World Fuel Services this week achieved key approvals to meet international standards for carbon reduction measures and services. Today, the company announced it has met compliance requirements for the ICAO-backed global Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), as well as completing certification from the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification System (ISCC) and book-and-claim certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB).

The ISCC process is intended to ensure that renewable fuels supplied to aircraft operators meet consistent sustainability requirements. Along with its RSB certification, World Fuel is now accredited in the U.S., Singapore, and Europe, and the company said it intends to expand the sustainability approvals it holds to other countries and world regions.

Fuel suppliers with ISCC certification meet legally binding requirements, such as the European Commission’s sustainability criteria for biofuels and bioliquids and the CORSIA requirements set by ICAO. Companies are rigorously assessed to ensure that sustainable aviation fuel is fully traceable and is supplied through climate-friendly supply chains that don’t involve damaging elements such as deforestation.

“The ISCC certification system plays an important role in enhancing the traceability of sustainable attributes by providing a framework of standards which anyone in the supply chain can rely on to be confident of the status of renewable fuels,” said Mike Ranger, World Fuel’s senior v-p of supply for EMEA and Asia.

In 2011, then-President Barack Obama took on the business aviation crowd by proposing a $100 per-flight user fee on corporate jet flights and a change in the depreciation schedules of those aircraft to match those of airliners. The industry needs to pay its "fair share," the administration said.

While those efforts were unsuccessful, the Biden Administration has now taken those proposals off the shelf, dusted them off, and put its own spin on them.

Instead of corporate jets, now the White House is going after “private jets.” But the rhetoric is the same: “President Biden believes corporations and wealthy people who use corporate and private jets should pay their fair share,” the White House said.

This time, though, the White House is going for the trifecta: it has unleashed the IRS on corporate operators to find all the cheats, it is resurrecting the proposal to change the depreciation schedule of business jets from five to seven years, and it is going after more fuel tax money from business aircraft operators to the tune of a fivefold increase.

All of this circles back to the perception of business aviation as an example of wealth, luxury, and even excess. It is an industry constantly battered. Or "under attack," as NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen recently said.

Dassault Aviation has opened a major maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility in Kuala Lumpur as part of a drive to support Falcon operators in Southeast Asia. Operating under the ExecuJet brand, the facility will support 10 to 15 aircraft simultaneously, including Dassault’s largest in-production Falcon, the 6X, and the larger in-development 10X. The ExecuJet MRO network operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation.

The 149,500-sq-ft Kuala Lumpur center will serve as a hub of business aviation support for the Asia-Pacific region. Custom-designed to support business aircraft, the facility includes features such as a built-in overhead crane for aircraft engine changes. It replaces a smaller hangar.

Dassault Aviation addressed environmental factors in the design of the Kuala Lumpur complex, including energy-conserving LED lighting, solar electric panels, and rooftop rainwater collectors.

“Over the last half-decade, we have more than doubled our global support capacity and considerably modernized our MRO capability,” said Dassault Aviation senior v-p Jean Kayanakis. “We now have more than 60 service locations and 15 parts distribution centers around the world, along with the go teams necessary to support aircraft in the field 24/7 wherever they may be. This is part of a strategy aimed at keeping us as close as possible to our customers and offering all the services needed to maximize the uptime and value of their Falcon fleets.”

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter in central New Jersey was felt this morning from New York City to Washington, D.C. and caused a temporary ground stop at New York JFK and Newark-Liberty International airports. “A 4.8 magnitude earthquake in New Jersey may impact some air traffic facilities in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Air traffic operations are resuming as quickly as possible,” the FAA wrote earlier this morning on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The earthquake was recorded at 10:23 a.m. EDT. By 12:30 p.m. EDT, the FAA posted that normal ground operations had resumed. It was the strongest to hit the northeast in 50 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

"At this point we do not have any reports of major impacts to our infrastructure or injuries," said New York City mayor Eric Adams. "But of course, we are still assessing the situation and will continue to update the public."

At this year’s NBAA International Operators Conference (IOC) in Orlando, more than 500 aviation professionals came together to learn more about geopolitical developments, emerging security threats, and the regular meat of the event: operational requirements for business aircraft flying around the globe.

Attendees from 17 countries and 40 U.S. states celebrated the winners of the Guy Gribble IOC Appreciation Award for dedicated service to the IOC Committee: Mente's director of flight operations, Mark McIntyre, and Shawn Scott, co-founder of Scott International Procedures. The committee also released a new tool for international operators, the International Flight Plan Format Guide, which is designed to help operators comply with flight plan requirements from the FAA, ICAO, and foreign regulators.

Two key issues addressed during the IOC were U.S. government plans to impose new taxes and IRS audits on business aviation and the ongoing efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“This year’s conference reached a new altitude in bringing the industry together to remain on top of an ever-changing global aviation landscape, with insights from leaders in the field, dedicated sessions with actionable intelligence, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities unavailable at any other industry event,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Attendees have come away informed and inspired about the opportunities on the world stage.”

Duncan Aviation’s satellite avionics shop in Houston has completed its first installation of a SpaceX Starlink satcom system. The low-earth-orbit Starlink constellation provides high-speed connectivity globally.

The Duncan Aviation installation was in a Bombardier Global XRS using a supplemental type certificate (STC) developed by Nextant Aerospace. The Houston satellite has seven additional Starlink installations on its schedule, and two of these will be for the Global XRS customer.

“Although this was our first installation, the avionics and structures teams were impressed by the well-organized STC and kit that allowed us to perform the installation well within the three weeks we had allotted,” said Houston satellite manager Mark Winter. “We expected to encounter some problems since it was our first Starlink installation, but it couldn’t have gone more smoothly.”

According to Duncan Aviation, because Starlink is an internet-only system, the installation process is simpler. “While it does have the capability to integrate with cabin management systems or any other system on the aircraft, it doesn’t need to. Using their own devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, passengers may connect to their office’s virtual private network, stream media, play games, or Facetime with family and enjoy uninterrupted coverage around the world.”

The content distribution ecosystem for marketers continues to evolve—especially with the impact of AI. How can you ensure that your content reaches your intended audience? The continual disruptive changes with social platforms and search will affect your content visibility. Marketing teams must shift their focus, and increase their efforts to ensure their content is seen by those that matter. Join us for a webinar on Thursday, April 25, to hear proven strategies and learn how to navigate the evolution of content distribution.