Abu Dhabi-based RoyalJet is diversifying its charter fleet with a firm order for three Airbus ACJ320neo VVIP jets plus options for six additional aircraft. The deal is worth anywhere from $330 million to nearly $1 billion, depending on how many options RoyalJet exercises.

The company has long operated Boeing aircraft but the ACJ order is the culmination of 10 years of negotiation with Airbus Corporate Jets, according to RoyalJet CEO Shafiul Syed.

In an effort to attract more business aviation operators and reduce the bureaucracy involved with obtaining operational and other approvals, the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is simplifying its processes and making it easier to communicate with GCAA officials, it said on Wednesday at MEBAA 2024. Under the effort, GCAA is encouraging business aviation companies and those wishing to open shop in Dubai to engage with its officials. It has also established a new Business Aviation Advisory Council to further foster open communications. The initiative is called the “Golden Package for Registering and Operating Private and Business Aircraft.”

“Looking around at the stunning fleet of private aircraft, it is clear how far the UAE has come,” said Aqeel Ahmed Al Zarouni, GCAA assistant director general for aviation safety affairs. “These efforts align seamlessly with the UAE ambitions—‘We the UAE 2031’—which underscores our commitment to fostering innovation and sustainability growth in the aviation sector. We aim to enhance our operational flexibility and appeal to private aviation operators.”

The UAE’s Aircraft Services Management expects a migration of low-cost airlines from Dubai International Airport (OMDB) to Al Maktoum International Airport (OMDW) to allow business aircraft operators wishing to use OMDB, the airport closer to the city center, to continue to do so.

Migration of business aviation from the city's main airport to facilities at Al Maktoum International Airport began in 2013. After the proportion of this segment of traffic at the new airport hovered around the 70% mark for a decade, recent anecdotal evidence points to around 90% of Dubai corporate and private operators using the more remote airport.

Green Power Turbine Systems has unveiled its TPE200 turboprop engine, which the Serbian company expects to be certified by EASA in about a year. The compact engine delivers 260 shp and features a fully digital electronic control designed by Green Power, which was a first-time exhibitor at the MEBAA show in Dubai this week.

There is a market for this kind of engine, according to Goran Memon, project manager for the program and Green Power sister company EDePro (Engine Development and Production). Gasoline-powered piston engines are facing fuel-sourcing problems in many parts of the world, and the aviation industry “is looking to replace piston engines with turboprops,” he said. The easy availability of jet fuel is one factor but so is the improved performance and reliability of turbine engines, he added, “even in small aircraft.”