Infinity Aviation Group (IAG) acquired FlightServ at New Jersey’s Trenton-Mercer Airport (KTTN), adding a third location to its FBO chain and a foothold in the New York metropolitan area, the company announced yesterday. The Trenton facility joins IAG’s facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire (KASH), and Vero Beach, Florida (KVRB).

“Trenton sits in one of the busiest business aviation markets in the country, and with the addition of this site, Infinity will be able to better serve the New York metropolitan business aviation community,” said IAG CEO Steven Levesque.

Touting the modern facilities completed in 2023, IAG noted that the FBO offers services such as aircraft detailing. The FBO also encompasses 80,000 sq ft of climate-controlled hangar space with 24/7 security and 28-foot door heights that can accommodate the largest business aviation aircraft. This accompanies a 30,000-sq-ft terminal that features passenger and crew lounges, two 12-seat conference rooms, a cafeteria, a dining area, and a range of amenities including high-speed Wi-Fi.

IAG plans to retain the team at KTTN and invest in the operation to add hangar capacity, more capability on the ramp, and other services, Levesque added. Also remaining on-site is Aviation Charters, the charter and management business founded by FlightServ’s ownership. Aviation Charters will continue to offer maintenance.

Bombardier Aerospace continues to improve its credit ratings, with the latest Moody’s upgrade from Ba3 to Ba2 with a positive outlook. The upgrade announced this week is another signal that the business jet manufacturer is moving from a deeply debt-laden company to one transitioning into growth mode.

The latest Moody’s rating followed Bombardier’s second-quarter earnings release in which the Montreal-headquartered manufacturer reported improvements such as a $392 million year-over-year swing in free cash flow to $228 million, a $356 million reduction in net debt, and a strengthened available liquidity of $1.9 billion. The company’s earliest debt maturity is now in November 2030.

All the while, Bombardier's business has improved, with backlog ballooning by $4.3 billion since the end of 2025 to $21.8 billion by the halfway point of this year.

This is a marked change from 2021, when Bombardier had sold off the remainder of its non-business-jet-related assets and emerged as a pure-play company nearly buried in debt. Since then, it has shaved off more than $6 billion in debt, including $1.1 billion this year alone, lowering it to $4 billion.

While improved, Bombardier still has work to do, according to Moody’s. “Ba” ratings still suggest credit risk. However, the positive outlook suggests more upgrades could come, and this has been a long climb from 2020, when Moody’s assigned a Caa2-PD (Probability of Default) rating.

Six passengers and a pilot were killed when an Airbus Helicopters EC130B4 crashed during a sightseeing flight at Kirish near Mount Ololokwe in Kenya on Wednesday. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed an investigation is being conducted into the accident, which happened at 9:13 a.m. local time after the aircraft, operated by Lady Lori Helicopters, had departed from a wildlife area in Loisaba.

Five of the passengers killed were U.S. citizens, according to the U.S. State Department. Also on board was Michele Sensi-Contugi, who was the director of Ecuador’s Center of Strategic Intelligence and a member of President Daniel Noboa’s cabinet.

The single-engine EC130 (5Y-GYM) was part of a fleet that also includes some AS350B3 helicopters and Cessna 208B Grand Caravans. Lady Lori Helicopters, which is based at Wilson Airport (HKNW) in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, said it is cooperating with the official accident investigation. The flight was operated on behalf of a tour group called &Beyond.

Aviation services provider Titan Aviation Fuels has expanded its branded FBO network, adding locations across seven states. In addition, the U.S. company has renewed agreements with 14 locations since April 1, as its network has grown to more than 675 branded FBOs.

Facilities added to the network include City Aviation Services at Warsaw Municipal Airport (KASW), Indiana; City of Burlington at Burlington Municipal Airport (KBUU), Wisconsin; Premier Jet Service at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (KCVG), Kentucky; Premier Jet Service at Dayton International Airport (KDAY), Ohio; Mobile Airport Authority at St. Elmo Airport (2R5), Alabama; Fishe Flying Corp. at Sebastian Municipal Airport (X26), Florida; and Granite Air Center at Lebanon Municipal Airport (KLEB), New Hampshire. Titan also added 121 contract fuel locations in recent months.

Separately, Titan launched Titan University, an online training platform covering quality control, safety, supervisor training, and FAA recordkeeping for FBOs handling aviation fuel operations. Kathy Moss, v-p of global business development, said the platform reflects the company’s investment in customers beyond fuel supply. 

“Our goal is to give our partners the tools, training, and support they need to operate safely, efficiently, and successfully. When our customers grow stronger, our entire network grows stronger,” Moss said.

