BBGA co-hosts Isle of Man Aviation Conference

Above: (left to right) Isle of Man Director of Civil Aviation Simon Williams and The Air Law Firm Partner Aoife O’Sullivan.
Courtesy BBGA 
 
Conceived in 2007 to celebrate the Isle of Man aircraft registry (IOMAR), the event has become a calendar favourite. “It’s refreshingly straightforward,” said Dave Edwards, CEO of the Royal Aeronautical Society, chairing the event for the third year. Honeywell’s Chris Bigwood and 4Air’s Maureen Gautier will co-chair the event in 2026.
 
With over 400 business aviation tails, the ’M’ registry has expanded into ‘transitional’ aircraft – between owners or lessees, in any part of the world, as well as aerial flying work. Being non-commercial, its synergy with BBGA and the UK Civil Aviation Authority, encourages promotion of the G-reg.
 
“It’s good to have a choice of registries,” Isle of Man Director of Civil Aviation Simon Williams highlighted, smaller registries having the advantage of being responsive and nimble. 
 
“We’ve suffered turbulence in recent years, with EBAA and BBGA constantly correcting misconceptions about our ‘enabling’ industry,” commented Dave Edwards. “Business aviation is easy to caricature, but it’s a vital strategic asset.   It’s led in the adoption of Aviation Fuel (SAF) and other technologies, on the path to net zero.” 
 
Irish Aviation Authority CEO Declan Fitzpatrick said: “SAF remains the number one pathway for sustainability, but not enough is being done to maximise efficient airspace use and routings, considering more efficient (alternative powered) smaller aircraft in the pipeline.”
 
In a panel titled What the Gold Standard in business aviation looks like, BBGA Chair and The Air Law Firm Partner Aoife O’Sullivan wanted to celebrate the brilliant people working in bizav – a highly skilled workforce, delivering connectivity to busy executives that is not available from scheduled airlines. She highlighted that the challenge is getting the message out about its work, including the roles of aircraft brokers, tax advisors, insurers and financiers. In any transaction, along with prioritising the best management company for a client’s needs, this should be in lockstep at the start, said Aoife.  Brokers should keep engaged, knowledgeable, not just focused on commission.
 
Warren Lovell, VP sales Europe & Africa for Leviate Air Group, added the (sales) process can go quickly toward the end. “If you haven’t been advising properly and aren’t well prepared, it can turn into a real mess.”   
 
Richard Koe, CEO of WINGX, highlighted Europe is “lagging far behind in 2025 (on bizav movements) unlike the strong surges in USA, Brazil, especially. The war in Ukraine delivered “a blow” to activity, also felt in Germany. London continues as the most prominent home for business aircraft in Europe, leading Paris and now, third-placed Istanbul. However, if “more multimillionaires continue to leave the UK this could start to ebb,” he warned.  
 
Fractional ownership continues to be the strongest performer – up 62% since 2019. Two operators have since entered the market (Hans Jet in Malta with their PC-12s in southern Europe, joining Jetfly in Northern Europe) and Austria’s Globe Air, with new Citation M2s. Richard added what it is noteworthy is the retreat in the number of corporate flight departments – 35% down, versus 2019.
 
Marc Bailey, BBGA CEO called for more education on fractional operations: “There’s a distinct lack of understanding of the model in the UK,” he said, referencing an established operator having to stop flying from Denham Airport, owing to tightened UK rules.  “Frax operations are embraced in the USA and throughout the EU. We should not put the UK aviation market at a disadvantage. We need to encourage inward investors and the easier we can make this process for those investors to move around and create employment in new facilities around the UK, the better. This is a clear enabler to levelling up around the UK.”
 
Risk management and insurance was also on the agenda, bolstered by aviation insurers Gallagher now working with Osprey Flight Solutions to ensure requests for insurance cover can be properly risk-assessed.
 
“Sustainability, workforce and perception were priorities in 2007 and that still holds today", said EBAA COO Robert Baltus, speaking on the value of Associations, with Dave Edwards and Marc Bailey. A unified approach is needed to tackle key regulatory challenges, speaking with one voice to government and regulators, they agreed.



Above: Dave Edwards, CEO of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Conference Chair.
Courtesy BBGA
 
Dave Edwards said: “We have to keep telling non-industry people what we do. We don’t lobby (at the RAeS) but are close to government entities.” He also implored associations to share successes with their members.  
 
EBAA’s efforts were helping to keep business aviation’s interests from falling off the European Union’s agenda, said Baltus. 

Marc Bailey shared that nonetheless aviation did not even feature in the DfT’s six priority strategic areas issued by The collective work by the GA4Biz team on Future Flight with a focus on shared airspace and the airworthiness interests across aviation focused with the UKASF – one voice to the UK CAA – demonstrates that togetherness gets results.

A ‘Sailors Fly Too’ panel explored synergies between superyacht and business aviation industries. Events like the Monaco Yacht Show are becoming more popular with OEMs, financiers, lessors, noted Close Brothers’ Sales Director Aviation and Marine Andy Blundell, with the increasing financing of yachts, business jets and helicopters for the same client.   There are cross learnings from both industries, agreed Ian Hughes, Partner at HFW, which can throw up challenges serving a bigger network. 

Martyn Fiddler’s Tax Director Adrian Parcell-Jones flagged that bizjets are a business tool, but yachts are different, needing to be registered for VAT in each country they serve.  Martyn Fiddler has bolstered its involvement in the yachting fraternity with the addition of aviation/marine asset management and finance specialist Monaco-based Ian Petts. 
 
BBGA is also exploring such synergies, confirmed BBGA Managing Director Lindsey Oliver. Looking forward to its 50th anniversary next year (starting out as GAMTA) as it pursues being the best in business aviation, promoting, assisting, and defining industry standards.