It was helpful to be reminded that Business Aviation has clear and verifiable benefits for the European economy, for business efficiency and for connectivity across the European region, as well as for individual citizens, whether or not they use Business Aviation themselves. These benefits, often little understood, are outlined and explained in a report recently published by EBAA that examines the economic impact of the Business Aviation sector on the European economy.

The report quantifies the value that Business Aviation brings to the European economy, and businesses more specifically, focussing on three distinct areas. Firstly, it outlines how Business Aviation is enabling economic growth through the jobs it creates and investments it makes. Secondly, it showcases how Business Aviation is helping drive efficiencies across businesses, quantifying the time and costs savings that it can generate. Finally, it demonstrates how Business Aviation can support better connectivity across Europe, particularly from hard-to-reach corners of the continent.

Here is a summary of the key report findings:

Business Aviation Enables Economic Growth

1. A total of 374,000 European jobs are either directly or indirectly dependent on the European Business Aviation industry
2. The industry represents €87 billion in Output and €32 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) and €25 billion spent in Salaries.
3. France, Switzerland, Germany and the UK are the main players in the sector, producing 76% of the total GVA of the industry.
4. Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Italy and France, are the key locations where business aircraft operate. They account for 57% of all direct, indirect and induced jobs in business aircraft operation.

Business Aviation Enables Business Efficiencies

1. Across all European point-to-point flight routes, Business Aviation flights save an average of 127 minutes, when compared with the fastest commercial transportation alternative.
2. Although certain long-haul flights might be faster with commercial jets due to higher ground speed, about 20% of Business Aviation flights result in more than five hours of time saved than their best commercial alternative due to delays avoided and time saved in airport procedures.
3. On average, the productive work time for each employee utilising Business Aviation is increased by around 153 minutes per trip when compared with the productive work time available on a commercial flight.

Source: EBAA

Business Aviation Enables Connectivity

1. Business Aviation in Europe serves 25,280 city or area pairs not connected by nonstop commercial flights (direct flights). Nearly 1 connection out of 3 is not connected by any direct commercial flight, meaning the connection wouldn’t exist without Business Aviation.
2. Business Aviation allows for air ambulances and medical evacuations to be provided to and from remote regions. According to EBAA data, 12,000 departures were flown to serve medical evacuations representing more than 50 departures a day.
3. Since Business Aviation requires fewer connections and is subject to fewer delays, it represents an optimised travel option from an environmental perspective.

To request a copy of the EBAA Business Aviation Report please e-mail us