, and other groups are exhibiting as part of the Association Village. In addition to NBAA, IBAC, GAMA, BBGA, and EBAA, Climbing Fast is also backed by the following groups: Canadian Business Aviation Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Aircraft Electronics Association, International Aircraft Dealers Association, National Air Transport Association, Vertical Aviation International, and Women in Corporate Aviation.