8 MARCH 2021

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Article from BTNews 8 MARCH 2021

Aviation skills retention platform announced at BBGA.

Minister unveils plans to business aviation conference.

Business aviation has shown ‘remarkable resilience’ highlighted WINGX managing director Richard Koe, speaking at British Business and General Aviation Association's (BBGA) annual conference last Thursday (4 March), this year a virtual affair.  UK bizav in February accounted for 19% of fixed wing flights, versus 3% in February 2020, picking up lost scheduled connections.  Alison Chambers reports.

Keynote speaker Bernhard Fragner, CEO of Austria’s GlobeAir reported a surge in one way flights.  

David Kendrick, UK CAA’s Head of Licensing reported talks with EU states on permits were going well.  

“Since Brexit, although a close neighbour, the UK is now a rest-of-world country, but we still have the same friendships," he said.  “Tell us the problems you face so we can negotiate from a position of strength and don’t be afraid to apply for a flight you may not think is possible."   It was acknowledged that all operators have had to take on increased admin to secure permits, arrange health papers and challenging crew logistics.   

UK aviation minister Robert Courts MP acknowledged aviation has been hit very hard by the pandemic, with 55,000 jobs lost.  He used the BBGA platform to announce the new aviation skills retention platform.   “Make it your first port of call when you are hiring,” he implored. 

Environment concerns are going to rear their head again, the 140 plus audience heard.  

“Activists will argue remote working can continue when Covid is in the rear-view mirror,” suggested Gus Patterson CEO Pula Aviation.  Marc Bailey, BBGA’s CEO agreed.   We can’t be naïve about this and be the bad boys of aviation, even though our carbon footprint is very small."    

Courts said that general aviation (GA) and business aviation can trailblaze (for larger programmes) in the drive to net zero 2050.  The Government has launched a £15m fund to speed up R&D on new sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), alongside Europe’s first clearing house when new SAFs will be certified.

www.aviationtalent.co.uk

www.bbga.aero

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