Lufthansa Technik and Designworks took the wraps off a modular narrowbody VIP cabin concept designed for group travel today at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. The concept, called The BOW, is designed for executive groups, sports teams, and touring musicians, and includes common and private spaces. Operators can reconfigure the interior layout, including private suites and common areas, for different missions.

A reception area with a bar, a central lounge with curved touchscreen displays and a presentation table, and private suites with dedicated storage are included in the cabin, which has capacity for up to 28 passengers. Automated partitions in some of the compartments can be adjusted to change privacy levels between suites.

Lufthansa Technik employed its cabin management system throughout the design. Features include hidden touch displays that integrate flush with interior surfaces, Omni-Fi speakers, curved OLED screens, and inductive charging modules. An “intellitable” combines touchscreen controls with tray tables.

“This concept offers customers unprecedented flexibility and allows operators to tailor every mission with an experience that is both highly functional and luxurious,” said Fabian Nagel, v-p of sales for VIP and special aircraft services at Lufthansa Technik.

Designworks—a BMW Group company acquired in 1995 that operates studios in Munich, Los Angeles, and Shanghai—was the design collaborator.

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) is continuing to evolve with new and changing programs, as well as deeper partnerships both with government and industry, chairman Kent Stauffer reported on Thursday during the organization’s annual Safety Summit in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Not quite two decades old, the nonprofit safety organization has continued to grow as initiatives such as its Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) have taken root. While ASAP has been an important part of the organization’s financial underpinnings, Stauffer, who also is the chief safety officer at Flexjet, warned that safety management systems (SMS) will undercut the need for such programs. As a result, ACSF is pivoting, looking at other means to add value, including diving deeper into data. One way to prepare for this is to invest in technology to become more of a data aggregator, he further said.

Stauffer also praised president Debi Carpenter, who took over last year after Bryan Burns retired. “She’s made some great connections with the FAA [and] other industry groups, and what we’re starting to see is the government and other organizations coming towards us to act as the intermediary—as a safe space where we can all come together.”

Another ongoing effort at the organization is a ground operations working group, which has broad industry participation and plans to develop recommendations on safety measures to reduce ground incidents.

Garmin has added new functionality to its subscription-based Pilot mobile electronic flight bag platform, now giving users the ability to leave and view comments and reviews of airport facilities and FBOs they frequent. Aircraft operators can leave feedback based on their experiences, so others can use that information while planning flights.

Key details of the locations, such as facility conditions, airport approaches in certain winds, and other local information, can be posted in the airport comments section of the platform—a function that can be especially useful for pilots making their first trip to a specific airport.

Once on the ground, in the new FBO comments and reviews feature, users can view and use a five-star rating system to review their experience and offer the most up-to-date information on the availability and quality of services they received.

Garmin is offering a special promotion on the platform for new customers, offering 15 months of subscription for a yearly commitment. For a limited time, active certified flight instructors in the U.S. and Canada can also qualify to purchase the Pilot standard or premium plans through the “Right Seat Rewards” program for half off the base price.

Aircraft charter, management, and brokerage provider SkyShare has been selected to take over the former municipally-operated FBO at Utah’s South Valley Regional Airport (KSVR). An international airport located near Salt Lake City, KSVR is a general aviation reliever with a 5,862-foot runway. The FBO features a 6,000-sq-ft, two-story terminal with showers, passenger lobby with refreshment bar, pilot lounge, and crew car.

Starting in May, SkyShare will begin a full remodel of the building. The project will add a new pilot lounge, 12-seat conference room, and a business center.

The Titan Aviation Fuels-branded complex includes an adjoining 10,000-sq-ft hangar, as well as a 15,000-sq-ft hangar, both of which can accommodate up to super-midsize jets. The company plans to address the hangar shortage on the field by adding a second 15,000-sq-ft hangar, in addition to 50 T-hangars.

“South Valley isn’t just another airport to me,” said SkyShare founder and CEO Cory Bengtzen. “It’s where I learned to fly and earned my private pilot certificate more than 20 years ago. It’s where I kept my first airplane. Being part of its future is incredibly meaningful.”

West Star Aviation has acquired DCJet, expanding its nationwide MRO footprint and strengthening its AOG support capabilities across the U.S.

Euro Jet Intercontinental has opened the doors to its new facility at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (LHBP). The crew office, located in Terminal 1, marks the flight support services provider’s 19th addition to a network spanning locations across central and eastern Europe.

