When protestors against private aviation broke into Germany’s Sylt Airport in June and covered a Cessna Citation CJ1+ in orange paint, the damage, priced at over $1 million, was so extensive that the aircraft was deemed to be a write-off for insurance purposes. Insurance company executives speaking to AIN on condition of anonymity say that the industry is still struggling to assess how the spate of attacks by self-proclaimed eco-warriors will impact the way coverage is provided and what it will cost.
These attacks raise questions about who is liable, and that may need to be resolved through civil lawsuits against both the perpetrators and, possibly, service providers such as aircraft operators and FBOs. “I don’t expect to see private jet owners suing environmentalists,” one executive with a leading London-based insurance broker commented. “Billionaires going after jobless green protestors isn’t a good look.”
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