April 25, 2016
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European business aviation employs 371,000 Europeans either directly or indirectly, contributing a total of €146 billion ($165 billion) to the European Union economy, according to a new study about the benefits the industry brings to Europe.
The study, conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton in collaboration with Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR), was commissioned by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA).
The study also confirmed that business aviation has a significant induced effect on the EU economy, said Arthur Thomas, EBAA’s liaison with Booz Allen Hamilton.
“Along with the direct and indirect economic benefits, the induced effect of business aviation covers the economic impact industry employees have on places where they live,” he said. Business aviation in the EU is about bringing activity and life to the remote regions of Europe.”
The study examined more than 800,000 business aviation flights during 2014. Approximately 27 percent of those flights were between points that have no non-stop commercial service between them, and approximately 31 percent of the points were not connected at all by airlines. The study found that the average time-saving per leg between European destinations was 127 minutes. In approximately 21 percent of cases, the time savings topped five hours.
“This was a big innovation for us,” said Alex Cosmas, chief scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton and the leader of the advanced analytics team that conducted the study. “Time savings is the overwhelming benefit of business aviation.
“We also looked at multi-point itineraries,” Cosmas added. “It’s not unheard of for a business jet to facilitate a morning meeting in Dusseldorf, lunch in Zurich, a stopover in rural France for a plant visit, and home to London.”
The benefits of business aviation in Europe also will be examined at the upcoming European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2016), set for May 24 to 26 in Geneva, Switzerland. EBACE2016 is co-sponsored by NBAA and EBAA, and features a dozen education sessions, hundreds of exhibitors and approximately 50 aircraft on static display at Geneva International Airport. Learn more about EBACE2016.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.