European politicians and the wider environmental lobby have made it clear that aviation is firmly in their sights in the struggle to halt what is broadly perceived as manmade global warming. Yesterday, here in the opening session of the EBACE conference, the business aviation community made it clear that they aren’t hiding from the issue. The message was that, while bizav won’t shirk its environmental responsibilities, it wants a realistic approach to strategies such as emissions trading.
EBAA and NBAA chief executives yesterday sent a strong signal that the environment is well ahead of many other hot-button issues on business aviation’s agenda. “The environment has never been so important in our agenda,” EBAA president Brian Humphries said. NBAA’s Ed Bolen agreed, noting that “there is no greater issue than the environment.” A session on emissions trading will take place today in Hall 7, Salon 1 at 2 p.m. and no doubt the room will be crammed full with anxious business aircraft operators.
