Story ID: 311
Business Aviation Asserts Role in European Recovery
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: EBAA says industry still faces discrimination and ‘irrational’ decisions
Word Count: 875
The unfolding crisis for Europe’s stagnating economies present an opportunity for business aviation to recast itself as part of the solution rather than part of perceived problems. EBAA takes some encouragement from politicians who now appear more focused on how they can reverse the continent’s decline in the face of hostility from the new U.S. administration and political fragmentation among its member states.
However, EBAA officials see European Union (EU) leaders somewhat paralyzed by political polarization and failing to take strategic decisions at a time when they are urgently needed. This in turn blocks paths to progress on issues critical to business aviation, such impractical restrictions on tankering fuel and reversing onerous taxes such as those recently imposed on charter flight passengers in France.
“We have European Commissioners focusing on the question of what needs to be done to bring Europe back on track and competitive, but too many people in the administration are stuck in the old times and so the commission is only making baby steps with the changes,” EBAA secretary general Holger Krahmer told AIN on the eve of EBACE 2025.
For EBAA, the key to unlock progress is increasingly based on a more ground-up approach to lobbying. It is urging its member companies to engage more directly with national governments over issues that directly impact them.
“Our members face a lot of very specific challenges because there are still a lot of irrational decisions being taken,” Krahmer explained. “Our message is not just to complain. We need to organize ourselves and apply more resources at a national and international level. We have to do more than some other groups because we’re not seen as a priority and it is easy [for decision makers] to exclude us.”
National Associations Lead Grassroots Campaigns
This grassroots approach has inspired EBAA to add the Association Village as a part of the new format for EBACE. It brings together the growing number of national associations from countries including France, Germany, Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Malta, Spain and the UK. IBAC is also part of this cluster, along with Women in Corporate Aviation and The Air Charter Association.
The group’s chief operating officer, Robert Balthus cited the threat of reduced business aircraft access to Dublin Airport in the wake of a proposed reduction in the maximum number of passengers using the main terminal each year as a prime example of how local lobbying can be the most effective approach.
“This threatened to impact non-scheduled flights, like ours, and so we to be punished for [restrictions on] a building we’re not even using,” he told AIN. The Irish Business Aviation Association successfully led efforts to get the government to rethink its plans, with letters highlighting the economic impact on major events being hosted by Ireland such as the next Ryder Cup golf tournament.
The imperative for EBAA member companies to remain alert to new threats to their operations and business models has become all too clear from the impact of France’s new “solidarity tax” which has increased passenger tariffs by up to 300%. The tax was imposed from March 1 and with very little warning to a charter sector that now views it as an existential threat.
“Even the French companies don’t fully understand how the tax works, and it has nothing to do with [funding] sustainability,” Balthus said. “The way it is being applied means they could come after other operators [from outside France].”
EBAA is now trying to mitigate the disruptive impact of EASA’s new Part IS digital security regulations on business aviation. As is so often the case in Europe, the rules were formulated with large airlines in mind and do not align well with all aspects non-scheduled operations.
Anti-Tankering Policy is Anti-Business Aviation 
Fast forward to 2025, and EBAA is fighting another rearguard action to try to amend the disruption caused by the European Union’s rules intended to block the tankering of fuel for flights in and out of airports in its jurisdiction. EASA and the European Commission only consulted with two industry associations when drafting the rules, completely excluding business aviation.
“It’s completely bonkers, but we’re stuck with the anti-tankering rules for at least another year, and we need to be sure we can get this regulation back to what it was intended for,” Balthus concluded.
The Brussels-based group is telling its members that more resources will be needed for this more complex role, which is reflected in the topics covered by the EBACE show conference program. Part of the financial commitment is covering the ongoing joint case being contested in the European Court of Justice by EBAA and Dassault Aviation to challenge the European Commission’s refusal to include business aviation in the EU Taxonomy policy that is an enabler of investment in environmental sustainability.
The court is still gathering legal arguments with EBAA pressing for a public hearing that Krahmer said could shine a light on what the group views as discrimination. A ruling is expected later this year.
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