Jet Aviation aspires to bring sustainable aviation to Aspen
With a keen eye toward sustainability and community, Jet Aviation continues to meticulously navigate the world, from its Swiss Headquarters. Established in 1967 in Basel, Switzerland, the global business aviation infrastructure company operates in some 50 locations worldwide, including 13 strategic U.S. locations.
Offering four key lines of business aviation services, Jet Aviation is dedicated to providing everything their customers need, from maintenance to management, completion to FBO and beyond. They are well-known in the corporate world for their commitment to personalized service, for which they credit their exceptional employees; over 4,000 “artisans of aviation” working worldwide to create the most effortless experience for their customers.
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About Jet Aviation
Although it began as a family-owned business with one location, Jet Aviation is a global company and was purchased by General Dynamics in 2008. Jet Aviation and its sister company, Gulfstream, form the Aerospace business group within General Dynamics.
Jet Aviation is particularly intentional about where they are located and are focused on being where their customers want them to be. With multiple customers in the Aspen area along with sharing the same mission of sustainable business practices, the city undoubtedly presents a special opportunity for the global infrastructure company. “The way that we generally interact in any place is to try to always think first in the eyes of our customers; learning their needs and how can we support them,” explained David Paddock, President of Jet Aviation. “We met with individuals in Aspen who said that they are not looking to grow but to enhance what is there in a sustainable way with longevity. Yes, we provide efficient services at the airport, but where we differentiate is what we offer in terms of sustainability and community partnership.”
Commitment to Sustainability
Since late 2018, Jet Aviation has been mainly focused on how to be a good steward of the environment, and quickly became one of the industry leaders in supplying Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and other sustainable aviation solutions globally. “It’s not because we make money at it, but we are trying to do our part in the broader environmental landscape and make sustainable solutions available for our customers, so they are more likely to use them,” Paddock said.
Going well beyond the typical offering of carbon offsets for flight, in which trees are planted to counter the environmental damage from a flight, Jet Aviation has become a prevailing voice advocating the use of SAF. This particular fuel is produced from residue raw materials such as old cooking oil, or anything classified as 100% renewable waste and its usage reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%. Along with providing this fuel in three of their global locations, the company is partnering with major oil companies to increase availability worldwide, as well as fostering a range of partnerships with universities, think tanks and food corporations to grow the supply of used cooking oils and the local application of fuel blends. Jet Aviation was also one of the first signatories of the World Economic Forum’s 2030 Ambition Statement, ‘Clean Skies for Tomorrow’ – a partnership designed to gain state, industry and public support to help accelerate the production and adoption of SAF and see SAF constitute 10% of the global fuel supply by 2030.
Where physical SAF is unavailable, Jet Aviation customers still have the option to buy SAF and get the credit for it through Book and Claim. This process allows the customer to choose SAF, and get the credit for it but have the fuel pumped and used where it is physically produced. “We don’t want to move it around the world because that defeats the purpose of reducing emissions. If there is no SAF available where our customer is fueling, it will be used closer to where it is produced. This means that every customer in any location at any time can do their bit,” explained Elouisa Dalli, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Jet Aviation also utilizes electric ground support vehicles and renewable energy to power their FBOs
Jet Aviation’s all-of-the-above approach to sustainability makes a real impact in business aviation. “No one has the solution alone, it’s a collective effort and everyone needs to play their part,” Dalli said. “It’s not about being green for the sake of it, it’s about doing the right thing.”
To learn more, visit jetaviation.com
