NBAA: It’s Time to Stop Shaming an Essential Business Tool

Sept. 1, 2022

When The Washington Post called into question the environmental impact of business aviation, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen quickly responded with the facts about the industry’s sustainability record.

“Business aviation continually leads the way in emission reduction, thanks to a relentless investment in technologies that have slashed aircraft emissions nearly in half in recent decades,” Bolen wrote. “Today, the sector’s flights account for less than one half of 1% of all transportation emissions.

“At the same time, the industry is committed to a new, higher standard: net-zero emissions for business aircraft by 2050,” he added. “We will do this through the development of sustainable aviation fuels – which can reduce aircraft emissions by up to 80% – and other carbon-cutting technologies, such as electric and hydrogen propulsion.”

The letter also points out that business aviation is a “critical component” of the country’s economy and transportation system.

Read Bolen’s full letter below.

It’s Time to Stop Shaming an Essential Business Tool

Your opinionator’s recent piece (“Cancel Private Jets? Here’s a Better Idea,” Aug. 30) set up a false debate about the value of business aviation.

Let’s get the facts on the table: business aviation is a critical component of our nation’s economy and transportation system, with important societal benefits and a strong momentum toward a net-zero carbon future.

Business aviation has, for decades, helped companies of all sizes – particularly small and mid-size enterprises – gain key advantages in efficiency and productivity. The ability to access more than 5,000 airports – usually in communities with little or no airline service – helps local businesses compete with big-city counterparts. This fosters job growth and economic opportunity in the hundreds of towns where companies are located, giving America a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Independent studies have repeatedly found that the sector supports more than a million jobs and $200 billion in U.S. economic activity each year.

Second, business aviation continually leads the way in emissions reduction, thanks to a relentless investment in technologies that have slashed aircraft emissions nearly in half in recent decades. Today, the sector’s flights account for less than one half of 1% of all transportation emissions. At the same time, the industry is committed to a new, higher standard: net-zero emissions for business aircraft by 2050. We will do this through the development of sustainable aviation fuels – which can reduce aircraft emissions by up to 80% – and other carbon-cutting technologies, such as electric and hydrogen propulsion.

America has a proven ability to meet challenges through innovation: Nearly 120 years ago, the Wright brothers defied naysayers with their innovative spirit and put America on a path toward global leadership in aviation, an industry that positively shapes our world today. We will build on that legacy in a safe, secure and sustainable way.

Sincerely,

Ed Bolen
President and CEO
National Business Aviation Association

Ed Bolen is president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association, which represents more than 10,000 companies of all sizes, across the U.S., that rely on aircraft to meet their specific transportation challenges.