The General Court of the European Union has annulled the EU Taxonomy provision that excluded the manufacture of business aviation aircraft from the scope of sustainable finance rules.
This is an important ruling not only for business aviation, but for Europe’s wider aviation ecosystem. It confirms that sustainable finance rules must be evidence-based, proportionate and technology-neutral, and that sectors should not be excluded on the basis of assumptions that do not reflect their actual role in Europe’s transition.
Business aviation is part of Europe’s industrial and innovation base. The sector supports connectivity, skilled employment, advanced manufacturing and the development of cleaner aviation technologies, including more efficient aircraft, new materials, aerodynamic improvements, lower-emission propulsion pathways and the uptake of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
As an intervener in support of Dassault Aviation and Daher, EBAA welcomes this judgment as a meaningful step towards a more balanced European approach to sustainable aviation. Europe’s climate objectives will only be achieved if policy supports innovation across the entire aviation value chain, including those sectors already investing in decarbonisation.
This ruling sends a clear signal: European sustainable finance rules must recognise the contribution business aviation makes to connectivity, competitiveness, innovation and the transition towards a more sustainable aviation system.
