In the 12 months since the last NBAA convention, most indicators show that business aviation flight hours dropped as aircraft operators and flight departments were squeezed between a shaky economy and unstable fuel prices. Those two factors resulted in reduced demand for jet fuel.
In the months before 2008’s show, as the price of jet-A spiked to more than $8 per gallon in some locations, fuel costs were a factor in the decline in usage, and this was felt by the major fuel providers. “Certainly the peak prices in the middle part of last year, principally the third quarter, started to lead the demand erosion and it just progressed into more of an economic challenge,” said Steve McCullough, vice president of sales and marketing at Air BP Aviation (Booth No. 268). “Demand is definitely off. Our numbers showed [a decline] somewhere in the 27- to 28-percent range across all products.”
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