For the third year in a row, Bombardier retained its spot as the top business jet OEM in AIN’s annual product support survey. In years past, the top business jet maker tended to lead its nearest competitor in the survey by just a few hundredths of a point, but Bombardier decisively took the top spot this time with a nearly one-third-point lead, averaging an overall score of 8.37.

The Montreal-headquartered business jet manufacturer also dominated in six of the 10 categories rated by AIN readers in the survey—cost-per-hour programs, parts availability, cost of parts, AOG response, warranty fulfillment, and technical reps—and placed second in all but one of the other categories.

Dassault, whose Falcon support rating improved year over year, ended up in second place among business jet manufacturers in this year’s survey, leapfrogging rivals Gulfstream and Embraer with an overall score of 8.08. Savannah-based Gulfstream, which tallied an average score of 8.05 in this year’s survey, led in the overall aircraft reliability category with a 9.01 and also topped the factory-owned service center category with an 8.18 score.

Textron Aviation (7.84) moved up to the fourth spot among the top five business jet makers this year, advancing past Embraer (7.75), which, despite trailing the others, earned the highest scores among jet builders in the authorized service center (8.81) and technical manuals (8.86) categories.

Daher Aircraft delivered the first example of its latest TBM 980 model to a Brazilian customer, marking the turboprop single’s entry into the Latin American market. Announcing the delivery today, the aircraft manufacturer said the undisclosed Brazilian entrepreneur will use the aircraft to travel between various ranches and farms across the country, landing in some places on semi-prepared runways.

The TBM 980, which went into production from the start of this year, has upgraded Garmin G3000 Prime avionics with three 14-inch touchscreen displays. The six-seat model rolled out by Daher in January also features cabin enhancements for passenger comfort, such as a Starlink Mini terminal for satellite-based connectivity and 100-watt USB-C charging ports.

In October, Daher established a new local subsidiary, Daher Aircraft Brasil, in São Paulo to provide strong customer and technical support. It has since achieved five TBM 980 sales in the country, as well as a TBM 960, which will add to the approximately 60 TBMs and seven Daher Kodiaks operating in Brazil.

Among the safety features on the TBM 980 is Daher’s “e-copilot” package of automation functions. These cover advanced weather detection, icing protection, flight envelope monitoring, and emergency descent mode, as well as emergency Autoland.

After what the company says has been a strong initial 10 months in Europe and the U.S., Luxaviation One, the new charter brokerage division of Luxaviation Group, is preparing to enter the Asia-Pacific market. The company is targeting Sydney and Melbourne in Australia as its first footholds on a third continent, while planning to double its team by the end of 2027.

Since its launch, Luxaviation One has built a team of 15 specialists across Europe and the U.S., and has added a dedicated cargo charter department staffed by three specialists focused on the European market. This operates alongside the Luxembourg-based company’s core private jet and group passenger business.

“With an established presence across Europe and the U.S., and preparations underway to expand into Asia-Pacific, we are building a global brokerage platform that combines local expertise, operational excellence, and the worldwide strength of Luxaviation Group,” said Luxaviation One CEO Romain Alati.

Aircraft are sourced from the Luxaviation Group fleet and a curated network of external operators. The company projects revenue will grow 150% and flight volume 80% in 2026 versus 2025. Luxaviation Group comprises the Luxaviation, Starspeed, and ExecuJet brands, with some 1,300 employees and more than 110 FBO locations worldwide.

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) is introducing another option—self-declaration—to its safety-management-system-based International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) program for ground handlers. Under this option, companies can subscribe to IS-BAH, receive the updated standard of industry best practices, and self-declare that they have adopted it into their operations, without undergoing the customary third-party audit.

“The introduction of this option simply allows organizations to use the globally recognized industry standard as a tool internally to determine their own performance against a now well-established industry standard benchmark,” said IBAC IS-BAH program director Terry Yeomans. He added that it could help them meet their obligations to safe operations and imminent regulatory oversight of ground-handling service providers.

Last year, the EU adopted safety regulations for ground handlers, with a transition period extending to 2028 for full compliance. Service providers are required to submit a formal declaration to authorities stating that they comply with the regulations. “Organizations should approach self-declaration with care and realize that customers or regulators may question the accuracy of the organization’s claims without a third-party review,” Yeomans explained.

Service providers choosing the self-declaration route will not be permitted to use the IS-BAH logo in advertising and will not be included in IBAC’s map of registered locations. In addition, they will be required to recertify every year.

