Business aviation stakeholders must adapt to and embrace the “fast-changing environment” that characterises their industry, and seek new markets and ways of operating to account for these changes.
This was the rallying call of European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) chief executive Fabio Gamba to delegates attending the opening general session at EBACE.
“Today we are living in a new normal,” says Gamba, pointing to flatter growth patterns which are “forcing us all to look for new markets and new ways of doing things”.
After emerging from “the darkest moments in its history”, the business aviation industry recorded “modest” growth of 0.7% last year. The outlook for this year is “difficult to predict”, says Gamba. “To be frank, the results are quite ambivalent with movements yo-yoing month to month.”
Gamba welcomes the European Commission’s aviation package, aimed at boosting air transport competitiveness on the continent, but issues a word of caution: “It is crucial not to disregard any components of the air transport value chain, of which we are part.”
For its part, EBAA is carrying out a study examining the value of the business aviation industry to customers and will “hopefully have a copy to put in your hands by the end of the year”, says Gamba.
“The only constant thing in life is change, and that fits us perfectly. Change is becoming part of our DNA…and we need to embrace that.”
Source: Flight Daily News
