EUROPEAN AIRCRAFT manufacturers and operators have been urged by US National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) president Jack Olcott to launch an advocacy campaign in support of corporate aviation. He has suggested that it be run along the same lines as the NBAA's own "No Plane, No Gain" programme in the USA.
Addressing a meeting of business and general aviation operators at North Weald '95, Olcott said that it was time for Europe to be "pro- active, not defensive" about corporate flying. He added that the NBAA would be prepared to assist European trade associations if they decided to initiate their own campaign.
"Over 30 transatlantic flights are made by business aircraft each day," he said. "Our member companies fly to Europe, and European companies fly to the USA. We would be willing to identify those stories and points of contact if it would help."
Olcott's call to arms has been given a guarded reception by UK and European operators who have expressed doubts about the practicalities of launching such a drive in Europe, because, they say, the industry in Europe is smaller, less visible and more fragmented.
Francois Chavatte, president of the European Business Aviation Association, while welcoming Olcott's comments, says that the situation in Europe is very different. "We are a dwarf compared to the USA," he says. "In Europe, we operate 2,000 business aircraft - in the USA, that figure is 10,000. "
He says that the lead to boost business aviation must come not only from operators, manufacturers and the business community, but also from governments. "Politicians must play their part," he says, pointing to the closure of airports as an area where they should exercise more influence. "We must open and maintain more airports. This is crucial to the success of corporate aviation."
He is optimistic about the future of the business aviation industry in Europe, however, even without a high-profile publicity campaign. He believes that closer unification of the various countries will help, and, as the observation of national boundaries becomes less restrictive, there is no reason why the number of business aircraft in Europe cannot rise to something approaching 5,000 or even 7,000.
Olcott is expected to promote "No Plane, No Gain" at this year's NBAA convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, later in September. The campaign was originally launched with the help of the US General Aviation Manufacturers Association at the 1993 NBAA convention in Atlanta.
Source: Flight International