AEG Connect continues to grow its global network with 57 trusted FBO partners and counting. By connecting operators with premier service providers, the network helps FBOs increase visibility, build lasting customer relationships, and unlock new business opportunities while delivering a seamless experience for operators worldwide.

While supply-chain issues are improving, they persist, forcing manufacturers to balance lengthy backlogs with the ability to scale up, according to analysts speaking during a recent JetNet webinar on the state of the business aviation industry. Kevin Schwab, strategic planning manager at Honeywell Aerospace, pointed to the “big hole” in aircraft output during Covid when it was “really hard to get almost everything.”

But beginning in 2025 and into 2026, OEMs began to dramatically reduce delayed critical parts, he added. Throughout Covid, Schwab said, “There may be a few hundred critical parts, and now we’re down to single-digit critical parts that could potentially be holding up production. What that has done is that it has increased throughput.”

Business aircraft deliveries were up about 6% last year, while indications are that output will further increase in the “high single digits or maybe even low double digits” this year. But even as the critical parts issues are winnowing down, “You have to tackle every single problem as it goes because you can’t build the whole airplane unless you have every single part there,” Schwab continued.

AeroDynamic Advisory managing director Richard Aboulafia added, "There are just still so many stressed areas.” Asked about wait times possibly stretching into 2029, Aboulafia responded, “I’m feeling pretty optimistic about how things are going.”

Greek aviation officials are closely monitoring ongoing aerial firefighting missions after a pair of Bell 214ST helicopters had a fatal midair collision on Sunday afternoon. A Danish pilot and a liaison officer from the Greek fire service were killed when their rotorcraft crashed in Attica, west of the capital (Athens), and a British pilot and another firefighter are being treated in a hospital for minor injuries after landing in rough terrain.

The rotorcraft are owned by Australian air services group McDermott Aviation and have been operating under contract to Greek authorities from the Elefsis (or Elefsina) Air Base. Following the accident, Greek officials grounded Bell 214s but have allowed other helicopters and airplanes to continue firefighting missions when possible during windy conditions that have spread wildfires across large areas of the country.

Widely circulated video posted on social media platforms shows the two aircraft flying in close formation before colliding at low altitude. One of the Bell 214STs subsequently fell to the ground while the other was able to change course and land.

Aircraft have been deployed across Europe, including France and Spain, as part of efforts to manage fast-spreading forest fires. Fires in the Gironde region of southwestern France have disrupted manufacturing at Dassault Aviation’s facilities near Bordeaux.

The Australian government intends to introduce a digital annual registration requirement for all VH-registered aircraft starting next July. Before implementing the requirement, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is seeking comments from the aviation industry. Currently, there is a one-off registration that remains valid indefinitely, supported by periodic updates. “In practice, this approach has proven inefficient and unreliable,” said CASA.

Introducing an annual VH aircraft registration scheme “will support safety outcomes and data accuracy,” according to CASA. “Cost-recovery arrangements will be finalized following consultation.” An annual fee will start on July 1, 2028, one year after the annual registration requirement starts. “The levy would help CASA administer the scheme and maintain the digital registration system,” the authority said.

There are three options proposed for structuring the annual registration cost: a $72 flat-rate levy applied to all VH-registered aircraft; between $50 and $250 per aircraft under a weight-based levy calculated using aircraft mtow; and between $40 and $500 per aircraft under a weight and category model.

“Your feedback will help us refine the scheme and ensure it is practical, effective, and suitable for the aviation industry and broader community,” stated CASA. Comments are due by August 13.

A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan crashed during a sightseeing flight over the Nazca Lines archaeological site in Peru on Saturday, killing all 13 on board. Peruvian officials confirmed that both pilots lost their lives in the accident of the turboprop single, along with seven Italian tourists and two tourists each from Germany and Spain.

Peruvian charter operator Aerodiana confirmed its role in the accident, saying it is cooperating with aviation officials and “will evaluate its flight schedule in accordance with directives issued by the relevant authorities.” The airline has operated tourist flights for the past 14 years with three 12-passenger Grand Caravans.

According to Peruvian officials, the aircraft crashed at around 1:20 p.m. local time in the Pueblo Viejo region, close to the city of Nazca, after taking off from Pisco Airport (SPSO) on the country’s Pacific coast. Emergency services and accident investigators have been working to recover bodies and assess aircraft wreckage close to the Unesco World Heritage Site.

AIN’s sister publication, Business Jet Traveler, invites you to participate in its annual Readers’ Choice Survey. We’d love to hear your opinions and experiences with private aviation. If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of the 2026-2027 Buyers’ Guide in September, be sure to reserve your copy today.