A new video released today puts forward the facts about business aviation as an essential American industry, and one that pays proportionately for use of the nation’s aviation system.
The new video, produced by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) for the industry’s CLIMBING. FAST. advocacy campaign, highlights business aviation’s critical role in connecting communities with little or no airline service, helping companies of all sizes compete in a global economy, creating jobs across the country and providing lift for people and communities in times of crisis.
The video also corrects unfounded claims about business aviation’s contribution to aviation system funding – a false premise promoted by those who have pushed air traffic control privatization. The issue was the focus of a recent New York Times video, which Politico characterized as the product of “a campaign.”
“Aviation stakeholders are aligned on not pursuing privatization of air traffic services and believe it would be a distraction from the national imperative of air traffic control modernization,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.
In a statement released shortly after the video’s publication, Bolen set the record straight about the mischaracterizations in the Times video, noting that just like the airlines, business aviation pays proportionately for its use of the system.
“In fact, the major cost driver for the ATC system is the airlines’ hub-and-spoke networks, which require large concentrations of resources and infrastructure to handle flights at peak congestion times,” Bolen said in a letter to Times editors accompanying the NBAA statement.
In articulating similar themes, the new CLIMBING. FAST. video makes clear the reality that business aviation “connects communities where commercial flights are few and far between. It helps small business thrive by transporting goods across the nation and the world. It’s a lifeline to ensure medical and emergency services quickly reach remote parts of our country. It creates 1.3 million jobs and drives $340 billion in economic activity.
“And while business aviation doesn’t drive the cost to run the aviation system the way the big airlines do, business aviation is proud to be paying its fair share primarily through fuel taxes to ensure the entire system remains efficient and safe for all. Our footprint may be small, but our impact is felt by millions of Americans every day,” the video adds.
“We are pleased to introduce this CLIMBING. FAST. video as one more initiative in the program’s continuing mission to educate policymakers and opinion leaders about the central role business aviation plays in supporting citizens, companies and communities across the U.S.,” Bolen said.
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About CLIMBING. FAST.
CLIMBING. FAST. is an advocacy initiative to showcase business aviation’s many societal benefits, from driving opportunities for today’s workforce to leading sustainability innovations to achieve a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Learn more at climbingfast.com.
