Aircraft financing has evolved from a simple purchase mechanism into a strategic tool shaping capital allocation, ownership flexibility, risk management, and long-term asset value, according to a panel of four lenders convened by the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA). The panel, summarized in a new white paper, found that buyers today have a wider range of financing options than a decade ago, loan structure can matter as much as interest rate in shaping ownership costs, and buyers should seek guidance in the aircraft purchase process.

“There are 150 different platforms in operation today in business aviation. You cannot paint all of that with a single loan-to-value or valuation lens,” said Ben Hockenberg of JSSI. “Focusing solely on rates is probably only half the picture. Structure is the other half.”

Despite geopolitical uncertainty and inflation concerns, panelists said demand has remained strong, particularly among ultra-high-net-worth individuals, corporations, and fleet operators. As aircraft transactions increasingly cross borders, buyers face legal, tax, and regulatory complexities that specialized financing structures are built to address.

The panel was moderated by Mesinger Jet Sales v-p Josh Mesinger and included Patrick Gentile of PNC Financial Services Group, Sarah Yarnes of First American Equipment Finance, Mike Christie of Global Jet Capital, and Hockenberg. Panelists pointed to inventory constraints and OEM backlogs as reasons buyers should begin financing conversations before identifying a specific aircraft.

The Air Charter Association (ACA) recently hosted its third annual internship program at London Biggin Hill Airport (EGKB), offering 15 young people aged 18 to 25 an insight into the site’s business aviation activity. Following the training week, the interns are now starting their individual work placements at ACA member companies.

Over the course of a week, participants were able to “access dedicated aviation training and experience practical onsite visits,” ACA explained. These included tours of companies at EGKB such as Bombardier, Castle Air, Jetex, and Oriens Aviation, as well as a tour of the airport itself. Biggin Hill personnel highlighted its FBO facilities and provided practical insights from the ramp team and their equipment. A range of guest speakers also took to the stage to share their experiences, augmenting classroom-based learning held at Biggin Hill’s “The Hub” training facility.

According to ACA CEO Glenn Hogben, the association has seen “great success in the scheme as a whole,” with five of last year’s cohort now working at “leading member companies including Air Charter Service, Chapman Freeborn, CharterSync, and FlyerTech.” He added that ACA members have been “incredibly supportive” in offering to host work placements. Student applications for the 2027 intake are currently open.

MRO Thornton Aviation provides around-the-clock AOG response that has kept Sea Aviation’s organ-transplant fleet airborne through situations where a grounded aircraft could mean a missed transplant window.

The Part 145 repair station at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) in Southern California provides maintenance for Sea Aviation’s Hawker 800XP fleet. These midsize twinjets are used to transport organs, physicians, and medical teams for transplant missions across the U.S. Sea Aviation currently operates two 800XPs, with a third coming soon and a long-term goal of expanding to as many as 10.

“Everything is time critical,” said Sea Aviation aircraft asset manager Michael Harkins. “You see all this play out step-by-step. The aircraft fires up, they get where they need to go, and hopefully you save a life in the process.”

Thornton Aviation handles routine and unscheduled maintenance, inspections, AOG response, and avionics and connectivity upgrades. Harkins said the value of the relationship is defined by responsiveness and the ability to solve problems under pressure, including outside normal business hours.

In one instance, an organ was already in transit when an aircraft needed immediate attention. Harkins began reaching out at 2 a.m., and Thornton Aviation director of maintenance Hector Jimenez responded and resolved the issue. “Ten minutes after he completed it, the plane launched,” Harkins said. “It was that critical. We were that close to missing a flight.”

While business and general aviation operators generally can find accurate fuel prices online, FBO fees are much less reliable, according to a new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.

GAO investigators posed as recreational pilots and made calls to 45 FBOs at 40 airports between January and May, then compared what they were told with information on FBO websites, AirNav, AOPA’s airport directory, and ForeFlight. Fuel prices matched across all four online sources for 14 FBOs and matched at least some sources for another 20. Prices differed at 11 FBOs, though most discrepancies were 50 cents or less per gallon.

Required service fees told a different story. Of the 16 FBOs that said they charge mandatory fees, none had them “listed accurately on all the online sources” checked by GAO. Missing charges included ramp and facility fees ranging from $11 to $45 and $10 to $88, respectively.

Representatives of some FBOs told GAO they centralize fuel and fee updates at the corporate level to keep listings consistent, while others cited customer discounts and demand-based special-event pricing as barriers.

