Gogo has confirmed that its 5G air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity network is ready to go for North American customers. Confirmation comes after completing more than 30 hours of flight tests across nearly 20 routes to prove that its 5G tower network will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity to operators flying in North America.

During testing, the network provided broadband speeds of more than 80 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload, allowing streaming and internet browsing simultaneously. Gogo has onboarded its first paying customer, and a further 450 pre-provisioned aircraft are set to begin service next month.

“We talk a lot about milestones, and this is really an exceptional one for Gogo,” according to CEO Chris Moore. “While we have had delays, we are now focused on delivering a brand-new broadband ATG service to our customers that will satisfy data-hungry flyers within North America as they access streaming services on the new ATG service.”

Gogo added that 28 supplemental type certificates have been secured for the installation of the 5G system, and another five are anticipated to be completed by the end of this year. This will cover all major aircraft types operating in the Continental U.S., spanning a possible 7,500 aircraft. Available 5G service plans range from $3,500 per month for 25 GB to $8,000 per month for unlimited data (including 50GB of Galileo satcom data).

A Maltese-registered Dassault Falcon 50 has crashed en route from Turkey to Libya, killing all eight onboard, including the chief of staff of the Libyan Armed Forces. An international investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the crash.

General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Hallad was among the senior military delegation returning to Tripoli after meetings with their Turkish counterparts. After taking off from Ankara Esenboga on the evening of December 23, the flight crew requested an emergency landing 20 minutes into the journey. Flight tracking data indicates the jet descended rapidly before squawking the emergency code 7700 just seconds later. Communication could not be reestablished.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah described the crash as a “tragic accident," while the Turkish Ministry of Justice told global news outlet Al Jazeera that “initial reports from the investigation rule out any sabotage.”

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that an approximately 3-sq-km debris field was identified near Kesikkavak village in the Haymana district. Turkey’s Transport Investigation Center formally opened an investigation while more than 400 personnel worked to secure the scene and retrieve wreckage.

Maltese aircraft management company Harmony Jets acquired the 37-year-old trijet eight years ago from a private operator registered in San Marino. The aircraft has been the source of controversy, it was detained by French authorities for five months in 2024 over allegations of controversial military goods transport.

Aeronautical information provider OpsGroup is asking members to provide updates to its events fee tracker, while pointing out that the only major FBO chains to publish special event fees online are Signature and Atlantic Aviation. “Sadly, the other big FBO chains do not,” according to OpsGroup, including “the likes of Jet Aviation, Sheltair, Million Air, etc. As an OpsGroup member, this is where you can really help out! If you’ve been quoted $$$ to fly somewhere (especially an FBO other than Signature/Atlantic), let us know by filling out this quick form.”

Generally, it’s up to pilots and operators to communicate with FBOs to learn about special event fees and other constraints before showing up, and business jet pilots are well aware of this. While some FBOs make it easy to determine the fees by publishing them on their websites, as do Atlantic and Signature, others may require a phone call ahead of a trip.

Fees for upcoming events include the Orange Bowl in Miami this week and the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in February.

Whether or not these fees are fair is debatable. AOPA pointed out that an FAA order does limit how much airport sponsors can charge aeronautical users of the airport, but it also states that airports must be as self-sustaining as possible.

A midair collision between two Enstrom helicopters near Hammonton Municipal Airport (N81) in New Jersey on Sunday killed one pilot and injured another, according to authorities and published reports.

The accident occurred at about 11:25 a.m. local time, when an Enstrom F-28A and an Enstrom 280C Shark collided while maneuvering in-flight. Both helicopters were destroyed in the crash. No passengers were reported aboard either aircraft.

According to the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network, the 280C, registered N280MG and operated by M&M Charter, burst into flames after impact, and the pilot died. The Enstrom F-28A did not catch fire, and its pilot survived with serious injuries.

The FAA described the event as a midair collision over Hammonton Municipal Airport. Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said emergency responders arrived shortly after reports of an aviation crash and extinguished a post-impact fire involving one of the helicopters.

