Aviation360 MEA

High achievement, ground-breaking technology, diversity, and advancements in sustainability were highlighted in the motivating keynote address that kicked off EBACE 2023 on Tuesday, which also included businessman and solar power pioneer Raphael Domjan and racing icons Toto and Susie Wolff.

Juergen Wiese, the chairman of the EBAA, greeted visitors to “Europe’s greatest and largest and most exciting business aviation gathering,” while Giovanni Russo, the COO of Geneva Airport, a partner in the annual EBAA conference, said that business aviation accounts for 20% of the airport’s traffic. He outlined the sustainability measures the airport has made that will enable it to achieve its goal of being carbon neutral by 2037.

“For business aviation, it’s essential to adhere to sustainability,” he added. “This will convince people that you are an essential element of the global economy.”

Weiss also noted the recent, unexpected passing of EBAA secretary general Athar Hussain Khan, to whose memory this year’s EBACE is dedicated.

Toto and Susie Wolff were welcomed on stage by NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. They spoke about the connections between aviation and car racing as well as the difficulties both fields confront in attracting fresh talent and achieving sustainability.

Toto is the head of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, which has won eight straight world championships and is regarded as a model of quality and teamwork in any industry or endeavor (Harvard Business School).

“Perfection is not something that you can ever achieve—it doesn’t exist, but it’s something that you can work toward,” Toto said. “And that has motivated us every single year.”

One of the first female drivers on the Formula One circuit, Susie characterized herself as “passionate about trying to promote diversity” and is now in charge of Formula 1 Academy, a startup project that seeks to increase the number of female drivers.

“Formula 1 has never been as big as it is right now in the global awareness, and the biggest growing fan base is young females,” she noted.

The Mercedes squad is also an advocate for diversity. Performance will improve as a result of diversity, Toto predicted. “Even though we are a company predominately made up of white men, we have set a target that at least 25% of all new employees must be from underrepresented groups. That, in my opinion, is something crucial for us to keep in mind if we want to remain competitive. He mentioned that Louis Hamilton, the team’s star driver, is Black.

Toto also pointed out the similarities between Formula 1 and aviation, such as the high-performance, 100 percent sustainable fuel being developed for auto racing.

“We are going to show a road toward a more sustainable future, but with the high-performance aspect,” Toto said, noting that Formula 1 would switch to hybrid-electric engines in 2026. “The most efficient hybrid engines,” Toto added, “Because it’s all about weight in Formula 1,” as it is in aviation.

Wiese then introduced Raphal Domjan, the Swiss founder and pilot of SolarStratos, a solar-powered, two-person aircraft designed to be able to reach the stratosphere, as another example of the pursuit of effectiveness, performance, and sustainability. Domjan was the first to skydive from an electric-powered aircraft and the first to round the globe in an all-electric boat using solar power.

“If we can be the leader of this [sustainability] challenge, we can demonstrate to the other businesses—the houses, cars, boats—everybody can do it,” said Damjan. “This is what we’re trying to do with SolarStratos.”