NBAA Hits ‘Flawed’ Environmental Study

NBAA has hit back at a study on the environmental impact of business aviation it says relies “on a cherry-picked data set, flawed analysis and omission of key facts.” Last week the journal Communications Earth and Environment issued its report that concluded that "regulation is needed to address the sector's growing climate impact." The summary of the report got wide play in the mainstream media and NBAA has sent its rebuttal to all those that used it.

NBAA President Ed Bolen said the time frame covered by the study, 2019 to 2023, undermines the whole premise of the conclusions because it includes two years of COVID-related disruption in airline traffic that dramatically increased business aircraft activity as "the best—and often, the only—option for essential travel.” That bubble was almost certainly behind a large part of the 46% increase in carbon emissions calculated by the study. Bolen noted the study ignored the fact that "business aviation activity has largely returned to pre-pandemic norms.”

Bolen said the study also fails to mention that business aviation is a leader in reducing its environmental impact from its use of sustainable aviation fuel and technological advances that have cut overall emissions by 40% in the last 40 years. “Looking to the future, our mission to achieve net zero is focused on innovation, including through investment in sustainable aviation fuel—which can cut lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 80%—and development of highly efficient aircraft, engines, and new, electric, hybrid and even hydrogen-powered propulsion systems,” Bolen said.