April 8, 2019
Read the full letter to the editor sent to The Economist:
Dear Editor,
Your recent opinion (Private jets receive ludicrous tax breaks that hurt the environment, March 7) omits important facts about business aviation, an industry that provides millions of highly-skilled jobs and meets critical transportation needs.
First, consider your reference to tax policies in the United States, such as accelerated depreciation, which generates jobs and investment. For years, economists and other experts have agreed that accelerated depreciation encourages companies to invest in modern and more fuel-efficient equipment, from next generation aircraft, to construction equipment, computers, automobiles and other competitive assets.
Second, aircraft carbon emissions actually account for less than 1 percent of all transportation emissions. Despite your speculative forecast about future emission levels, the industry’s decades-long record of emissions reduction will surely continue, given its investment in technologies for aircraft fuel efficiency, coupled with its voluntary commitment to carbon-neutral growth in the coming years.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the study you referenced about business aircraft and company productivity dates back nearly 15 years. Since that study’s publication, numerous independent reports, including this 2017 study, have shown that companies using business aviation far outperform those that don’t.
If we are going to discuss the use of a business airplane as the sign of a well-managed company, let’s disclose all the facts.
Sincerely,
Athar Husain Khan
Secretary General
European Business Aviation Association
Ed Bolen
President and CEO
National Business Aviation Association
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.