Pilots’ groups said their standard practice, when flying to an unfamiliar airport, is to call the FBO directly because online information “may be vague, incomplete, or out of date.” However, the pilots’ groups GAO interviewed “were generally satisfied with the availability of information” on FBO prices and fees.

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Despite a relatively slow start to the summer for the charter market, KlasJet predicts that Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) will have a similar season to last year. While demand is expected to gain momentum in the coming months, KlasJet cautioned that fuel cost instability and market volatility will continue to drive customer expectations of transparency.

KlasJet chief commercial officer of VIP operations Marton Modis reported noticeably fewer last-minute charter requests than a year ago, something he attributes to higher aircraft availability and overall lower demand. However, he believes the second half of 2026 is also set to outpace the same period last year, “largely because some travel originally planned for early in the year was pushed back due to regional instability.”

Though the Middle East conflict continues, the Lithuanian charter provider highlighted that Central and Eastern Europe has emerged as a “bright spot” for its fleet this summer. The company added that Poland’s popularity in particular is “attracting new clients in a region that typically hasn’t been in the spotlight for VIP charters.”

Nevertheless, Modis cautioned that clients are increasingly expecting “full transparency and no surprises,” leading to closer scrutiny of quotes. This is accompanied by a demand for “more flexibility than ever, from first inquiry to wheels up,” he concluded.

The Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority (BANSA) has begun retroactively invoicing aircraft operators for flights to, from, within, or over the Bahamas dating back to May 1, 2021, NBAA said. NBAA is organizing an advocacy effort with other industry groups and the U.S. government and is asking operators to share billing statements to bolster this effort.

BANSA’s April 2024 Notice of Intent and current fee schedule detail the per-flight and distance-based overflight rates by aircraft weight category and describe the revision as aligned with ICAO’s cost-relatedness principle. Neither the intent notice nor the current fee schedule mentions retroactive application to flights predating the scheme.

The fees apply to piston twins, turboprops, and jets on both private and commercial flights, according to Rick Gardner, owner of CST Flight Services. Exempt operations include private single-engine piston flights, search-and-rescue and medical evacuation flights, aircraft diverting to an unintended airport during an emergency, and aircraft owned by the Bahamian government or by armed forces or governments of other ICAO member states.

BANSA told CST that “any aircraft with a debt can be seized/detained by the government in the case the operator refuses to pay its outstanding debt. This also applies to new owners.”

Israeli electric aircraft developer Air plans to begin manufacturing eVTOL aircraft in Florida by the end of this year under a partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the company announced yesterday.

The company will establish its U.S. headquarters, production facility, and flight operations hub at SunTrax, the state transportation department’s research and development campus in Auburndale, near Orlando. It has already moved into a roughly 20,000-sq-ft space on the 775-acre SunTrax campus, where the company hopes to expand its footprint as operations grow.

Air intends to produce two eVTOL models in the U.S.: the two-seat Air One light sport aircraft and an uncrewed, heavy-lift cargo variant, the first example of which it has already delivered to a launch customer in Israel. Flight testing for both programs will move to SunTrax from West Palm Beach, where Air has been flying since last August.

“Advanced air mobility is entering a new phase in the United States, moving from aircraft development toward production and real-world operations,” said Air co-founder and CEO Rani Plaut. He noted that Florida’s aviation ecosystem and Air’s base of more than 300 customers in the Sunshine State made the move a logical next step.

The AOPA Foundation’s High School Aviation STEM Curriculum is adding a maintenance and manufacturing pathway to complement the existing pilot, drone, and career preparation courses that have reached more than 130,000 students since 2016. Gregory and Cindy Kozmetsky’s GCK Legacy Fund is backing the new curriculum.

Designed to prepare students for careers in aviation maintenance and manufacturing, the program is supported by an advisory board of industry leaders and educators. There is no cost to participating schools.

Team members will spend two to three years developing the curriculum. A field test is planned “as early as 2028,” according to the foundation, which plans to “identify certifications and skills students need to enter the workforce, design hands-on learning experiences, and equip teachers with resources and training to deliver it effectively.”

“Like a lot of AOPA members, I’ve experienced the mechanic shortage firsthand,” said AOPA acting co-president Katie Pribyl. “Between long waits at shops that are booked out for months and annual inspections that stretch on for weeks—not to mention the void that’s left when a trusted A&P retires—the mechanic shortage has a real impact on our members every day.

“Every student in this course represents dozens of aircraft that can keep flying. That’s why the addition of this maintenance and manufacturing curriculum isn’t just good for students—it’s good for our members who depend on a healthy maintenance workforce to keep flying.”