The British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) addressed the issue of business aviation travel’s image as being just for the rich and famous at their annual conference in London last month.
It is a perception of the public that to fly on business jets is a privilege, when the industry as a whole would prefer it perceived as a ‘tool’ for businesses, removing some of the negativity associated with the industry sector.
Also addressing airports access, taxation and environmental impact, the conference worked towards improving public opinion, with the discussion of economic benefits and the fact that just 7% of traffic is represented by business aviation, with less than 1% of the emissions.
Countries with poor travel infrastructure, due to the nature of the environment, such as China, for example, could benefit from private air travel in the business sector, which would vastly improve economic growth in harder-to-reach areas, where smaller aircraft will find access simpler.
French aircraft manufacturer, Dassault, has announced that its Falcon 8X business jet is now in the final stages of FAA and EASA certification.
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Gulfstream has announced that the first of their three flight-test G500 aircraft has completed flutter testing, logging more than 320 hours over 50 flights. The longest flight reached five hours, achieved an altitude of 53,000 feet and reached a maximum speed of Mach .999.
It has been announced that Panasonic Avionics achieved a major milestone in December last year with the connection of broadband services equipment to its 1000th aircraft – a Boeing 777-300.
Business Aviation News 