PRIVATE JET OPERATOR FACES CLIMATE CHANGE HEAT
01.29.07 - Leído 154 veces. Enviar esta notaEurope’s largest private jet operator defended his business on Friday amid growing international calls to limit carbon dioxide emissions and cut back on unnecessary air travel
DAVOS, Switzerland; January 29, 2007.- Mark Booth, chairman and chief executive of NetJets Europe, said his company arranged 50 flights to and from the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos, where business and political leaders have been debating ways to react to climate change pressures.
He told Reuters that many of his 1,300 to 1,400 clients were concerned about the need to tackle global warming, but were unlikely to give up private air travel in response.
“We are working with people who really make economies hum. We are talking about the leaders of business around the world … It’s not going to happen,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of the Forum. “If you cut down on people flying, you cut down on economic growth, you cut down on quality of life.”
While declining to elaborate on the specifics, Booth said his company was working on a remedy to help offset its carbon emissions, which he hoped to present within six months. This might include carbon trading or a green investment, he said.
“NetJets Europe is committed to taking a leadership position on this issue. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s also good business for me,” he said.
In the meantime, Booth said NetJets — which is part of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. — was in high demand for its fractional ownership schemes, which offer wealthy clients access to private jets without having to own one.
Booth cited “big growth” across both its corporate and individual segments, driven in part by a strong global economy and generous bonuses and salaries for business leaders.
Airport security hassles and commercial flight delays had also driven a shift from viewing private aviation as “nice to have” to an acceptable travel option for many, he said.
“The question is, do you want CEOs sitting around in airports trying to connect to aircraft? And shareholders are saying no. That is the change,” he said.
Last year the company operated 65,000 flights in Europe, equivalent to a plane taking off or landing every eight minutes — some 40 percent more than in 2005.
“We are just trying to get us enough planes to keep up with our sales, that is our big issue at the moment,” he said. “I can add as many clients this year as I have capacity for aircraft.”
(Reuters)
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