Business aviation activity globally is still topping 2019 numbers, with flights up 6 percent from two years ago in the first week of December, according to WingX’s latest Business Aviation Bulletin. However, the business aviation data specialist said activity had slowed week-over-week with normal seasonal changes taking effect but also possibility reflecting incremental restrictions from the onset of the Omicron Covid variant.
The increase in the first week of December is “perceptibly slower” than a week earlier, when global activity was up 14 percent over the same period in 2019, WingX noted. However, this remains stronger than scheduled passenger traffic, which is still down by 30 percent from 2019 levels. Business aviation traffic in the first week was also up 48 percent from a year ago.
North America has accounted for 3.5 million of the 4.6 million business jet and turboprop flights so far this year and is matching 2019 activity overall. Counting the U.S. alone, business jet traffic is up 3 percent year-to-date and 5 percent in December. The Thanksgiving period in the U.S. saw a 20 percent jump.
European business aviation flights are up 8 percent over 2019 year-to-date, but still down from 30 percent growth in November. In the rest of the world, flights are down 4 percent year-to-date versus 2019 levels.
Despite the federal holiday, the FAA has agreed to ensure some personnel would be available at the FAA Aircraft Registry on December 31, addressing a key concern of several industry organizations, NBAA reported. NBAA, working with other associations, raised concerns with the agency about the potential early closure of the registry that could cause significant issues for parties trying to close aircraft deals before year-end. The holiday schedule became particularly acute this year with the frenzied aircraft market and the rush for aircraft buyers to claim bonus depreciation.
“Aircraft buyers and sellers are going to need every day of the calendar year to finalize aircraft transactions,” said Scott O’Brien, NBAA senior director of public policy and advocacy.
The associations asked to keep the registry open until 3:30 p.m. on December 30 and provide a “skeleton crew” on the 31st to process documents, NBAA said, adding the FAA agreed to move forward on both requests, at least in part.
Though the agency will not process documents on December 31, it will file stamp documents relating to a transfer of ownership. NBAA said the file stamp is considered “the point of perfection” for such transfer. However, NBAA continues to advise that parties needing to fly internationally right after buying an aircrat should plan on closing on or before December 30 so they can obtain a requisite unique authorization code.
Elevated levels of business aircraft flight activity prompted in part by ongoing Covid-related disruption to scheduled airline services have posed potential safety challenges for operators, EBAA safety committee chair Stan Medved said today during the association's annual safety summit, which was held online due to Covid concerns. While the experience has bolstered resilience in the business aviation community, he noted that it has also prompted operators to take a fresh look at how they do things, he said during the opening session.
Officials from European aviation safety agency EASA told conference attendees that it is continuing to prioritize safety enhancement measures tailored to business aviation’s operational profile. EASA executive director Patrick Ky explained that to address the main identified areas of risk his team is focusing on topics such as enhanced minimum crew operations and landing distances.
According to EASA head of safety promotion John Franklin, the business aviation industry in Europe has come under pressure in the wake of Covid with some companies working at higher capacity than they are used to and at the same time dealing with staff shortages. He said that smaller airports, in particular, have found it hard to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of qualified personnel.
European aircraft management and charter firm AirGo and charter broker Victor are partnering on a new scheme that will take effect next year aimed at promoting greater use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Under the program, users booking charter flights on AirGo’s mono fleet of Piaggio Avanti Evo twin turboprops through Victor will have to opt-out of using SAF.
According to the companies, the move is based on International Air Transportation Association research that the opt-in rate for carbon-reduction emissions schemes by commercial air travelers is as low as 1 percent. “By partnering with Victor, we are acknowledging the role we businesses must play to secure the sustainable future of both our industry and our planet, and we are seeking to prompt individuals to make more environmentally conscious choices,” said AirGo managing director Daniela Flierl.
The partnership will use AirGo’s SAF book-and-claim model developed by Compensaid and Lufthansa. It is anticipated that the initiative will make it easier for travelers to take responsibility for their carbon footprint while raising the profile and demand for SAF in business aviation, according to AirGo and Victor.
“This joint initiative will allow Victor clients to easily compare the fuel-efficient Piaggio Avanti with SAF included in the charter price, side-by-side with other more carbon-intensive options, which we hope will drive better decision-making,” said Victor co-CEO Toby Edwards.
As SmartSky nears nationwide coverage, customers lock in benefits from new Early Arrival program
Following a successful commercial launch at NBAA-BACE 2021 and demonstrated best-in-class connectivity experiences, SmartSky Networks is accelerating access to its patented, next-generation ATG network through its customer-focused Early Arrival program.
