Ian Sheppard has acted as Editor International Show Editions for AIN since June 2013. Based in the Redhill, England, Ian reports for the various AIN publications as well as providing support to International Editor Charles Alcock in covering international air shows (such as Farnborough, Paris, Singapore and Dubai), and the EBACE and MEBA business aviation events. His central role is to cover Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Prior to becoming more involved with AIN in mid-2011 (initially as deputy international editor), Ian worked for various aviation publications through his company, First Aerospace Media. This included being part of the AIN team covering daily news at international air shows.
Ian has worked for publications such as Flight International (technical reporter, 1997-8) and Aerospace International (editor, 1999-2000). He was publications manager at Airclaims (Ascend) between 2000 and 2004 before forming First Aerospace Media. Since mid-2009 Ian has also been managing editor of Regional International, the journal of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA).
Ian hasis working towards a European commercial pilot licence, having held an FAA private pilot license in 1991, and instructor rating. He also has a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Bath, England, and a graduate diploma in law from Kingston University, and is a graduate of the legal practice course (College of Law, Guildford).

Editor

Ian Sheppard

The Covid-19 crisis is rapidly heading to the point where business aviation stops in the UK, according to the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA). "The expectation is that by the end of the month everything will be grounded," said association CEO Marc Bailey.

 


Bailey said the pandemic has brought a consistent response from its members—for example, maintenance is being canceled. “We can only guess that this is for both hours predicted and for cash-flow reasons.” He said that, operationally, there was a “very short peak where people repositioned themselves” before borders closed, but now things are slowing to a halt.

 


In terms of those employed by BBGA members, Bailey said: “People are expecting to apply a mixture of unpaid leave and some layoffs. Our sector is now heading to the same position as scheduled airlines where we will struggle to service our debt and cash flow will be the killer. Therefore, all the measures in terms of tax relief, business rates, and access to national funds need to be available to our sector. People forget that our industry [comprises] businesses that support the movement of people. Effectively we are small to midsize enterprises that move passengers who may be more financially secure, but our businesses are no different from any other—we must generate revenue, make a profit, and maintain employment for our staff.”

 


Bailey said the impact on all aspects of aviation was set to be “profound…It is highly likely that we will see a significant number of business casualties that will be defeated by cash-flow problems. The magnitude of this depends on how quickly the market opens in a global sense. Clearly it is not just how your home country is performing against the virus, it is how your normal client network is affected. If this spreads out some three months, then there could be significant losses.”

 


He suggested that it could drive further consolidation as stronger businesses with good reserves see opportunities to expand.&nbsp;

 


In terms of the UK, he stated: “From a UK perspective the anxiety is even greater because with the current Brexit position we are told we are out of EASA and we have no idea how [the Single European Sky] and the freedoms of the skies will pan out.

 


“For our sector, we need to access all those nine freedoms [of the air-as defined by the Chicago Convention]. Whilst 1 through 5 will possibly suffice for scheduled airlines, much of our business also relies heavily on 6 through 9.”

 


In conclusion, Bailey said: “I would suggest that in a couple of weeks we will be in full grounded mode across the sector and I don’t see that changing.”

BBGA Expects Full Bizav Fleet Grounding Soon in UK

British business aviation association thinks there will come a point soon when the fleet is grounded.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN