Avionics News October 2021 - 42

BUSINESS AVIATION REBOUNDS FROM COVID-19
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POINT OF COMMUNICATION
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bags - maybe even for carrying a bag into the passenger cabin.
Conversely, flying a private aircraft eliminates almost all of these
variables from the trip.
These apply whether the private aircraft is owned, chartered or
shared. The client picks from where to fly from, where to fly to,
and when to go - at least within the constraints of weather, the one
variable that allows the least control.
On that private flight, if the passengers bring bags and those
pieces of luggage make it onto the plane, the luggage will arrive at
the designated destination at the same time as the passenger.
Some cities boast access to more than one airport - and one will
be more convenient; within any operational considerations, the
client gets to pick the airport of preference.
Safety, security and health
When an individual or company owns or charters an aircraft,
passengers can fly safe in the knowledge that it's their aircraft -
at least for the duration of a charter or shared-ownership flight.
And operators of charters and fractional-ownership programs got
the message from the start of the coronavirus pandemic: Clients
want to know the aircraft is safe and secure - from a flight-safety
perspective as well as from a public-health angle.
Charter and fractional operators quickly adapted to new cleaning
protocols and bought and installed air-moving systems that kill
any coronavirus bacteria circulated by the aircraft's environmental
systems.
Operators of charter and shared-ownership programs also
adopted deep-cleaning protocols, so the next flight doesn't face
exposure to any virus spoors from the prior flight. Overnight deepcleaning
is also a standard practice for charter aircraft and sharedownership
under pandemic protocols.
Business aviation also flies internationally
Arguably, the one area of flying for which choice remains an
attractive option but without a distinct advantage over commercial
carriers is when the trip is an international flight. The nations with
special COVID-19 travel constraints tend to apply them equally to
commercial and private flights.
But most of the rest of the private-flight benefits still apply:
choice of departure time and return time; safety of carry-on
luggage; and knowing with whom you're flying.
Depending on the nation and the aircraft, there may be some
airports off limits to international arrivals or departures. But that
can be sorted out and adjustments made well ahead of takeoff time.
However, do consider using a charter or shared-ownership operator
familiar with the constraints and permit requirements that can
accompany an international flight. q
42 avionics news * october 2021
In the last year, according to the
No Plane No Gain website, more
than 100 cities across America saw
a decline in scheduled commercial
airline service, and more than 30
communities lost airline service
entirely. Conversely, business
aviation allows companies to safely
transport tools and materials that
cannot be carried aboard airlines,
enabling them to solve urgent
problems efficiently and quickly.
Add it all up and business aviation
contributes $219 billion to U.S.
economic output and employs about
1.1 million people.
The point here is not to throw
shade on our friends in the airline
business; they have faced some
brutal headwinds since COVID-19
appeared in early 2020. Rather, it
is to illustrate the fact that business
aviation has found a way to grow and
become more valuable to the general
public despite murky economic
conditions, travel restrictions, and
serious health and safety issues. In
spite of such challenges, business
aviation appears to be alive and well.
In closing, for those of you
planning to be in Las Vegas for
NBAA-BACE, I look forward to
seeing you there for yet another
in-person industry event in 2021. As
always, Avionics News will have a
team on-site to cover the show and
all the news made by AEA members.
Look for that coverage in upcoming
editions. q
GEOFF HILL
Editor, Avionics News
Avionics News October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News October 2021