In a move to expand its awareness in greater China and Southeast Asia, the International Association of Aircraft Dealers (IADA) has joined the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA), which represents general and business aviation operators, aircraft manufacturers, aviation service providers, finance, and insurance providers in the region.
The action builds on the Boise, Idaho-based organization’s membership with NBAA, Canadian Business Aviation Association, and European Business Aviation Association. IADA joined the latter two organizations earlier this year, which is also marks the 30th year for the organization that represents aircraft brokers and related services providers.
“AsBAA provides a platform for communication and action relating to key issues including airports, safety, professional development, and the industry’s contribution to the Asian economy,” said IADA executive director Wayne Starling. “The IADA board is now deeply involved in the global industry’s affairs.”
StandardAero has donated a turbine engine first used on the Lockheed JetStar business jet to the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) Myrtle Beach campus in South Carolina, where it will be used to familiarize airframe and powerplant students with older engine technology.
“Understanding how and why engines have evolved throughout the years is a crucial component of aviation maintenance and engineering,” said PIA Myrtle Beach campus director Peg Skalican. “Now our students will be able to study this classic engine type, which very few modern mechanics have firsthand experience with.”
The Garrett TFE731-3 engine was developed for use by the JetStar, the first business jet to enter service. Later variants of the engine were used by other business jet models, including the Learjet 55.
“StandardAero’s efforts to support PIA in providing unique instructional experiences is a testament to their investment in our graduates’ futures and in the future of the aviation industry,” said PIA president and CEO Suzanne Markle.
NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC), which returns next month after a one-year Covid-induced hiatus, will be in San Diego, and making its SDC debut there will be Coast Air Center, the area’s newest FBO. Prior to the opening of its $10 million facility earlier this year, Coast existed at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (KMYF) as a flight school and Part 145 maintenance provider.
The second service provider at KMYF, which has a 4,598-foot main runway, Coast occupies nine acres and offers a two-story, 6,000-sq-ft terminal. The building incorporates a business center; eight-seat, glass-walled conference room overlooking the ramp; pilot lounge; shower facilities; flight-planning area; and Wi-Fi service extended onto the apron.
For hangar space, it has 30,000 sq ft capable of sheltering aircraft up to the size of a Cessna Citation Latitude. The Titan Fuel-branded dealer also added a tank farm with a capacity of 20,000 gallons of jet-A and 12,500 gallons of avgas. Coast does not charge facility, ramp, or handling fees. It is open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and from 7 a.m. to 7 pm. on weekends, with after-hours callout available. According to operations manager Ronnie Greathouse, the FBO’s central location means guests can be at San Diego's popular destinations within 15 minutes.
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
When reading the following METAR issued on Dec. 1, 2021, which statement is correct? KLGA 011051Z 26011G19KT 10SM CLR 07/M04 A3010 RMK AO2 PK WND 25026/1014 SLP192 T00671039
A. The sky is clear at or below 12,000 feet.
B. The sea level pressure is 30.1 inches Hg.
C. Peak wind speed was 26 knots from 250 degrees at 10:14 a.m.
With Covid infection rates once again on the rise, the UK’s London Biggin Hill Airport is now offering rapid result PCR tests to all passengers and aircrew. The airport, which was Europe’s first general aviation gateway to offer an on-site Covid testing facility, initiated the service in response to recent UK government travel requirements that call for all arrivals to self-isolate until they receive a negative PCR test result, regardless of vaccination status or country of origin.
Each £210 test must be pre-arranged through the airport’s website, and ground staff will deliver the requested test kits to passengers and crew aboard the aircraft upon landing. After the tests are administered the kits will then be collected and dispatched for rapid processing with the results available in as little as three hours, compared with the two-to-three-day turnaround for the standard PCR test.
“The airport has been quick to respond to the new travel requirements to ensure our passengers and crew can keep moving,” said Andy Patsalides, Biggin Hill’s head of marketing. “By providing on-arrival, same-day PCR tests, we are helping our customers take full advantage of our ‘contactless travel’ service whilst maintaining our high safety standards.”
Raisbeck Named Top Flight Charitable Hero
James Raisbeck, the founder of Raisbeck Engineering who died on August 31, was selected as the charitable hero in AIN's 2021 Top Flight Awards. He made a fortune developing performance-enhancing kits for Learjets and King Airs—and then gave a good portion of it away. Over two decades, Raisbeck and his wife, Sherry, contributed more than $32 million through their foundation to a broad breadth of causes that included cancer and heart research, the arts, the Seattle Museum of Flight and the adjacent Raisbeck Aviation High School, and the United Way of King County in Washington state.
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