Sept. 24, 2020
Economic activity in America’s business aviation market has slowly rebounded, but still remains significantly off from where it stood at pre-COVID-19 levels, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said during the Central Florida Business Aviation Association’s (CFBAA) Safety Standdown.
“I think all of us who looked at the abyss of March and April feel that, over the succeeding months, things have generally moved in the right direction, giving us reason for cautious optimism.”
Bolen was one of four featured speakers of the virtual event, which was held Sept. 24.
Bolen opened with an address that covered a variety of topics, including NBAA’s continuing push to help improve aviation safety, the state of business aviation thus far in 2020, and the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the industry. He noted that business aviation often is the only means of air travel available in some markets where the pandemic has led to reduced or eliminated airline service.
Bolen applauded CFBAA on hosting the safety event, pointing to it as proof once again that business aviation remains intensely focused on promoting and improving safety. “For business aviation to be successful; for business aviation to thrive, we need to be safe and we need to be perceived to be safe,” Bolen said.
Bolen also provided an update on the industry’s first-ever Sustainability Summit, which was held Sept. 14-15, and focused on developments in sustainable aviation fuels; and he fielded questions covering a variety of topics during his roughly 45-minute presentation.
Additional event speakers included:
- Dr. Daniel Gilday, emergency medical physician at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, WA, and the medical program director for Aircare International, who discussed COVID-19 symptoms, transmission and prevention, and specific COVID-19 operational considerations for business aviation operators.
- Kodey Bogart, safety management systems SME/speaker and founder of KB Solutions, LLC, who addressed how organizations can reduce safety risks in a more disciplined, integrative, and focused manner through safety management systems.
- Bennet Walsh, International Business Aviation Council program director, IS-BAO, who outlined the benefits of IS-BAO program safety standards and reviewed IS-BAO updates. He also discussed IBAC’s new Flightplan Stage 1 program for small operators
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.