Dr Rachel Genovese, CSB Group's Yachting and Aviation Industry expert, attended the Opportunities in Superyachts and Business Jet – 9th Annual Conference organised by Quaynote Communications Limited.
The conference took place in Malta over two days on 23rd and 24th March 2022 with the first day being dedicated to Business Jets and second day to Superyachts.
On the first day, which tackled Business Jets and the sustainable future for business aviation, with conference's key panelists discussed the possibility of improving existing aircraft but also tackled the serious challenges posed when its comes to sustainable manufacturing.
Talking about the sustainability of cabin interiors speakers mentioned that we are as yet only scratching the surface. Interestingly, Borna Vrdoljak, Head of Airbus Corporate Jets Marketing mentioned the delivery in Germany of the ACH145 helicopter with “a fully vegan interior”!
There was a general consensus that a number of key players including regulators, financiers and consumers must work hand in hand to drive the agenda towards sustainability in aviation.
During the conference dedicated to Superyachts, that took place on the second day, panelists discussed several pertinent topics on yachting; tackling superyachts, taxation issues, crew recruitment, commercial and pleasure yacht registrations, cyber security, and Malta as a destination of choice for the yachting industry.
Discussions tackled important questions that yacht owners need to take into account when deciding whether to register their yacht as a commercial or pleasure yacht, with safety features of pleasure yachts being the main focus point. Ing Kurt Gutteridge of Naval Architectural Services stressed the importance of pleasure yachts meeting safety and crewing standards required for commercial yacht equivalents.
Panelists discussing Malta as a chartering hub pointed out that a shift has been seen throughout recent years, with Malta increasingly becoming a destination of choice for charters.
As Avnish Dhall, Sales Manager at Melita Marine Group and Emma Cassar from Von der Heyden Yachting explained, captains and management companies are seeking Malta as a luxury destination for both the winter and summer months. When it comes to winter berthing, the choice would be based on whether facilities are readily available and also on the quality of life available for crew remaining onboard. The industry, including marinas, have been taking more initiatives to ensure Malta remains attractive in this sense. For the summer months, Malta is seeing more yachts choosing Malta for charters across the islands, also taking into account the availability of onshore luxury facilities for guests.
Towards the end of the conference the discussion then focused on cyber security threats on Superyachts.
We once again thank the Quaynote for a very well organised and informative conference.
Should you have any yachting related questions or require any clarifications, please get in touch with us on [email protected].
