Following the continued post-pandemic rise in private aviation, the business aviation industry is looking to close out the year on a high note, according to market analyst Rolland Vincent. Speaking last month at the NATA Aviation Business Conference, he told the audience, “I think this is going to be a very busy Q4, and maybe busier even than last year.”
The last quarter of the year is typically the largest in terms of deliveries. As an example, Embraer has been known to announce more than half of its annual deliveries in the fourth quarter alone. However, Vincent noted that other factors will be in play this year to provide a boost. “We’re going to see the end of 100 percent bonus depreciation this year in the U.S., which is by far the largest market for aircraft.” As a result, he sees customers eager to receive their aircraft by year-end. As well he added, the results of the U.S. midterm elections could inject some uncertainty in terms of future policies.
While many visitors come to Hawai'i just to relax at the resorts, sit on the sand, and swim, there's much more worth experiencing on the state’s so-called Big Island. Here are half a dozen little-known but must-see attractions.
New Hampshire-based fractional aircraft operator PlaneSense helped spread some holiday cheer today when it landed one of its Pilatus PC-12s at Manchester (New Hampshire) Boston Regional Airport, packed with non-perishable food destined for the state’s food bank. The single-engine turboprop was piloted by company president and CEO George Antoniadis. New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan (D) and Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas (R) greeted the aircraft and helped unload the cargo, which was provided by PlaneSense employees along with a donation from Nextant Aerospace.
“PlaneSense has always been a strong supporter of our state and local charities, and we chose to assist the New Hampshire Food Bank this year because it reaches so many families in need,” noted Antoniadis. Currently more than 130,000 residents of the state are in need of food assistance.
One of the more notable effects of the pandemic on private aviation has been a surge in traffic to vacation destinations due to diminished commercial schedules and a desire to fly safely. Perhaps no location has demonstrated this as readily as PrimeSky, the lone FBO at Mexico’s San Jose Del Cabo International Airport (MMSD).
Owned and operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, which manages 12 airports in the country as well as two in Jamaica, the facility saw an astounding 71 percent increase in operations between its pre-Covid 2019 and 2021 numbers. According to Patricia Silva Lugo, the company’s head of business development, it is on track to exceed last year’s totals. “Our average number is 19,000 operations per year after Covid,” she told AIN.
For the past decade, dozens of startups have been raising billions of dollars to develop a new breed of aircraft tapping more sustainable electric propulsion and autonomous flight technology, with the promise of revolutionizing the way people and cargo get around. Although it is still very much a nascent industry, 2022 has proven to be a pivotal year for advanced air mobility (AAM), as vehicle manufacturers and regulators alike have taken some monumental steps toward making that dream a reality.
All of the progress this year set the stage for a busy 2023 in terms of infrastructure, certification, and technological advancements.
Ten global airlines have joined forces with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to raise funding for research and development work on technology for cutting air transport carbon emissions. The charitable non-profit Aviation Climate Taskforce (ACT), which intends to tap public, private, and philanthropic sources of capital, has been launched by the following carriers in partnership with BCG: Air Canada, Air France-KLM, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Lufthansa, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
According to chief executive Tom Light, ACT aims to build a global innovation network distributing grants to fund R&D work that might not otherwise attract venture capital funding, as well as a forum for industry collaboration to scale adoption of emissions-reduction technology. It aims to get started by issuing approximately $2 million in grants in the first half of 2023 and will also be inviting other aviation leaders from around the world to join the group, which has been launched with an undisclosed amount of private funding.
The U.S. Congress has eased Boeing’s path to certifying its 737 Max 7 and Max 10 airliners by including an amendment in the 2023 Appropriations Bill that avoids the need for the manufacturer to implement a crew alerting system upgrade, which had been required under The Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act passed in 2020. The amendment includes requirements to retrofit more specific safety enhancements but gives Boeing up to three years after the Max 10 is certified to make these modifications.
Retrofits, which would be done at the manufacturer’s expense for airlines, would also apply to the Max 7 and the already-certified Max 8 and 9 models. They include an additional means to monitor the aircraft’s angle of attack and a switch that would allow pilots to deactivate the stick shaker in the event of an erroneous stall warning.
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