Amber Aviation expects to be ready to launch its fractional ownership program in Asia by the end of the third quarter of 2024, based on the recent completion of its Series C funding round. The China-based company has not disclosed how much new capital was raised but announced on Thursday it has received strong support from existing shareholders, including NetJets, Fung Investments, Liu’s Group, and Hony Capital.

The company already operates a fractional leasing program called AmberNet, offering blocks of 25 and 50 flight hours. It says that the offering has attracted customers from China and across Southeast Asia.

Amber Aviation has not yet confirmed which aircraft types it will offer for the fractional aircraft program or on what terms. It said that shareowners will have access to aircraft with a minimum notice period of 24 hours.

The company was founded in 2017, with its headquarters in Shenzhen and branch offices in Beijing and Shanghai. Its current fleet includes 21 aircraft. The fleet consists of a mix of Bombardier Global 5000 and 7500 large-cabin jets, as well as the Gulfstream 650ER and G450. The latter type is used for AmberNet lease customers and in 2023 had an average utilization of 900 flight hours per aircraft.

Accidents involving business airplanes operating as private and air taxi operations in Canada nearly doubled last year from 2022, according to preliminary data published by the country’s Transportation Safety Board. All of the accidents, except one, were nonfatal.

These business aviation operations accounted for 18 of 126 total fixed-wing accidents (14.2 percent) in 2023 versus nine accidents out of 120 total fixed-wing accidents (7.5 percent) in 2022. In each year, there was one fatal accident—both by an air taxi operator of a non-jet airplane. The TSB’s accident statistics for propeller airplanes are not delineated by type of powerplant.

Private business airplanes experienced three accidents in 2023 and zero accidents in 2022. Air taxi operations with non-jet airplanes (combined turboprops and piston-engined) suffered 12 nonfatal accidents in 2023 compared with eight in 2022. Air taxi operations with business jets were involved in three non-fatal accidents last year versus one in 2022.

The number of incidents by air taxi and airline operators of airplanes with a mtow greater than 12,500 pounds increased 12.7 percent year-over-year: 833 compared with 727.

The number of service providers at Ohio’s Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport (KTOL) decreased to two after Grand Aire purchased the FBO assets of rival National Flight Services (NFS). The latter will remain a separate business on the field, focusing on aircraft maintenance and inspections.

The acquisition includes NFS’ 3,200-sq-ft terminal on the east side of the field, which features passenger and pilot lounges and a kitchen area. An adjoining 16,000-sq-ft hangar can accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Citation Latitude. As well, the complex has a 5,000-sq-ft ground service equipment maintenance facility, 4.5 acres of ramp, and a fuel farm with a capacity of 85,000 gallons of jet-A and 17,000 gallons of avgas. The transaction also included the FBO’s refuelers and de-icing equipment.

Grand Aire expects that the newly acquired location will be dedicated to handling air cargo operations, while its original, recently renovated facility on the west side of the field—which has seven acres of ramp and is open 24/7—will continue to serve general aviation traffic.

“We are excited to now be operating an FBO dedicated to cargo as well as an FBO dedicated to corporate travel,” noted company president and CEO Zach Cheema. “With this investment, Grand Aire is able to further serve Toledo’s aviation community and help drive the region’s economy.”

The FAA’s Inspector General (IG) has criticized how the agency administered $525 million in airport development expenses under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In a report published on February 21, the IG released the findings of its audit of funds distributed through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program showing that the FAA did not review grant applications more than 20 percent of the time.

According to the IG, the FAA also did not always require sponsors to submit timely annual financial reports or effectively communicate improved oversight leading to oversight gaps, making it difficult to gauge whether the funds were spent responsibly. More than 55 percent of contracts reviewed revealed that sponsors did not meet requirements for completing cost or price analyses or that Buy American waivers met all requirements before approval. Therefore, the agency could not be certain that project costs were reasonable or met the Buy American requirements.

The IG estimated the deficiencies led to $106 million in funds that could have been better spent and recommended that the FAA improve its grant and contract oversight. The FAA agreed with the findings and said it would implement measures needed to meet the IG’s recommendations no later than Jan. 31, 2025.

Following the release of the 2023 year-end delivery numbers by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Embraer announced that for the 12th consecutive year, its Phenom 300 was the bestselling jet in its class, with 63 of the series delivered last year. It was also the top-selling twinjet for the fourth year in a row.

Over the past decade, the Brazil-based airframer has delivered more than 730 of the light jets, with the fleet surpassing two million flight hours. Its U.S. customers flew their Phenom 300s more than 360,000 times last year.

With its high-speed cruise of 464 knots, the Phenom 300 is also the fastest light jet in production, and it has a five-occupant range of 2,010 nautical miles with NBAA IFR reserves. 

Its avionics include the first Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting System to be certified for a business jet as well as other innovative features such as an autothrottle, coupled go-around, and emergency descent mode.

“For more than a decade, the aircraft has earned well-deserved recognition and it continues to excel in terms of performance, technology, comfort, and support,” said Michael Amalfitano, CEO of the OEM’s executive jet division. “With our ongoing dedication to our loyal customers, we will continue to develop the program based on customer feedback, industry trends, and new technologies.”

Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has issued several recommendations to Transport Canada regarding inadvertent helicopter flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). They come on the heels of an investigation into an April 25, 2021, helicopter crash in Resolute Bay, Nunavut. Operated by Great Slave Helicopters, the aircraft collided with terrain, killing all three onboard—the pilot, an aircraft maintenance engineer, and a biologist.

TSB investigators found that “insufficient regulatory requirements and defenses to protect against loss of visual reference accidents” led to the crash. “For more than 30 years, the TSB has been calling for the implementation of safety measures to mitigate the risks that persist in helicopter reduced visibility operations,’’ said TSB chair Kathy Fox. 

The Board's recommendations include requiring commercial helicopter operators to ensure pilots possess the skills necessary to recover from inadvertent flight into IMC; requiring commercial helicopter operators to implement technology that will assist pilots with the avoidance of, and recovery from, inadvertent flight into IMC; requiring private and commercial operators conducting single-pilot operations to develop standard operating procedures based on corporate knowledge and industry best practices to support pilot decision-making; and enhancing requirements for helicopter operators that conduct reduced-visibility operations in uncontrolled airspace to ensure that pilots have an acceptable level of protection against inadvertent flight into IMC accidents.

The European Aero-Medical Institute (EURAMI) has awarded Commercial Airline Medical Escort (CAME) accreditation to the Dubai, UAE-based division of German emergency medical flight provider FAI Rent-a-jet. The approval announced on Monday supplements FAI’s approval as a EURAMI provider that was granted in early 2023.

The CAME endorsement confirms aeromedical flight operators to carry patients either seated in a cabin or on a designated stretcher. FAI’s Dubai operation is now the first private emergency medical flight provider in a Gulf Cooperation Council state to hold the EURAMI CAME accreditation. It is also the only European fixed-wing aircraft operator to receive both approvals in the region.

To earn CAME approval, operators have to complete at least 100 missions. They also have to show that they have suitably qualified staff, as well as the infrastructure and equipment required by EURAMI.

FAI's fleet of 10 aircraft includes a mix of Bombardier jets, including the Learjet 60, Challenger 604, and Global Express. Its team of 250 full-time employees is supplemented by 50 part-time physicians, nurses, and paramedics, and it operates maintenance facilities in Nuremberg and Berlin. The company specializes in providing air support in hostile areas for a major non-governmental organization.