In Europe, unlike on the other side of the Atlantic, the idea of a company using private aircraft to fly staff or clients from one location to another has always smacked of indulgence: something best left to rock stars, racing drivers and ostentatious American entrepreneurs. Even firms which use corporate aircraft for sound economic and logistical reasons - 85 of the biggest 100 companies on the London Stock Exchange, for example - tend to keep quiet about it. They fear tabloid headlines and union accusations about fat-cat executives squandering shareholder and company funds on luxury travel at a time when stock prices are sliding and factories or jobs are under threat.
There are signs, however, that this stereotype could be crumbling. Last week in Geneva, Europe's business aviation sector emerged with a new-found confidence. The inaugural European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) - a joint venture between the European and American industry associations - was an attempt to banish unfavourable perceptions of business air travel and seek a better deal from governments, authorities and airport owners. With every major manufacturer except Bombardier exhibiting and an expected 3,500 delegates attending, the event looks like becoming a strong base to expand a market which is already the second biggest outside America, with an 11% share and fleet of more than 2,000 turbine aircraft.
The European Business Aviation Association can learn much from its convention partner, the US National Business Aviation Association, which over 54 years has transformed itself from a low-key pressure group to one of the largest and most powerful trade associations in the USA.
Its major leap forward came in the early 1990s when the USA, not unlike today, was lurching into an economic downturn. At the time, business aviation was battling against a poor image and airport access issues which were hitting aircraft sales. NBAA seized the opportunity to become an indispensable mouthpiece for the industry. It launched its now renowned "No Plane, No Gain" advocacy campaign to promote business aircraft as essential working tools and commissioned studies to justify the value aircraft utilisation can bring to company productivity. The success of the campaign for the US business aviation industry has been so phenomenal that companies that do not use business aircraft are now considered the exception. Business aircraft are seen as the backbone of a successful company.
Not so in Europe, where business aviation mirrors the US position early in the previous decade. Although the industry is making headway, it faces not just image problems but a plethora of restrictions, particularly over airport access, which are placing a stranglehold on the sector. Efforts to promote corporate air travel as a time-saving, flexible and often cheaper alternative to scheduled airlines, trains or cars are being thwarted by the constant shunning of smaller aircraft types at Europe's busiest airports.
EBAA has worked hard to promote and strengthen the position of the industry it represents and consequently has become a highly respected association. However, now it is time for the organisation to step up its efforts. It should consider launching a European advocacy campaign to promote business aviation across the region. It cannot simply replicate the NBAA model. It must develop its own identity in the wider market and corridors of power and get the message across to the mass of disbelievers that the region has a huge potential for growth.
With a membership of fewer than 150 companies, EBAA has to attempt to sign up those who have not yet committed to the association. This will enable it to build a more representative picture of the European business aviation market - something it can use to convince analysts and stockbrokers of the links between business aircraft use and company performance. Only by encouraging market demand can the critical mass be achieved to convince the law-makers and airport operators to alter their attitude to a means of travel that can significantly boost business and an economy's efficiency.
Source: Flight International