West Star Aviation’s Perryville, MO (PCD), facility continues to expand its Hawker maintenance capabilities.

NASA is putting $10.5 million behind an effort to funnel more students into the aerospace industry, awarding grants to seven organizations tasked with building state-level pathways for advanced technical training.

The funding comes through NASA’s Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs initiative, known as NASA State Hubs. Recipients are Antelope Valley Community College District in Lancaster, California; Georgia Tech Research; Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; Southern Utah University; Space Florida; Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado; and Texas Space Commission.

Each hub will spend the next three years connecting employers, community colleges, and high school career-training programs around a shared set of skills. The goal is to grow the ranks of welders, electricians, machinists, and other workers with advanced science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills.

“The need for technical talent is already urgent and will only continue to grow as we return humanity to the Moon and set our sights on Mars and beyond,” said Elaine Ho, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement.

NASA’s Next Gen STEM project is funding the cooperative agreements. Four of the seven host states—California, Florida, Georgia, and Texas—are also home to major aircraft and engine manufacturers, along with the maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations that keep them flying.

Transport Canada (TC) has issued Interim Order No. 1 (2026) detailing temporary revisions to align Canada's aviation regulations with ICAO-recommended standards. The revisions stem from 2023 and 2025 ICAO audits that revealed several misalignments between Canada’s aviation regulations and ICAO standards. As a result, Canada’s audit score has declined significantly since the last audit.

In recent years, TC has been developing a series of measures to enhance Canada’s alignment with international standards. These efforts include the use of interim orders as temporary instruments to resolve identified gaps. Over the coming years, several regulatory proposals will be advanced to make these measures permanent.

The Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) reports that ICAO is scheduled to conduct a follow-up audit in December, providing Canada with an opportunity to improve its score by demonstrating that corrective actions have been implemented. “Greater alignment with international standards supports efficient and competitive aviation operations by reducing conflicting regulatory requirements,” said CBAA. “It also helps safeguard Canada’s reputation, maintain access to international markets, and avoid potential consequences such as increased oversight, operational restrictions, and diminished global confidence.”

As a first step, the interim order addresses ATC phraseology, language proficiency, standards check requirements, and aircraft or vessels in distress. According to the association, Interim Order No. 2 is scheduled to be issued on August 24, and a third will be released next month.

The former Western Jet facility at California’s Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) that StandardAero acquired in 2023 and has long specialized in Gulfstream maintenance has added Bombardier Global maintenance and modification capabilities to its menu. The new repair station authorization adds airframe inspection and repair, structural repair, and avionics service and installation for the Global Express/XRS, 5000, 6000, and 7500.

Some of the work that StandardAero has already accomplished at KVNY includes inspections, repairs, and SpaceX Starlink satcom installation on Global 5000s, and Rolls-Royce BR710 line maintenance under its Rolls-Royce authorized service center designation.

With FAA, EASA, Transport Canada, and Mexican AFAC repair station approvals, the KVNY facility joins StandardAero’s Springfield, Illinois, base as a Bombardier maintenance and modification location. The Springfield facility also holds FAA organization designation authorization status and provides engineering services.

“Our Van Nuys site has decades of Gulfstream MRO experience, and we’re excited to enhance our service offering by adding another large-cabin aircraft with the Global family by investing further in our current team and in tools to support these aircraft,” said StandardAero Business Aviation president Giovanni Spitale.

The first Bell 505 Jet Ranger X deployed for police operations in the Asia-Pacific region has begun flying for the Aichi Prefectural Police in Japan. The police operation has been flying Bell helicopters for many years, including the Bell 206 and 412, and the 505 is the latest addition to the fleet.

Since FAA certification in 2017, Bell has delivered more than six hundred 505s, which now fly in 66 countries. The type’s aerial policing capabilities include surveillance, search and rescue, border patrol, and rapid deployment in emergency scenarios.

The Aichi Prefectural Police is responsible for helping maintain public safety, order, and security, and operates under the oversight of the National Police Agency.

“The Aichi Prefectural Police in Japan have a longstanding history with Bell, and it is our pleasure to accomplish this new milestone together,” said David Sale, Bell’s managing director for Asia-Pacific. “We are grateful for their trust and support throughout the years. The Bell 505 is versatile and capable for any challenge, and we are proud to see it chosen for such a wide variety of missions.”

Our lunch on Wednesday, October 21 will explore one of the most important questions facing business aviation today: do we really understand what principals expect from in-flight connectivity? Drawing on one of business aviation's most comprehensive connectivity surveys, and one of the first to compare perspectives from both industry professionals and aircraft principals, this session reveals where assumptions and reality diverge, and what that means for the future of connectivity in the air. Co-hosted by Honeywell Aerospace and Viasat.