NBAA, Other Industry Groups Will Work To Repair Tarnished Image

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen says the current public image of Business Aviation is its biggest hurdle, and that he and other industry group leaders are working hard to repair that image.

The Air Capital Insider, a publication associated with The Wichita Eagle, reports that Bolen made the comments over coffee before a luncheon speech to the Wichita Aero Club Wednesday.

Bolen said the image problem makes it much more difficult to work on other issues important to Business Aviation, such as user fees, a large aircraft security program and environmental issues. “We’ve got to make sure our lawmakers and policymakers think business aviation is essential,” he said. “We’ve got to get the image right in order to succeed in everything else.”

He said airlines are working to portray GA and Business Aviation as frivolous, in part because they want to shift the funding burden for airports and the air traffic control system away from passenger fees to fuel taxes and other user fees.

Bolen reiterated the main theme of the industry's "No Plane, No Gain" campaign currently underway:  That Business Aviation means jobs, serves small communities that have little or no commercial airline service, improves productivity for companies that use them, and is important in humanitarian efforts.

FMI: www.nbaa.org