SPS Aviation_5 Issue 5 May 2014 | Page 24

Show Preview    Ebace 2014 high optimism Business aviation accounts for over $20 billion to the European economy and employs more than 1,60,000 people across Europe Photograph: Ebace show Management By R. Chandrakanth A Avinode Business Intelligence forecasts a positive year for the business aviation markets in Europe and the United States in 2014. It forecasts a 0.7 per cent increase in business jet flights in the US, with positive numbers across most of the regions. In Europe, despite several years of negative growth, Avinode predicts that the market will remain flat in 2014 with a marginal 0.1 per cent growth. The year 2014 is going to be a mixed bag for the two regions that make up the European continent. Northern Europe which tends towards business travel is forecast to experience a 0.9 per cent decline in actual flights 22 ISSUE 5  • 2014 during 2014. The more leisure travel oriented southern region, on the other hand, is predicted to see a flight activity increase of 0.7 per cent next year. After several years of decline this should be a welcome break for southern Europe, though it will not bring the region back to the previous high water mark. Avinode projects that some of the current trends will continue with minor variations, while others will see an about-face next year. In Europe, the light jet category which encompasses the entry level light and super light jet sub-categories, will experience a slight decline of 0.5 per cent, brought on primarily by www.sps-aviation.com