The European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition 2013 (EBACE) took place this month at Palexpo in Geneva from 21 - 25 May. Held annually and now in its 13th year, EBACE is hosted jointly by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) of the United States. This year's three day event brought together professionals in the business aviation industry and provided a unique occasion not only for exhibitors to sell their wares, but also featured sessions on a variety of topics ranging from education and career development through to maintenance and operation sessions as well as a very well attended session addressing the importance of IT in driving the industry forward. EBACE is unique in that it unites people from nearly all aspects of business aviation including business leaders, government officials, manufacturers, service providers and charter/lease companies to name but a few. With over 12 000 attendees of this closed, invitation only event, organizers branded it a success.
So is Business Aviation really all about swish aircraft interiors, champagne and prestige?
At first glance, EBACE confirms that business aviation is a niche market. Indeed, a visit to the static display of aircraft conveniently located just outside the exhibition centre confirmed that when one travels by Business Jet, it is not exactly like travelling economy.
A second glance with a more critical eye tells a very different story. With EBACE playing host to nearly 500 exhibitors from around the world in an impressive 36 000 square metre, no expense spared display, clearly there is more to business aviation than meets the eye. The event demonstrates the essential role business aviation plays in supporting jobs, mobility and opportunity in Europe, particularly in the midst of the economic downturn. While business aviation can be costly, there are clear advantages to a tailor made service which provides business leaders with a unique travel tool which not only saves time but also provides a mobile office which is available anywhere anytime.
Business Aviation, an enabler for Europe Plc.
Business aviation provides CEOs, entrepreneurs and their teams with a valuable business tool providing connectivity between destinations not served by the airlines. With 96% of city pairs served by business aviation having no direct commercial airline flight connections, this makes it a crucial part of the European Air Transport network. With such importance from an economic point of view placed on business aviation, it can be regarded as an addition to commercial aviation rather than as the perceived alternative.
With increasing connectivity seen as a key driver for economic growth in Europe, it was not surprising that an important highlight that many industry experts had been waiting for was the unveiling of the PC-24 Jet by Swiss based Pilatus Aircraft Ltd, who described it as the world’s first “Super Versatile Jet”. What is interesting is that, from an economic standpoint, the PC-24 will give business leaders a greater reach than any business jet ever built, as it has the ability to use very short runways (paved or unpaved) and has a range of 3 610 Km. Jet development not only gives manufacturers a competitive advantage, but also gives an advantage to service providers such as Geneva based jet brokers LunaJets who specialize in the brokerage of empty leg flights. Modernizing the business jet to be able to use shorter runways, even those located at airfields rather than sophisticated airports, provides an opportunity for brokers to increase their catchment area for the brokerage of empty legs. From the end users point of view, this means hard to reach parts of Europe are now easily accessible to business travellers, opening up new markets and opportunities.
It’s not just the Jet that counts
In addition to new product launches from aircraft manufacturers, Jet Aviation, a business aviation Service Company, used the show in part to announce the refurbishment of its FBO (Fixed Based Operation) in Geneva, in accordance with the firm’s global program announced last year. This program aims to provide customers with a premium experience. Meanwhile, Geneva based TAG Aviation used the first day of the event to launch its new website. This boasts improved functionality enabling easy access to their worldwide services, including aircraft charter, management and maintenance, FBO and crew training. The website also now serves as a sales channel for Honda Jet, for which TAG Aviation is the exclusive authorized dealer for Northern Europe. TAG Aviation CEO Robert Wells commented that, “this user-friendly website underlines our commitment to meeting the needs of our customer".
On closing the three day event, Fabio Gamba CEO of the EBAA said, “What I saw at EBACE 2013 was an industry that is not only addressing the economic situation in this region, but one that is taking the necessary steps to ensure that business aviation remains essential in Europe”.
While most industries are concentrating on cutting back on their activities, business aviation appears to be taking up much more positive strategies to weather the economic storm.