According to Euro Jet, the Budapest office offers a private space for flight crew to rest or work, featuring “comfortable seating, a fully equipped workstation, Wi-Fi, and a printer, along with snacks and beverages.” A staff member is available onsite around the clock.

The lounge’s opening comes just weeks before Hungary’s capital city is set to host the 2026 UEFA Champions League Final. With the May 30 sporting event expected to attract elevated demand for services, “our team is well-prepared to support this, with up-to-date local insight, strong relationships across the airport community, and the experience needed to ensure seamless handling for our customers,” said Peter Pazurek, Euro Jet’s manager for Hungary.

Budapest also holds the Hungarian Grand Prix every summer, with the annual motorsport event attributed to rising periods of peak demand for business aviation services.

Version 5.2 of the FliteDeck Pro electronic flight bag (EFB) app for commercial aviation users has adopted some features previously released in the ForeFlight Mobile EFB, notably the depiction of notams in a graphical format. The two companies are part of Jeppesen ForeFlight, which came about when investment firm Thoma Bravo acquired digital assets from Boeing in November.

The latest FliteDeck version includes auto selection of SIDs and STARs, new weather layers, depiction of GPS jamming and spoofing areas, Journey Log, a fuel adjustments display, and cost-index improvements. Another new feature mimics something that sister app ForeFlight has been doing for a long time: providing a “what’s new” view when features are added.

Jeppesen curates multiple sources of notams, including those that airlines create for their own needs, and all of these can be presented in graphical format. “We’re leveraging what the ForeFlight team introduced in 2022, support for graphical-coordinate notams,” said Jeppesen ForeFlight v-p of flight deck products Martin Kemp.

“We always had support for textual notams,” he said. “Jeppesen is one of the biggest sources of notams worldwide. We bring together multiple sources of notams to curate them and to make sure that you know everything that should be available is available.”

Despite efforts to close security vulnerabilities, gaps remain in critical air traffic control systems, the Transportation Department Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG) found in newly-released audit results. According to the DOT OIG, the FAA had not fully implemented 1,836, or 11.3%, of the 16,245 required security controls for the 45 automation, surveillance/flight services, communications, and navigation/weather systems that the agency had categorized as “high impact.”

“Because the FAA has not ensured that all required high baseline security controls have been selected, properly implemented, documented, and tracked, or that risks have been otherwise mitigated where controls cannot be implemented, many of the FAA’s high-impact systems remain vulnerable to cyberattacks,” the DOT OIG maintained. “Consequently, the FAA cannot have assurance that critical NAS systems are protected from cybersecurity threats that could severely disrupt air traffic operations.”

The watchdog found that the FAA had begun implementing security controls, but some involved outdated standards, and the job overall was not complete. In some cases, the systems were missing the baseline security controls altogether, while planned implementation was still in the works for many others.

The DOT OIG made four recommendations around ensuring that the updated controls are in place.

Pratt & Whitney Canada named Satheeshkumar “Kumar” Kumarasingam as its next president, succeeding Maria Della Posta upon her retirement effective June 1. Kumarasingam joined the company in 1995 as a mechanical engineer, and since held roles in engineering, quality, operations, sales and marketing, and customer service.

He was appointed chief transformation and strategy officer in 2022, and most recently served as chief digital officer beginning in 2025. Kumarasingam will report to Pratt & Whitney president Shane Eddy.

“Kumar has been an instrumental leader across Pratt & Whitney and brings extensive experience and a deep understanding of customers and the markets in which Pratt & Whitney Canada operates,” Eddy said. “I'm confident that Kumar will continue to drive innovative growth and deliver exceptional customer service while maximizing operational performance worldwide.”

Della Posta, who led the RTX subsidiary through a period of significant product development, oversaw the launch of several engines: the PW800 turbofan for business jets, PT6E-series digital turboprop engine, and PW127XT turboprop. She advanced the company’s hybrid-electric propulsion efforts and established a 24/7 customer-first help desk, supporting more than 16,000 operators. She also received the 2023 James C. Floyd Award for her contributions to Canada’s aerospace industry.

Tell us about the product support you receive from business aviation OEMs. The 2026 AIN Product Support Survey is now open, ready for selected readers to rate aircraft, engine, and avionics support. AIN readers who have been picked to participate in this year’s Product Support Survey should have received their password and link to the online survey by e-mail. The survey needs to be completed by midnight on May 31. Please contact Lisa Valladares if you have not received your access code.