By Skies Magazine | October 17, 2023 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 30 seconds.
Business aviation leaders gathered on Oct. 17 at the National Business Aviation Association’s 2023 Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas to launch “Climbing. Fast.” — an advocacy campaign aimed at highlighting the industry’s societal benefits, including its role in sustainability.
Supported by 10 stakeholder organizations, including the NBAA, the initiative aims to dispel misconceptions about business aviation and emphasize the industry’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from flights in the near future.
The campaign was unveiled during the annual Media Kickoff Breakfast, where leaders like NBAA president and CEO, Ed Bolen, and General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) president and CEO, Pete Bunce, expressed their enthusiasm for the initiative.
“Our industry has long made an ambitious commitment to sustainability, with measurable results,” said Bolen. “Our new, branded “Climbing. Fast.” initiative will take this message to policymakers, opinion leaders, and other key audiences, informing perceptions about the industry’s sustainability record and value.”
“Climbing. Fast.” will utilize various platforms, including a dedicated website (ClimbingFast.com), paid digital advertising, social media channels, and a media-relations program, to spread the industry’s message on sustainability. The campaign emphasizes business aviation’s role as an incubator for innovation, highlighting the industry’s efforts to reduce emissions by 40 per cent in the last four decades through advancements like airplane winglets, lightweight airframe composites, and satellite-based navigation systems.
Moreover, the initiative spotlights pioneering work in achieving net-zero carbon emissions, including the development of eco-friendly aircraft with ultra-efficient engines, production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) that can reduce net-carbon emissions by 80 per cent, and using smarter, more efficient routing that requires less energy.
Leaders from stakeholder organizations, including Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Helicopter Association International (HAI), International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA), International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA), National Air Transportation Association (NATA), and Women in Corporate Aviation expressed their support for “Climbing. Fast.” and its mission to promote sustainability and innovation in the aviation industry.
GAMA’s Bunce concluded: “Our industry supports over 1.2 million total jobs and over $247 billion in total economic output in the United States. When you look at our industry, ‘Climbing. Fast.’ truly describes the work we have been doing to foster aviation’s sustainability and technology, advance safety, strengthen economic growth, and provide valuable services to communities.”
