Cirrus has delivered its 600th Vision Jet following entry into service in 2016. The 500th Vision Jet was delivered in October 2023, and during the first three quarters of 2024, Cirrus delivered 62 Vision Jets.

The all-composite Vision Jet is the first and only single-engine jet to receive FAA certification. With a maximum range of 1,275 nm, the jet can cruise up to 311 knots and carry up to seven passengers. The Vision Jet is equipped with a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System and it also features the Safe Return Garmin Emergency Autoland system. Avionics are the touchscreen-controlled Garmin Perspective+ suite.

Vision Jet owners can sign up for services that simplify the operation and management of their jets. Jetstream covers maintenance, database subscriptions, recurrent training, and other services. The Cirrus One program includes financing, insurance, flight training, sales, and full aircraft management.

“We are proud to deliver the 600th Vision Jet,” said Zean Nielsen, CEO of Cirrus. “This achievement not only reflects the commitment from our team, owners, and stakeholders but also our relentless dedication to advancing the personal aviation industry. The Vision Jet has brought jet ownership to a broader audience by redefining what is possible in terms of safety, performance, and ease of operation. As we look to the future, we remain committed to expanding the boundaries of aviation and making flight more accessible for all.”

Aviation and nature advocates have joined forces to press for the reopening of Helsinki’s Malmi Airport (EFHF), which was abruptly closed by Finnish authorities via a Notam issued in 2021. The issue is coming to a head during campaigning for municipal elections to be held in Finland’s capital in April, with city officials pressing to build housing on the historic airport site, removing any prospect of reopening.

According to the Friends of Malmi Airport Association, there is a viable case for resuming flight operations at the airport, which opened in 1936, for general and business aviation, with potentially some regional airline services. Campaigners would also like to see the site used as a hub for sustainable aerospace technology, including work to develop electric aircraft.

Since flight operations were shut down more than three years ago, the Malmi site has been preserved as a nature reserve and with its historic buildings intact. Unlike the Finnish capital’s main gateway, Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (EFHK), Malmi is inside the city limits.

Mico Vanhanen, a board member of the Friends of Malmi Airport, told AIN that reopening the site as an airport would be a better way to protect the surrounding nature reserve than the city’s plans to build 25,000 homes. In March 2024, the European Commission launched an investigation into whether legal requirements to protect endangered flora and fauna on the site.

The topic of air traffic control (ATC) privatization funded by user fees is once again circulating in the U.S. political arena, possibly spurred by a recent Reason Foundation Aviation Policy News article by Robert Poole, the organization’s director of transportation policy.

“Converting America’s air traffic control system into a user-funded system is a bipartisan issue,” Poole argued. “Legislation to that effect was developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) during the Clinton administration as part of its reinventing government agenda. A detailed proposal to take the ATO [air traffic organization] out of DOT and convert it into a user-funded nonprofit corporation was supported by the Trump administration and was twice approved by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Former T&I Committee Chair Bill Shuster recently wrote that it’s time to try again.”

Amidst this discussion of the controversial proposal, however, a coalition of aviation and aerospace industry groups recently wrote a letter to President-elect Donald Trump offering to find common ground to help improve ATC equipment and operational efficiencies, as well as ensure predictable funding. The letter did not mention Poole's article or the words “ATC privatization.”

The industry coalition is asking the incoming Trump Administration “to work with industry to find a unified path forward to create efficiencies within the FAA that will ensure our nation’s aviation system remains the safest in the world for all users."

A Piper PA-42-1000 Cheyenne 400 twin turboprop crashed in Gramado in southern Brazil at about 9:15 a.m. on December 22, killing all on board and reportedly injuring 17 people on the ground. The aircraft, registration PR-NDN, departed Canela Airport (SSCN) and flew just under two miles before crashing. It was owned and piloted by Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, head of Galeazzi & Associados, a corporate restructuring and crisis management firm based in São Paulo.

Also onboard were Galeazzi’s wife, three children, Galeazzi & Associados director Bruno Cardoso Munhoz Guimarães, and other unnamed family members of Galeazzi. Several media reports indicate that 10 people were on board. Eduardo Leite, governor of the state of Rio Grande do Sul where Canela is located, said there were no survivors. Seventeen people on the ground were injured when the aircraft crashed into a furniture store. The accident is being investigated by Cenipa, Brazil’s accident investigation bureau.

