In light of the global economic malaise and a significantly
anti-aviation sentiment in many parts of the world (especially if
you listen to Congress or read the NY Post...), one has to wonder
where tomorrow's aviation business is going to come from... and
doubly so for the slowly maturing VLJ market.
ANN and Aero-TV were the principal media partner for MIU Events'
Very Light Jets - Latin America and the Caribbean conference last
fall, and spent quite a bit of quality time with a number of
industry experts discussing the current market for VLJs in Latin
America. We learned that there are more business jets and turbo
props in Brazil than in any other single country outside the United
States and Canada. As a region, Latin America and the Caribbean
operate more turbo props than either Europe or Asia.
With Very Light Jet (VLJ) manufacturers forecasting more than
60% of their sales outside the US, Latin America and the Caribbean
offers an enticing market. With a poor road network and few
railways, the Latin American region has long been a place where
private aircraft have been an essential tool for business. As the
Latin American economies gain momentum and the boom in agriculture
generates business in areas far removed from the big industrial
centers, demand for aircraft is growing at a phenomenal pace.
Conservative estimates predict the market for private jets in the
region will grow at 10%pa for the next five years. As the existing
fleet of twins and turboprops comes up for renewal or replacement
the VLJ is going to look increasingly attractive to owner/operators
and owner/pilots.
The questions surrounding the future of this market remain
considerable ones, indeed... Will the new VLJs now being delivered
prove as sturdy and reliable as turbo props and twins and will the
VLJ offer the operators the distances needed for this market? Will
the necessary aviation infrastructure be in place and will the OEMs
have a sufficiently expansive servicing capability for this
established but rugged market?
We sat down with three of the top minds on the topic, and
learned quite a bit... As an expert on very light jets and next
generation air taxis with the first business Ph.D. dissertation
worldwide on the subjects, Joe Leader has worked with industry
leaders in forming the Air Taxi Association (ATXA) and now serves
as its President. With more than a dozen years of executive
experience at both entrepreneurial and multi-billion dollar
companies, Leader uses the combination of his professional and
academic expertise to build bridges across the industry.
Edward T. Smith, Senior VP International Affairs, General
Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Smith has the
responsibility for GAMA's international aviation policy and
regulatory involvement with foreign authorities and also maintains
GAMA's relationship with the Department of Commerce, Department of
State and the FAA's International Office. Smith joined GAMA after a
distinguished 25-year career with the United States Department of
State where he most recently was Director, Office of Aviation
Negotiations, leading several Open Skies negitiations. Previously
Mr. Smith was Deputy Director, Office of Caribbean Affairs and
Director, General Economic Policy Unit, U.S. Mission to the
European Union where he was involved with aircraft noise
legislation and early discussion on the establishment of the
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Clint E Clouatre, Senior Manager, Marketing, Embraer Executive
Jets, based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Additionally, he has marketing
responsibility for the business jet product line in North America.
Clouatre joined Embraer in November 2006, following a five-year
tenure at Eclipse Aviation as the director of product marketing.
Prior to Eclipse, he had similar roles over a 20-year period at
Galaxy Aerospace and Gulfstream Aerospace. He was also a flight
test engineer on the Gulfstream IV certification program. Clouatre
earned a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia
Institute of Technology and a Masters of Business Administration
from Georgia Southern University. He has been a previous speaker at
the English Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators in London,
England as well as various industry forums in the United
States.
NOTE: The use of B-Roll of Eclipse
Aircraft do not constitute an endorsement of this manufacturer by
ANN and/or Aero-TV. While the aircraft may remain viable as a
future VLJ offering, ANN and Aero-TV uses these images only for
visual support and illustration, and does not condone recent
decisions by Eclipse management which may have seriously damaged
the investments, deposits and other interests of customers of the
original program.
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.15.24)
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