By: Mark Patiky

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today strongly criticized the dismissive remarks from the White House made earlier this week regarding business aviation. Specifically, on February 20, an assertion was offered by the White House that the only reason American companies use business aircraft is because “it’s extremely convenient and they can afford it.”

Responding to that misrepresentation, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said, “The White House is promoting a caricature of business aviation that is at odds with reality. In fact, 85 percent of companies using an airplane to help build their businesses are small or mid-size, and are most often flying to or from communities with little or no airline service. For these companies, trying to be efficient and productive enough to compete in an extraordinarily difficult economy, business aviation is not a ‘convenience’ – it’s a critical tool that allows them to reach more places in less time, quickly move people and parts, and work in an environment where employees can discuss proprietary information without fear of eavesdropping.”

Bolen noted that in separate published newspaper opinion pieces, the presidents of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council have also responded to the administration’s recent mischaracterizations of business aviation by championing the industry’s value and calling upon the White House to stop targeting the industry with “job-killing” tax proposals. Bolen added that elected officials have weighed in as well, pointing to the mayors and governors from both political parties who have written the White House in support of business aviation in recent months.

“It’s difficult to understand why the White House would be unresponsive to these important voices, or to the industry’s importance in places like Ohio, Minnesota, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas and elsewhere,” Bolen said. “The fact is, business aviation is essential to citizens, companies and communities across America, and the renewed mischaracterizations that have been coming from the White House have real potential to harm this great industry.”