The aircraft departed SSCN, field elevation 2,713 feet, in reportedly low visibility conditions. Canela Airport does not have Metar data available online, but Hugo Cantergiani Regional Airport (SBCX), 21 nm northwest of Canela, showed IFR conditions all day, with a ceiling of 600 feet at 11 a.m., the earliest recorded Metar for December 22. Historical flight data indicate the aircraft had made the trip from Jundiaí (SBJD) to SSCN two days before the crash.

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This past year has seen extraordinary changes in the airborne connectivity market, with new entrant Starlink making big inroads, SmartSky’s sudden shutdown and resurrection, Gogo buying Satcom Direct, and Viasat consolidating its 2023 purchase of Inmarsat.

Competition in the low-earth-orbit (LEO) market is heating up with the arrival of Starlink’s aviation service and the imminent launch of Gogo Galileo on Eutelsat’s OneWeb network, and other entrants such as Telesat and Kuiper planning to enter this space.

Meanwhile, the U.S. air-to-ground (ATG) market, thought to be ceded to Gogo Business Aviation after SmartSky’s shutdown in August, will remain competitive with Apcela’s October announcement that it is buying SmartSky’s assets and relaunching the ATG service.

In the geostationary orbit (GEO) satcom market, Viasat has consolidated its business aviation offering since acquiring Inmarsat in 2023. Viasat now offers four key product lines: Jet ConneX, Viasat Ka, SwiftJet, and SwiftBroadband.

A trend in the satcom market has been owners selecting dual-band systems—for example, one Ka- and one Ku-band terminal—in aircraft large enough to accommodate two antennas. Now, buyers have the choice of buying dual-network systems from one company, and this can help ensure that communication remains online even if one network is having problems.

Jet.AI has introduced what it calls “Ava,” an AI-powered assistant designed to facilitate charter aircraft bookings.

Ava provides what the company calls “real-time aircraft availability, transparent pricing, and guidance” to help users choose the right jet for their travels. The system also supports conversational text interactions, sharing information and links to the CharterGPT app for trip management. Jet.AI said the features aim to make the booking process more accessible for both experienced and first-time charter travelers.

Jet.AI has also updated its CharterGPT app with new functionality, including push notifications for real-time travel updates, carbon tracking and offsetting tools, and linking to trip details discussed with Ava.

Mike Winston, founder and executive chair of Jet.AI, noted that Ava enhances customer service while improving operational efficiency. “Ava has consistently demonstrated accuracy and reliability in tests. Our next goal is to enable Ava to confirm availability and pricing directly with charter operators,” he said.

Jet.AI emphasized that while Ava automates much of the process, human oversight remains integral due to the complexity of charter travel. “Because of the high dollar price and unique aspects of private travel, we are committed to having a human in the loop," Winston added. "But the later in the booking process that happens, the better our productivity. In all our tests, Ava has been a champion, always poised, well informed, and on point."

The FAA and its European counterpart EASA have recommitted to working closely together to support safe and secure civil aviation, the agencies announced. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker and EASA executive director Florian Guillermet signed a new Declaration of Intent agreement in Chicago during a recent event to mark the 80th anniversary of ICAO’s Chicago Convention on air transport.

Under the terms of the Declaration, FAA and EASA have agreed to continue sharing knowledge and best practices on safety data and risk management, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, innovation, research, and sustainability. The agencies also reinforced their commitment to seeking regulatory alignments as far as possible and to provide technical support in other regions of the world.

“Aviation safety and modernization is a joint effort that requires collaboration with our international partners,” Whitaker said.

The latest discussions between FAA and Cologne, Germany-based EASA were held around five weeks ahead of the new Trump Administration taking office on January 20. Executives from two European OEMs, speaking with AIN on condition of anonymity, have expressed concern that President-elect Trump’s declared “America First” doctrine could result in a dilution of cooperation with foreign regulators, and so slow efforts to certify European aircraft and systems in the U.S.

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