Leaders of the NBAA and GAMA are to hold a gathering early next year in Washington, DC that is aimed at accelerating the availability and use of sustainable aviation fuels.

The Business Aviation Global Sustainability Summit, scheduled to take place in March 2020, was announced at a media breakfast prior to the opening of NBAA-BACE, which ran from 22-24 October in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Business aviation has long made sustainability a priority, and we have made tangible progress,” comments NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Over the past decade, we have redoubled our commitment to reducing the industry's already-small carbon footprint, and key to that has been the development and use of sustainable fuels. This summit marks the next step in focusing on how to accelerate the fuel's adoption and use.”

GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce adds: “We have an opportunity to bring all stakeholders together to identify ways to increase the use of SAF. The summit will continue to educate our industry on this safe, drop-in fuel and communicate the existing enthusiasm in the business aviation community for environmental stewardship through use of sustainable fuel.”

The coalition includes GAMA and NBAA, as well as the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA).

“SAF is the main solution to our environmental challenges; along with other means of emissions reduction, use of the fuels will be key to meeting our industry's environmental goals,” said EBAA chair Juergen Wiese. “This summit will provide another important opportunity to demonstrate that business aviation continues to take seriously its responsibility for reducing climate-changing emissions.”

IBAC director Kurt Edwards explains: “Business aviation will meet its global, long-term carbon emissions reduction goal through a multi-pronged approach involving technology, operational improvements, ATM modernisation and a global market-based measure.

“Sustainable aviation fuel is going to be among the most critical technologies to help us meet the goal. The technology is proven; now is the time for governments and industry to increase significantly efforts to encourage production and use of SAF. The summit and our recent demonstration events are concrete demonstrations of the industry's interest in using SAF. We continue to urge governments at all levels to implement positive incentive policies to facilitate greater production of sustainable aviation fuels.”

NATA chief operating officer Tim Obitts says that his organisation is constantly hearing from members on the subject of SAF. “The aviation business community is at the forefront in taking proactive measures towards building a sustainable future. This summit is a continuation of the SAF coalition's aim to educate the industry and wider public about the quality and safety of SAF, as we seek its widespread adoption.”

The new summit builds upon previous industry initiatives aimed at promoting SAF use, including the first-ever public demonstration in January 2019 at California's Van Nuys airport, which highlighted the fuel's viability, safety and benefit toward aviation-emissions reduction. That demonstration day was followed by a similar event, held in May 2019, at TAG London Farnborough airport.