Isle of Man Aviation Conference Report

The Eleventh Isle of Man Aviation Conference (IOMAC) took place in Douglas, the island's capital, on Thursday, June 26, 2025. It was organized jointly by international service provider Martyn Fiddler Limited (whose largest office is on the island) and the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA). It marked the first time BBGA has been joint organizer.

The Isle of Man is situated in the Irish Sea north of Wales, west of England's Lake District, and east of Northern Ireland. While it is part of the British Isles, it is not part of the UK and has its own Parliament (Tynwald and the 'House of Keys') and legislature.

To help develop its economy the Isle of Man has generous tax rates to attract individuals and companies and has been successful in attracting various entities in the space sector and other high technology areas. To benefit from the low tax rates, individuals must be residents which requires them to live there at least six months of the year (or at least 90 days a year on average over four consecutive tax years).

These tax breaks are essential to encouraging aviation and other workers as if they are not from the Isle of Man (i.e. Manx) they will find it a beautiful but isolated place – although it has good air links with London, Edinburgh, Belfast and other cities in the UK along with ferries.

IOMAC's Profile is Growing

Chairing the conference, Dave Edwards, CEO of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), said the event was "something special – refreshingly straightforward and it brings everyone together" including operators, some OEM representatives, financiers, lawyers and other service providers. The number of delegates, organizations and sponsors has been growing year-on-year along with the conference's profile.

The Isle of Man Aircraft Registry (IOMAR), which was started by the Isle of Man Government in 2007 and has proved a major success, not least serving as a catalyst for the specialist aviation service sector on island, has also been heavily involved with the IOMAC from the start.

The 'M' Register specializes in non-commercial aircraft (consistently having more than 400 registered) but IOMAR has also branched out into what it terms 'transitional' aircraft (e.g. those in a period between owners or lessees), in any part of the world, as well as aircraft being utilized for 'aerial work'. It has benefited from being small and specialized, compared to the main national registries which are mainly focused on airliners. It stops short of taking aircraft on AOCs, although some other small registries around the world have chosen to do this.

What is 'The Gold Standard' in Bizav?

Dave Edwards reflected on the "turbulence" the business aviation sector has been facing in recent years, with associations such as BBGA and the European umbrella organization the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) being vital in trying to correct misconceptions. "Business aviation is a sector which is easy to caricature but when done properly it is a strategic asset."

Edwards introduced a panel discussion entitled 'What Does the Gold Standard in Business Aviation Look Like?' Commencing the discussion, Aoife O'Sullivan, founder and partner at the Air Law Firm and current BBGA Board chair, said: "Our industry tends to get buffered left, right and centre – the perception of business aviation is woeful; that we support fat cats and gas guzzlers. There have been efforts to get people to see the reality – that it's an industry to be proud of. We need to highlight the attributes of the industry" such as the high-skilled employment it provides, the connectivity for busy executives (directly to where airlines don't go, in many cases).

The discussion turned to the role of registries and "What is a good registry" and the consensus was that choice is a good thing. Isle of Man director of civil aviation Simon Williams (who has led the IOMAR since 2014) said, "I celebrate that clients have a choice. It's about which register can serve you best and smaller registries have the advantage of being small and nimble. Tailored solutions and responsiveness is what we offer…we insist on maintaining high standards."

The panel agreed that the Gold Standard in business aviation service is out there, in that there are excellent, experienced brokers, lawyers, etc that can help. However, to be assured of integrity you need to speak with these professionals, and not just anyone. Then, the panel added, things shouldn't become overly complicated. It also helps if clients seek advice early, for example, to select aircraft and structure a transaction, and handle any tax issues.

"People we work with are some of the most fascinating entrepreneurs and they expect integrity," said O'Sullivan. "I want a broker that stays engaged and has a lot of knowledge and is not just putting their hand out for commission". In response to a question from Mark Byrne, who heads the Martyn Fiddler team, Warren Lovell, v-p sales Europe & Africa for Leviate Air Group, said he saw the broker as having the role of 'transaction monitor' – while also helping to maintain transparency. "It starts to go really quickly at the end and if you haven't been advising properly and preparing well it can turn into a real mess." O'Sullivan observed: "Pilots as brokers can be incredibly efficient as they know what to look out for."

Sustainable Aviation

During a panel on sustainability delegates were shown a survey whereby respondents generally did not see aviation as doing enough to meet its responsibilities in terms of sustainability. Delegates heard that much is being done to improve the efficiency of airspace and routes, and more efficient aircraft are in the pipeline – including all-electric ones at the smaller end and novel approaches to propulsion. However, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is key for the time being.

Irish Aviation Authority CEO Declan Fitzpatrick said the IAA is doing a lot to incentivize operators, but he admitted aviation is a high-profile target, with the public's impression of it inevitably being formed by seeing famous people on television using their jets.

Fitzpatrick said that painting a narrative of what can be done, for example turning CO2 into SAF using clean energy, was essential. "And you need a credible third party to back up any claims to avoid accusations of greenwashing." He went further, saying that aviation should be seen as an essential part of society, as fundamental as electricity, water and broadband.

A 'Sailors Fly Too' panel discussion followed and looked at how the superyacht and business aviation industries are similar in some ways, such as having the same clients in some cases. Events in the superyacht world such as Monaco Yacht Show are becoming more wealth shows and see a lot of participants from areas such as business aviation. This is an area BBGA is actively exploring, to see what crossover there is and how this might be enhanced.

Bizav Needs its Associations!

Lindsey Oliver, managing director of BBGA, said that 2026 would mark the association's 50th anniversary and stated that BBGA's aims tie in strongly with the notion of a Gold Standard in business aviation – BBGA is taking a role in promoting, assisting and defining standards that help the industry be at its best, she said.

This led into the 'Associations Working Together' panel where Marc Bailey, BBGA CEO, led a discussion with Robert Baltus, COO of EBAA, and RAeS CEO Dave Edwards. While Edwards was keen to emphasize that that the Society "is not a lobbying organisation," though it has many important roles, Baltus said EBAA very much is a lobbying organization; and it has achieved many things for the industry over the years (not least countering attempts to ban business jets from using Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport).

Bailey described ongoing efforts to form "a single voice" by associations joining together to interface with government and regulators on particular issues. Examples include working with a drone association and others on shared airspace, or with airline associations on airworthiness. "Working together like this actually gets results," he said.

Bailey asked Baltus the question on everybody's lips at present in business aviation: "Where will EBACE be held next year?" To which Baltus responded diplomatically: "The [EBAA] Board will be getting a number of options – so we'll let you know!" There was rumor at the conference that Farnborough had emerged as the most likely location.

Finally, the panel was asked what would happen if their associations closed down tomorrow. Baltus said the effects would be significant even if not seen straight away, though Bailey said he thought it would be quicker and more drastic should associations stop lobbying and reacting on the industry's behalf to threats. "You'd start to see the damage over the next 18 months or so if we didn't do anything."

The conference close saw Dave Edwards recounting the highlights (in a Chat GPT-generated poem) and leaving everyone to gather at the Manx Electric Railway for their journey up to Snaefell Mountain and the Victory Café. From the top of the mountain on a good evening all four 'kingdoms' can be seen, and on this particular evening you could see Scotland (the Mull of Galloway), the Mountains of Mourne in Northern Ireland (south of Belfast), and the Lake District in England but not Snowdonia in Wales, given the approaching rain clouds.

Previous years' 'after conference' reception venues have included the Manx Museum in Peel and the Transport Museum at Jurby, an old airfield in the north of the island which served as an internment camp in WWII.