The Associated Press reported that video from the scene showed one helicopter spinning rapidly to the ground. Witnesses said the two pilots were known to each other and had flown together regularly. ADS-B data showed both helicopters departed Vineland–Downstown Airport (28N) earlier in the morning and were flying together in the area before the collision.

The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the crash.

Edése Doret Industrial Design has been awarded a design contract by RoyalJet for three ACJ320neo interiors, marking the partners’ third collaboration. This builds on a firm order placed between the charter operator and Airbus in February.

The Abu Dhabi-based charter fleet already possesses the largest Boeing Business Jet fleet in operation, with eight units among its assets. However, the group said that its upcoming addition of three Airbus Corporate Jets will allow it to “expand its offerings and reinforce its reputation for providing world-class private aviation experiences.” It added that the ACJ320neo provides the needed “flexibility for unique premium cabin interiors” because it has “the widest and tallest cabin of any single-aisle aircraft.”

Husham Osman, v-p of technical services at RoyalJet, hopes the New York-headquartered luxury design studio will deliver a concept “that reflects the essence of Emirati identity of timeless, elegant, sophisticated modernity.” He added that the ACJ320neos will offer “a bespoke interior experience” complementing the existing fleet’s “reputation for sophistication and performance.”

RoyalJet and Edése Doret Industrial Design last collaborated on the former’s 19-passenger BBJ in 2016, which entered into charter service in 2018.

In his 2023 commencement speech at Northwestern University, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said, “The kindest person in the room is often the smartest.”

He might as well have been talking about John Travolta.

For five decades, the actor has sustained an almost impossibly successful and varied career in show business, turning out one charismatic performance after another—many marked by a depth of empathy and emotional intelligence that can take your breath away.

As it happens, Travolta is likely the most experienced pilot to rank among Hollywood’s top stars. In his downtime, he’s become highly accomplished in the cockpit, earning more than a dozen type ratings in aircraft ranging from the Dassault Falcon 900B to the iconic Lockheed Super Constellation.

The level of intellect it takes to reach that kind of aviation expertise—and also convincingly play both Archangel Michael and Edna Ternblad—is clear. But we all know the cliché: never meet your heroes. More often than not, the disappointment comes down to one thing—they’re not nice. Travolta, as many have noted, is nice to everyone.

I recently had a chance to catch up with Travolta about the aircraft he’s currently flying, his thoughts on charter and supersonic travel, and how choosing a kind flight instructor can make all the difference. He was unfailingly considerate and humble—and as passionate an aviator as I’ve met.

The biggest difference-maker aircraft in Ukraine’s war with Russia might not be the Soviet MiG-29 fighters donated by Poland or the American F-16s obtained from Norway and Denmark.

Instead, it could be a single 16-year-old Airbus Corporate Jet.

Specifically, an ACJ319. Registration, UR-ABA, call sign Ukraine Air Enterprise. Since late last summer, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has been traversing the globe in it at a breakneck pace to appeal for arms and money. Between Sept. 15 and Dec. 14, 2023, Zelensky’s airplane logged 61 flights totaling 172 hours in the air. That included six trips to Washington, D.C., along with visits to Ottawa and Toronto, Canada; Granada, Spain; Bucharest, Romania; Brussels, Belgium; Berlin and Frankfurt, Germany; Malta; Paris; Shannon, Ireland; Cape Verde, Africa; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Brasilia, Brazil; Curacao; and Oslo, Norway

Unlike the ostentatiously tricked-out jumbo jets used by some other heads of state in the region, Zelensky’s $25 million (used price) aircraft conveys—at least on its exterior—modesty and practicality, qualities essential for the image of a fundraiser making moral appeals.

AIN’s FBO survey is open for year-round feedback, but the deadline to vote in the 2026 survey (to be announced at our 2nd annual FBO Awards Dinner & Gala and published in April) is January 11. The survey takes only a minute, and you can do it while waiting for passengers, on the shuttle bus to/from the hotel, or at any other time that is convenient for you. Participants will be entered to win a $250 Amazon gift card (winner must reside in the U.S.). Log in to rate your experiences at the FBOs you visit.