Story ID: 379
European Business Aviation Navigates Political Minefield 
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: EBAA's new leader Holger Krahmer calls for industry to be more vocal and transparent
Word Count: 1086
Business aviation continues to navigate a path through a political minefield in which enemies and frenemies alike seem determined to impede or even halt its growth. That is essentially the assessment of Holger Krahmer, the new secretary general of EBAA, as he and his U.S. colleagues from NBAA open EBACE 2024 today in Geneva.
For the second year running at the show, the industry’s enemies will be on hand, with climate change activists expected to call for a ban on all private aviation. Groups including Extinction Rebellion, Scientist Rebellion, and Stay Grounded are expected to protest outside the main entrance to the Palexpo convention center on Wednesday.
And as the business aviation lobby strives to demonstrate that it is part of the climate change solution, rather than being the nub of the problem, it continues to face what it regards as unwarranted discrimination from the European Commission (EC). EBAA is pushing back against legislation that it says undermines its contribution to the aviation sector’s net-zero carbon objective.
“Business aviation is hated on one side [the activists] and neglected on the other side [the EC],” Krahmer told AIN on the eve of the show. “We don’t want to be helped by politicians, we just want to be respected as part of Europe’s aviation landscape.”
Business aviation continues to navigate a path through a political minefield in which enemies and frenemies alike seem determined to impede or even halt its growth. That is essentially the assessment of Holger Krahmer, the new secretary general of EBAA, as he and his U.S. colleagues from NBAA open EBACE 2024 today in Geneva.
For the second year running at the show, the industry’s enemies will be on hand, with climate change activists expected to call for a ban on all private aviation. Groups including Extinction Rebellion, Scientist Rebellion, and Stay Grounded are expected to protest outside the main entrance to the Palexpo convention center on Wednesday.
And as the business aviation lobby strives to demonstrate that it is part of the climate change solution, rather than being the nub of the problem, it continues to face what it regards as unwarranted discrimination from the European Commission (EC). EBAA is pushing back against legislation that it says undermines its contribution to the aviation sector’s net-zero carbon objective.
“Business aviation is hated on one side [the activists] and neglected on the other side [the EC],” Krahmer told AIN on the eve of the show. “We don’t want to be helped by politicians, we just want to be respected as part of Europe’s aviation landscape.”
The EC’s decision to exclude business from its formal definition of sustainable economic activity is potentially problematic for business aviation companies because it could diminish the industry’s standing with the financial community. For this reason, business jet maker Dassault is taking legal action against the Commission, and EBAA has not ruled out joining this suit.
EBAA has warned that exclusion from the EC’s so-called sustainability taxonomy sends a negative signal to financial markets. In this respect, it could negatively impact a company's ability to refinance its activities and assets, including aircraft.
“From my point of view, there was an ideological approach to this decision,” Krahmer told AIN. “Business aviation seems to be seen as a proper part of society. This is why, as an association, we now need to be louder as a sector because politicians and other stakeholders seem to have no understanding of what is behind business aviation. We have 400,000 employees in Europe, and contribute more than €100 billion annually to Europe’s GDP.”
Brussels-based EBAA now has around 750 member companies, including aircraft operators and the complex ecosystem of equipment and service providers. There are around 4,000 business aircraft registered in Europe and the sector accounts for between 7% and 9% of all flights. According to Krahmer, following its post-Covid spike, industry activity is stable with modest expectations for short-term growth.
Today, business aviation flying accounts for 0.04% of global carbon emissions. However, as other industries make more rapid progress in cutting carbon as part of legally binding net-zero commitments, the relative scale of the sector’s environmental footprint will inevitably expand.
With its ReFuelEU mandates for the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the European Union is raising the stakes for decarbonizing flights. While the EBAA shares the legislation’s objectives, it insists that while SAF availability does not meet demand, operators must be permitted to use book-and-claim schemes to meet their obligations by paying for fuel that gets used in other locations in return for carbon credits.
“What we need to do as a sector is to make clear more than ever before what the sector is and what its merits are,” Krahmer said. “It’s not about rich people’s toys. You have people running companies where time efficiency is everything, and this can’t be met by commercial aviation.”
In his view, the fixation of some protestors on the industry’s connection to high-net-worth individuals wilfully obscures the fact that medical flights are part of the business aviation landscape. In Europe, there are 70,000 flights per year just for medical purposes, and many of these depend on having access to hundreds of smaller airports that business aviation sustains.
Krahmer, a former member of the European Parliament and a lobbyist for the automotive industry, wants the business aviation community to “stop hiding” and to start emphasizing the talent and progress it contributes to the wider aviation landscape. “Business aviation is a leader and a test bench for new technologies, and we need to be louder about this,” he said.
Acknowledging notable absentees from this year’s EBACE exhibitor roster, including Gulfstream, Bombardier, TAG Aviation, and Luxaviation, Krahmer said EBAA and NBAA are open to rethinking the show’s format. He pointed to new aspects of this year's show, such as pioneers from the advanced air mobility sector with their electric and hybrid-electric aircraft.
“Since Covid and the greater implementation of digital opportunities, the character of all trade shows [is] changing so this is why we need to deliver the added value to our members and exhibitors,” he said. “We need to consider the competitive landscape and the needs of the market, but I’m very proud to say that EBACE will continue.”