Business Aviation Outlook Shows Wider Transatlantic Gap

The contrast in global perspectives on business aviation’s prospects has rarely seemed starker than it did this week at the Corporate Jet Investor (CJI) conference in London. In simplistic terms, North American industry leaders view the glass as being well over half full, while their European cousins see their outlook as more of a poisoned chalice as they come to terms with stagnant economies and seemingly interminable political battles over what they view as stifling regulation.

From Embraer Executive Jets, chief commercial officer Stephen Friedrich told the gathering that he sees 2025 as “a golden era for private and business aviation.” He mentioned that the manufacturer has signed multiple purchase agreements with aircraft buyers in the first weeks of the new year.

“The state of the economy is everything, and it’s not just the U.S.,” he said. “We’re also seeing growth in Latin America and there are green shoots coming out of India and Saudi Arabia.”

However, when Europe-based aircraft operators and other service providers had the floor, the mood music was much darker. Echoing concerns raised ahead of the conference by EBAA secretary-general Holger Krahmer about excessive regulation and a lack of respect for the economic value of business aviation, multiple panelists struggled to contain their pessimism.