These are the hardest times the global business aviation community has ever faced, the industry was told by its leadership at yesterday’s opening general session of the EBACE show. Just as companies struggle to stay afloat in the treacherous undercurrents whipped up by a financial crisis of historic proportions, they are having to avoid being dragged down by the unwelcome weight of a new wave of regulatory requirements.
In a keynote address, Brian Humphries, chief executive and president of the European Business Aviation Association, reiterated the group’s concerns about how business aviation will be constrained by new regulatory efforts like the emissions trading scheme (ETS) and “inappropriate blanket security proposals.” Business aviation access to airports is also affected by growing low-cost airline traffic, he said, using airports that previously were available exclusively for general aviation use. “The situation is as challenging as any we’ve ever seen,” he told EBACE delegates.
