EBACE2022: Recruitment, sustainability to remain key challenges
“EBACE2022 (held in Geneva from May 23 to 25) has been lightning in a bottle, bringing people from across the world together to see, touch and feel the future of business aviation,” said European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) Secretary-General Athar Husain Khan.
At around 250, the number of exhibitors was significantly lower than in 2019, but in many ways, EBACE2022 was reimagined, Husain Khan said, pointing to the many never-before-seen features at this year’s convention, which reflected the industry’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, inclusion and excellence: Eagerly anticipated new aircraft were unveiled or made their EBACE premiere last week, with Bombardier’s Global 8000, the Gulfstream G700, Dassault Falcon 6X and Tecnam P2012 included among the 47 aircraft on display. A dazzling lineup of electric and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft was arrayed at the show floor’s Innovation Pavilion. The inaugural EBACE Business Aviation Sustainability Summit showcased the game-changing technologies and business models the industry is developing to achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. The week featured all-new initiatives for attracting the next generation of leaders. At a Careers in Business Aviation Day, students connected directly with EBAA and industry leaders about opportunities in the industry. Next year’s EBACE will return to Palexpo and Geneva Airport from 23-25 May 2023. www.ebaa.org
Bombardier to replace Global 7500 with Global 8000
Bombardier unveiled its Global 8000 aircraft last week during the EBACE 2022. The company says the new airplane will be the fastest, longest-range, purpose-built business jet on the market, with a range of 8,000 nm and a top speed of Mach 0.94, or about 627 knots. Rather than developing an all-new jet Bombardier has instead souped up the performance of the Global 7500.
Some of the performance capabilities of the new Global 8000 aircraft were witnessed as early as May 2021, following a demonstration flight with a Global 7500 flight test vehicle. The aircraft, accompanied by a NASA F/A-18 chase plane, repeatably achieved speeds in excess of Mach 1.015, a key step in enabling a maximum Mach operating speed (MMO) of M0.94 and becoming the fastest business jet in the world and the fastest in civil aviation since the Concorde. During the demonstration flight, the aircraft also became the first Transport Category airplane to fly supersonic with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). For current Global 7500 operators, the performance enhancements on the Global 8000 will be retrofittable when the aircraft enters into service in 2025. www.bombardier.com
Blade to become largest commercial helicopter passenger service in Europe
Blade Air Mobility, a global air mobility platform, last week announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement through its wholly-owned European subsidiaries to acquire the asset-light commercial passenger transport activities of three helicopter operators in Europe: Monacair SAM, Héli Sécurité and another helicopter operator in the South of France. Blade will also develop branded passenger terminals at multiple airports and vertiports in France, Monaco and Switzerland utilized by the Air Carriers.
Damien Mazaudier, Monacair’s CEO, will join Blade Europe’s Executive Director, Sabrina Barbera, and Blade Europe’s Executive Vice President of Business Development, Anne-Pascale Guedon, overseeing the transition of the Air Carriers’ passenger businesses to Blade. “These three acquisitions are core to our strategy of leveraging our asset-light model to aggregate the premier use cases for urban air mobility. Adding this presence in Europe to our existing operations across the greater New York area, Vancouver and India, is a critical step in our expansion,” said Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Blade. The carriers will continue to own and operate their fleets only for Blade’s scheduled and charter service in the south of France, Monaco, Switzerland, and Italy while together working with Blade toward the transition to eVTOL aircraft in the region. “These routes in Southern France, Monaco, Italy and Switzerland serve as the perfect first-use cases for quiet and emission-free Electric Vertical Aircraft,” added Blade’s President, Melissa Tomkiel. www.blade.com
People: Garett Jerde, founder and managing director JetHQ
Global aircraft brokerage and consulting firm JetHQ is marking its 10th anniversary. The company was founded in 2012 by Garett Jerde. Garett began his career as a pilot, flying demonstration and ferry flights for Raytheon, which later became Hawker Beechcraft. He traded ferrying – where he flew legs from Arkansas to Singapore and Scotland to South Africa – for the sales side of the business. He eventually served as regional sales director of Hawker Beechcraft, responsible for Europe, Russia and North Africa territories, based in the United Kingdom and Spain.
As JetHQ managing director, he still frequently travels to provide aircraft solutions for clients. A typical week might be a couple of days in Dubai, then to Hong Kong and then heading home to the Pacific Northwest. He continues to fly – holding multiple type ratings and an Airline Transport Pilot license and a current CFI– assisting with deliveries when the situation arises. He also takes advantage of the unique opportunities worldwide work offers, whether that’s shark-cage diving off the coast of South Africa or running a marathon in Switzerland. www.jethq.com