HOLGER KRAHMER BIG INTERVIEW
Driving ahead business aviation
Advocacy lessons learned in the European car industry will also benefit business aviation, according to Holger Krahmer of the European Business Aviation Association. Words: Mike Stones
HOLGER KRAHMER
Driving ahead business aviation
Advocacy lessons learned in the European car industry will also benefit business aviation, according to Holger Krahmer of the European Business Aviation Association. Words: Mike Stones
BIG INTERVIEW
HOLGER KRAHMER is a man who likes a challenge. You can tell that by his CV. He doesn’t choose easy jobs. Take, for example, his nearly nine years representing the car industry in Brussels – working for both Opel and Mercedes-Benz, latterly as head of EU Affairs. This when the car industry was attracting increasingly strident criticism about its environmental record and trying to mitigate reputational damage linked to the diesel emissions scandal.
If that wasn’t enough dispute for one career, Krahmer entered another cockpit of controversy when he took up the role of secretary general of the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) in January last year. He represents a sector serving the world’s second biggest business aviation market after North America. But one described by some as “a problem child”.
The roots of this perceived delinquency rest in a combination of factors that threaten to obscure the business aviation’s key contribution to economic growth. For example, the rising tide of regulation – such as France’s new proposed tax on commercial business aviation departures. Then, there is apparently negative public opinion fomented by environmental pressure groups and apparently hostile media platforms eager to report celebrity flights on private jets.
Unsurprisingly, Krahmer refutes “the problem child” description. But he does concede Europe has “a special problem” compared with other regions of the world. This is partly based on the discussion about social equalities that is not present in the US and other regions.
That makes it even more important to explain business aviation’s contribution to economic growth and civil society such as air ambulance and medical flights. “The European business aviation landscape, community and industry is a very good, functional ecosystem,” he tells CJI. “It is predominantly characterised by small and medium companies, with more than 400,000 people working in business aviation in Europe.”
For further evidence of the sector’s contribution to economic growth, he cites a report published earlier this year by research group Oxford Economics. It estimated business aviation’s contribution to the EU’s Gross Domestic Product at €100bn ($113bn). Plus, policies that restrict the sector could cut foreign direct investment (FDI) by €76bn and slash jobs by 57,000 to 104,000. It could also hamstring progress on decarbonisation and weaken the EU’s competitive position by 2030.
It adds up to a toxic anti-growth cocktail for Krahmer. “Targeting business aviation with restrictions and unfair regulatory burdens, like the exclusion from the EU Taxonomy framework, risks €120 billion in FDI and thousands of jobs by 2030,” he said at the time. “We should move away from the ban mentality and focus on policies that support innovation, decarbonisation and competitiveness.”
More positively, the report underlines what he describes as the close links between economic prosperity in Europe, its competitiveness and business aviation. “A functional and workable business aviation network and the business aviation industry are the key incubators for economic prosperity,” he says.
A key objective for Krahmer is to put the business back into business aviation in the minds of European policy makers and an apparently critical public. European business aviation may be a small industry – with a fleet of about 4,000 aircraft (similar to the commercial fleet) – but every aircraft is directly connected to a number of workplaces such as maintenance units (MROs) and services and hospitality such as FBOs.
“Yes, we are small industry, but we are relevant,” says Krahmer. “And because we are small, from time to time we have to be a little bit louder than the others. Often, we are either criticised or forgotten. In aviation discussions, usually commercial aviation is the focus.”
If the challenges facing European business aviation are clear, then so are solutions, according to the EBAA boss. He begins with advocacy. “There has been a tendency in the recent years for business aviation not to talk too much about itself,” he says. Don't hide the business of business aviation but be more careful about choosing images to represent it, he advises. “We have seen publicity about aircraft with luxury interiors and people drinking champagne. There needs to be a change in our mindset to not produce these pictures. To influence public perception of the sector takes time, but it is doable.”
“We need to be present in their minds. We need to explain to these new political people why we are here and what is the added value …”
EBAA’s annual EBACE event takes place in Geneva, Switzerland.
EBAA’s annual EBACE event takes place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Defining the industry’s business models for politicians and other critical stakeholders is key. This is particularly important now – with the shifting political landscape in Europe as a new generation of politicians – many of whom have little previous political experience – come to power, he says. Last year for example, the European Parliament saw the biggest number of new elected members of the European Parliament ever,
“We need to be present in their minds. We need to explain to these new political people why we are here, what is the added value, so defending the business model,” he says. “This is new in our work and that comes along with the clear message that the industry needs to spend resources on this. For this we need, on a national level and a European level, strong and resourced associations that can do this work.”
And that requires resources. While preferring not to talk about financial specifics, he does make this point: “We need strong and resourced associations and the discussion about the question how the advocacy associations for the business aviation industry can be funded. That's both at the international level and also for the EBAA. If you want to provide a professional work in terms of communication, in terms of networking, in terms of regulatory expertise, you need proper, experienced professional people on board.”
It is no secret the EBAA is in the middle of a transitional process, he says. For more than 20 years, the EBAA’s annual trade show in Geneva, Switzerland was “a very big success story for the industry and also financially for the EBAA”.
