PERSPECTIVES Embracing Collaboration for a Sustainable Future I n my five years working for the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), I have seen a tremendous amount of growth and change. I joined the Association in 2014 as the Senior Vice President of Business and General Counsel and was drawn in by NATA’s reach and impact. I am even more excited now, than I was back when I started, to see what is in store for this Association. It is a critical time in the aviation busi- ness industry, and there are many threats to our future. To remain a successful industry, we must adapt with the times, embracing collaboration throughout our commu- nity and adopting sustainable practices. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Coalition is an excellent example of both of these things. This is an international coalition of many aviation associations and businesses, along with SAF producers and fuelers, all with the aim of making SAF a reality for aviation business. In 2009, the industry committed to a 2% improvement in efficiency per year from 2010 to 2020; carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onward; and a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, relative to 2005. Through various initiatives over the past year, the Coalition has made great strides towards achieving those goals through the use of SAF and other emissions reduction and offsetting initia- tives. There have been numerous SAF demonstrations and fly-ins to major industry events with ever-increasing participation from around the globe. The Coalition has had a major win in the United States with Congress approving fiscal year 2020 appro- priations legislation that contains a renewal and exten- sion for the biodiesel tax incentive, for which certain SAF are eligible. The biodiesel tax incentive remains critical By Timothy Obitts to our industry’s efforts to research, produce, and scale the use of sustainability and carbon neutral growth. This success is a great example of the aviation industry work- ing together and pushing for an incentive from Congress for companies to invest in the production of SAF. The Coalition is continuing its involvement in major world and industry events in 2020, having assisted in making SAF available for the World Economic Forum in Davos and also planning to host various additional events. NATA is also putting a greater emphasis on our work- ing groups and committees moving forward. It is you, our members, who have the firsthand knowledge and experiences of what is happening in our industry. Our committees offer a space where we can hear about cur- rent issues directly from our members and work together to find productive solutions. To further our reach, we have expanded our committees to cover even more aspects of the industry including safety, airport busi- ness, charter, maintenance, infrastructure, management, workforce development, and diversity and inclusion. More information about NATA’s specific committees can be found on our website at www.nata.aero. I encourage you to build and maintain relationships with other businesses in the aviation community, your local airport, and also with companies in your own sur- rounding communities that may be more tangentially connected to our industry. Collaboration and partner- ships with other aviation associations, governmental agencies, and, of course, our members are not only what make NATA effectual, but what make our industry, as a whole, stronger. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] if you have any questions. Aviation Business Journal | Winter 2019/2020 5
