The European Business Aviation Association has responded strongly against proposals being considered by the UK’s Labour party to ban private jets from UK airports from as early as 2025 if it wins the general election next month
The trade association, which represents the interests of business aviation companies throughout Europe issued the statement following an article published on the Guardian, confirming the move by the political party.
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) said, “As a sector, we know that passengers are increasingly demanding to be transported sustainably. The outright banning private jets in the UK as suggested, however, would do little to curb climate change, business aviation is but 2% of 2% of aviation’s contribution to global emissions.
“Furthermore air traffic is an international business, meaning unilateral, isolated solutions make little sense. We’re therefore proposing a more achievable and holistic approach.
“Business aviation serves a legitimate, and important, societal purpose – we connect communities, enable secure travel, improve business productivity and opportunities, and link markets in an increasingly globalised world when time matters most and no alternative is available.
“In short, we fly where others don’t, or cannot, and this drives the demand for our service. Nonetheless these benefits come with an environmental cost, and business aviation must balance them with a responsibility to mitigate climate change.
The EBAA pointed out that it has several initiatives and programs in action with the aim of increasing the sustainability and mitigate the environmental impact of business aviation activities.
The Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change pledges to halve all emissions by 2050 relative to 2005, to make a 2% improvement in fuel efficiency per year from 2010 until 2020, a target it expects to meet and for all growth in the sector to be carbon-neutral by next year.
“These efforts will be complemented by the first global climate mitigation scheme of its kind, known as the ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA, starting in 2021,” the EBAA statement added.