But across a range of industries from aviation to agriculture, over many years the role of big trade shows is changing. One of the biggest came last August when EBAA acquired the US National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) interest in the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE). The acquisition left the European association the sole producer of all future editions of the show.
“It is quite clear that trade shows, wherever you look, have the same economy,” says Krahmer. “Trade shows cannot be any longer the main financial and revenue resource for associations.”
Ending the 20-year show partnership with NBAA proved less than easy – even painful at times, he acknowledges. But it has offered an opportunity to create a new show, attuned to the needs of European business aviation. “EBACE was and remains the trade show for European business aviation. We need to remind everybody that it is not a private business case and is organised by a non-profit organisation like us.”
EBAA is testing new concepts and considering new venues for its EBACE event.
A new generation of EU politicians is creating fresh opportunity for business aviation.
This year’s EBACE event was the first after the end of EBAA’s 20-year show partnership with NBAA.
European business aviation faces a rising tide of regulation – not least in France.
European business aviation faces a rising tide of regulation – not least in France.
Krahmer says this year’s event, which will run from May 20th-22nd without a static aircraft exhibition, will have a different feel from previous events. The 2025 event incorporates new discussion forums and features such as the Village Assocation, which brings together leading not-for-profit aviation associations from across Europe. “We are testing new concepts and discussing also venues of course,” says Krahmer. “And in planning this and future events, we are in close contact with our community, from the operators to the ground handling people to the brokers and the manufacturers. We need to realise that a trade show in the digital age has to be different. But whatever the changes, it will always remain the right place to meet the right people in business aviation.”
In addition to generic advocacy for business aviation, EBAA also runs specific campaigns representing the industry on individual topics such as the EU’s ‘anti-tankering’ regulation. This is part of the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative, which aims to reduce the practice of airlines carrying extra fuel (tankering) to avoid refuelling at a destination airport. The regulation, which came into effect on January 1st, 2025, is intended to promote the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel but penalises business aviation, according to the EBAA. “We are in the middle of a lot of discussions about regulatory challenges, political challenges that need to be tackled where we need to act and react,” he says.
Despite the powerful voices ranged against European business aviation and the economic disruption caused by President Trump’s tariffs, Krahmer remains optimistic for the sector’s prospects.
The case for business aviation’s contribution to economic growth is clear – as set out by the Oxford Economics study. Geopolitical turmoil is forcing policy makers in Europe to reappraise the old assumptions. Perhaps the US government’s perceived hostility toward Europe may even exert a unifying force that will ultimately benefit business aviation, he suggests.
“The governments of Europe, including the European Commission, are realising we must work on what makes Europe, including the UK, stronger, what makes us more resistant and that all leads to the question of competitiveness and stronger economies. Business aviation is a part of stronger economies.
“So, there is a little bit of a change of mindset in the air, not yet fast enough, not yet profound enough, from my point of view. But there is a development that should help us. It is our responsibility to influence this and to accelerate this process.”
After 17 months in his not-so-new role with the EBAA, Krahmer appears to be relishing his fresh challenge.
“The governments of Europe, including the European Commission, are realising we must work on what makes Europe, including the UK, stronger …”
Lessons from the car industry
“WE MUST learn to act together as an industry.” That’s the lesson for business aviation Holger Krahmer draws from his years as a Brussels insider – first as a member of the European Parliament, where he took a special interest in the transport sector. Then followed time representing the European car industry to EU policy makers.
Kramer is finding plenty of opportunity to apply that experience in the role he started last year as secretary general of the European Business Aircraft Association (EBAA).
“Europe's car industry has been through the same thing as the business aviation is doing now,” he tells CJI. “In 2015 there was always a critical mood against the car industry, driven by NGOs [non-governmental organisations] and some stakeholders.”
That was the year of “Dieselgate” after leading manufacturer Volkswagen was revealed to have installed software in its diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests.
“That led to a reputation crisis and an industry discussion about how it interacted with the outside world and how to rebuild credibility,” says Krahmer. “It seems to me, while business aviation doesn’t have this kind of crisis where we cheated somebody, we do have a reputation problem.”
Learning from the past can help that problem, he believes. “We should act together as a business aviation industry to explain our added value to the society. Business aviation is not used to doing that. But we need to explain daily why we are there? What is the benefit to the economy, to the society? And we need to learn to do that also against the political mainstream.”
The whole industry of business aviation is under discussion and partially under attack, he says. That requires the industry to learn to act together – sometimes acting beyond the interests of individual business. The car industry took a major step when it stopped complaining about every new ambition in the emission regulations. “We need to learn how to act constructively with politicians, but on the same side to say what is possible and what is not possible. And to do that ongoing and on different channels, personal talks, in social media communications, in trade media communications. This is what we need to learn.”
As is also a relatively small part of the aviation, business aviation needs to learn to speak a little louder to ensure its voice is heard. For example, despite business aviation making up just 0.8% of aviation emissions in the EU last year, it still draws strong and emotional reaction.
“In Brussels if there is an aviation discussion ongoing, everybody is looking to commercial aviation. You have prominent airline CEOs speaking loudly. If there is something business aviation has to say, it should knock on that door more often,” says Krahmer.
