NBAA Sustainability Program Honored at Aviation Week Laureate Award Ceremony

March 18, 2024

NBAA’s work to foster sustainability through innovation and shared best practices on the ground and in the air was recognized with an Aviation Week Laureate Award for its groundbreaking sustainable flight department accreditation program.

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen accepted the award on behalf of the team at Aviation Week’s Laureate Awards ceremony on March 14, in Washington, D.C.

“The National Business Aviation Association launched the Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation Program to help organizations reduce their carbon footprint,” said Molly McMillin, Aviation Week’s managing editor, business aviation at the ceremony. “Today the program has awarded 44 accreditations to 25 businesses that have identified net reduction of more than 125,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Beyond this, the NBAA program is helping to nurture a sustainable culture for the industry.”

NBAA’s Sustainability Program

NBAA’s Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation Program recognizes companies that meet or exceed specified environmental efficiency and sustainability criteria across their flights, operations, ground support and infrastructure. These categories are aimed at recognizing the diversity of business aviation entities and different emissions scopes.

The accreditation program sets a standard for the industry, validating companies for their sustainability leadership in support of the industry’s mission to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Learn more about the NBAA Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation program.

“This award is a testament to the deep commitment to sustainability demonstrated by the entire business aviation community,” Bolen said. “Through the accreditation program, the industry-wide CLIMBING. FAST. advocacy campaign and other important initiatives, we are recognizing the innovation happening across our industry, as we work together to achieve a more sustainable future.”

Other Business Aviation Laureate Award Winners

For 66 years, Aviation Week Network’s Laureate Awards have honored extraordinary achievements in aerospace, recognizing those who reflect the industry’s values and vision.

Speaking at the ceremony, Jeremy Kariuki, Aviation Week associate editor for business aviation, highlighted the industry’s focus on next generation creativity and problem-solving: “The business aviation industry often serves as a testbed for technological innovation, career development, sustainability and safety, above all else,” Kariuki said.

Others honored in the Business Aviation category were:

• Dassault Aviation FalconWays: A small team of Dassault engineers and pilots, led by engineering manager Cyrille Grimald, developed a flight planning tool called FalconWays that allows pilots to optimize fuel consumption by selecting the most fuel-efficient route based on real-time weather data and performance data for each specific model of Falcon business jet. The team proposed the program through an in-house entrepreneurial initiative.
• SmartSky Networks: SmartSky’s 5G/LTE air-to-ground connectivity network for business aviation became operational across the U.S. in 2022. In 2023, the company announced SmartSky LITE, the first streaming-level system available for smaller business aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-12. The 5G/LTE LITE system is flying on five different types of light jet and turboprop.
• GAMA Electric Propulsion and Innovation Committee (EPIC): Established in 2015 by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), EPIC has successfully brought industry together to provide coordinated input to aviation regulators and standards developers on issues raised by new technologies including electric aircraft propulsion and simplified vehicle operation. In August 2023, GAMA submitted a robust industry-wide response to the FAA’s proposed operating rules for the vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles.
• Barrington Irving for leadership: Having previously been the youngest person to pilot an airplane around the world solo, Jamaican-American pilot Barrington Irving created the Flying Classroom to bring STEM learning to K-12 students. Now that classroom, part of the Barrington Irving Technical Training School, will also serve adults. The aviation technical training delivers job-ready skills that can help expand the workforce to a wider range of people.

Read more about the Laureate Awards.