2023 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) took place 23-25 May at its traditional Geneva Airport home reports Alison Chambers of Emerald Media.

“All of us, working together, need to embark on a more sustainable route.  If we want our industry to survive, we need to reduce our carbon footprint and not just let it be a marketing initiative – it needs to stick.”  

Susie and Toto Woolf.This was Toto Wolff, Chief Executive of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas race team, addressing EBACE 2023 delegates as the show’s opening keynote speaker.  He also highlighted how much business aviation benefits his productivity. 

“There are similarities in both our sectors and it’s good to come and learn about how other industries are faring,” added wife Susie, speaking alongside her husband.  Now retired from F1 racing, where she once shared a podium with Lewis Hamilton, Susie is focusing on bringing Formula-E racing with an all-female racing team.  

Toto and Susie were speaking 24 hours after six business aviation Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) leaders shared a stage at the EBACE media lunch, for the first time.  They pledged to collectively step up their commitment to collaborate on sustainability, and draw in the entire supply chain too, getting themselves in pole position toward net zero in 2050.  “Aviation is the engine for global commerce – it has been for decades,” said Gulfstream Aerospace Mark Burns.  “We will be the first (sector) to operate at a huge level on SAF,” added Airbus Corporate Jets President Benoit Defforge.

Doing business at EBACE. UK companies Inflite The Jet Centre Sebastien Albouy and Pauline Monksfield with Peter Mankelow, Aerocare Aviation ServicesEvery company, OEM, engine manufacturer, members of the sustainable aviation coalition is committed to meet that target, added NBAA President Ed Bolen.  They must because “business aviation has a target on his back,” cited moderator US broadcast journalist Lisa Stark, quoting the British Business General Aviation Association’s CEO Marc Bailey.

Opening the show EBAA Chair Juergen Weisse proclaimed the show, its 21st edition, was dedicated to the memory and legacy of Athar Hussain Khan.  His passing at the end of March was a great shock to colleagues and many friends in the industry.  “He (our Director General) was the right man at the right time,” simply passionate about sustainability,” said Weisse.  

Geneva Airport CEO Giovanni Russo highlighted “sustainability is our licence for the future,” especially in business aviation, where annual movements are up 20% to 32,000 movements.  He highlighted the airport was on course to net zero by 2037.  

As he was talking, however, preparations were underway by multi-protest groups to break through the security fence to the static park, home to 50 business aircraft on display.  They wore high viz vests emblazoned with Ban Private Jets.  Several chained themselves to two Gulfstream jets and tackled by police they pulled out pepper spray.  EBAA and NBAA condemned the action, which put security staff and delegates at risk.  Moreover, the airport had to close for just over an hour.  Arriving commercial jets had to divert to Zurich and Geneva.  EBAA and NBAA were ready and prepared for a peaceful protest.  Security inside was considerably increased.   The peaceful protestors camped outside the Palexpo with banners, even bringing their babies in pushchairs.  Aviation International News Senior International Editor Charles Alcock was among the first to report from the scene – not exactly how he planned a rather special birthday he said.

The FIVE Airbus ACJ TwoTwenty interior making its EBACE debutHad they come into the exhibit hall, listened to the numerous presentations in the Sustainability Theatre and speakers such as Erik Lindburgh they could have seen and heard an agenda focused on sustainability.  The Lindburgh Foundation is offering incentive prizes to improve the availability and adoption of sustainable aviation fuels and other alternative energies, taking a global approach to decarbonising aviation to accelerate the availability and adoption of SAF.   

“We have to move as a concerted effort,” Erik said at a Newsmakers Lunch, pointing out all the eggs are currently in the SAF basket.  ‘How we get the most SAF for the least cost is key.  Yet it remains a huge scaling up issue.  Green hydrogen, he said, is a key component for the future.  “It’s the Swiss army knife of sustainable fuels, because it helps create ammonia which is used for fertiliser – to feed the world and produce SAF.”  Lindburgh’s XPRIZE Foundation, a non-profit organisation created to solve the world’s grandest challenges, recently benefited from a US$100m prize for Direct Air Carbon Capture from Elon Musk, he said.

Typical group discussion. Here Mark Burns, President of Gulfstream leads.Over on the Air bp stand there were clinics on Sustainable Aviation Fuel.  Regional and City Airports’ Rigby Group-owned Norwich Airport is the latest to offer a permanent supply of SAF, it was announced. SaxonAir, which runs charter operations and the FBO, is using SAF for its helicopters too.  Jet Aviation and Signature Flight Support brought SAF trucks to the general aviation terminals to refuel departing jets.  Many business jets flew in on SAF.

Airbus Corporate Jets had a good show, displaying the first ACJ TwoTwenty on the static, newly delivered to Comlux, which fitted the stunning interior for client FIVE Hotels and Resorts in Dubai.  Airbus ACJ announced an order for a corporate version of the ACJ330neo to an unnamed customer.  In the UK, Acropolis Aviation is almost booked out with its ACJ320neo into 2024.  Chadi Saade, VP Commercial for Airbus Corporate Jets, said he didn’t rule out an order from a major fractional operator (FlexJet, NetJets) one of these days.  

In other highlights – Textron Aviation presented a new family member, the Ascend, a 12-seat mid-size cabin XLS Gen2 variant, which will enter service in 2025, powered by enhanced P&W 545 turbofan engines and new Garmin G5000 avionics.

Alison Chambers and Kelly Murphy, Emerald Media and Women in Aviation International.

Gulfstream brought its newest long-legged Gulfstream G700. Certification (with its five flight-test aircraft) is taking longer than expected conceded President Mark Burns, owing to short staffed FAA.  Bombardier heralded a great response to its new, longest range Global 8000, now up to 140 orders and announced its move into Certified Pre-Owned business jets. It has made considerable investments in its aftermarket centres all over the world, adding one million sq ft of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) space, including a flagship Biggin Hill Airport location which boasts interior completions and more.

With aircraft enjoying new leases of life with sustainable interiors, refurbishments, new paint, the aftermarket sector is doing well.  Continuing with the collaborative theme, two established UK aviation services businesses Inflite The Jet Centre (authorised Embraer Service Centre in the UK) and Aerocare Aviation Services at Stansted and Chester Hawarden Airports ratified a partner agreement to collaborate on MRO and paint.

As for air travel in and out, it was business as normal with easyJet.  Only those leaving the show a day later got held up owing to British Airways’ IT issues.  Evening departures back to London were at least an hour late – we had to let some business jets depart – fuelled by SAF, after all.

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