The aviation community is working to assess how the newly imposed and evolving tariffs will affect their businesses. On Saturday, the White House announced it would impose a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% from China. Canadian officials have stated they would equally impose a 25% tariff on U.S. imports. Officials from Mexico and China also have been exploring retaliatory measures.

However, while originally set to take effect at midnight tomorrow morning, the White House today has indicated plans to push off implementation of the tariffs on goods from Mexico by a month after leaders from the southern nation reportedly promised to beef up security at the border.

Analyst Jefferies noted that tariff specifics are expected to be released through the Federal Register, but said, “Although in many cases, suppliers may be protected by The Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft for aircraft and engines.”

Montreal-headquartered Bombardier said today that it is carefully reviewing both the U.S. tariffs and proposed Canadian counter-tariffs. “We have worked on multiple scenarios that will help us face this situation, and we will take the coming days to complete our analysis,” the company said in a statement, adding that it would provide further updates later this week when it releases its 2024 year-end financial results.

A Learjet 55 on medevac duty crashed Friday evening in northeastern Philadelphia shortly after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport (KPNE). The Mexican-registered twinjet was headed to Missouri’s Springfield-Branson National Airport (KSGF) when it went down in a residential neighborhood less than three miles from KPNE. All six aboard died in the crash.

According to FlightAware, the Learjet—registered as XA-UCI and operated by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Jet Rescue Air Ambulance—arrived at KPNE at 2:16 p.m. on Friday after a flight from Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (KOPF). From KPNE, it was scheduled to fly to General Abelardo L. Rodriguez International Airport in Tijuana, Mexico.

After departing KPNE at about 6 p.m. ET, the aircraft reached an altitude of 1,650 feet before plunging to the ground. Surveillance videos captured the aircraft crashing with a fireball on impact, which ignited several houses and vehicles in the residential area. Locals described the impact as "earthquake-like" and several injuries were reported on the ground.

A statement from the operator listed six occupants onboard the jet—two flight crew members, two medical personnel, and a pediatric patient and their escort. FAA and NTSB officials are on scene to investigate the accident.

Signature Aviation is instituting a mandatory reservation policy for all transient aircraft at all four of its locations at business aviation hub Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in New Jersey, effective February 1. It said the move will better meet its guests’ needs, streamline operations, and reduce gridlock.

According to the FBO mega-chain, all transient aircraft operators at KTEB will need to make a reservation prior to arrival or departure either through Signature’s online reservation system or by calling its guest experience team.

The company stressed that while reservations are now required for its KTEB locations, there is no reservation fee, provided the operator makes a reservation six or more hours before arrival or departure times. Any landing or departure without that notification will be assessed a “no reservation” penalty fee ranging from $252 for a piston single up to $1,700 for a large-cabin jet.

Signature noted the advance notification will allow it to prepare more effectively, thus reducing taxi time and possible service delays.

Avfuel has ramped up its distribution of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with the establishment of a new supply terminal in Linden, New Jersey, which began operations on Friday. Earlier last month, the Michigan-based fuel provider also began the continuous flow of SAF from terminals in Pasadena, Texas, and Florida’s Port Everglades.

The SAF at those three locations is made using the HEFA SPK process with lipids such as used cooking oil as its feedstock. At a 30% SAF blend, the fuel can reduce life cycle greenhouse gas emissions by 24% versus standard jet-A.

With the distribution of SAF reaching the northeast, Heritage Aviation in Burlington, Vermont (KBTV)—long in the vanguard of aviation sustainability—signed on as the first Avfuel customer in the region to receive continuous supplies starting this week.

While the Linden supplies will be targeted primarily to business aviation customers, the company will make it available to all segments of aviation, including airlines.

“We have high expectations for SAF volumes in 2025,” said Avfuel executive v-p C.R. Sincock II. “These new supply points are integral to meeting or exceeding those expectations.” He added that SAF distribution is no longer confined to the western U.S. “With these new terminals—particularly those in New Jersey and Florida—we’ve vastly expanded our supply chain infrastructure to significantly enhance SAF’s accessibility.”

The 31 Democrats on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee are urging Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to clear up confusion surrounding executive orders from the White House that halt infrastructure investments and air traffic controller hiring.

In a letter sent on Wednesday to the newly minted secretary, the entire T&I Democrat contingent noted that executive orders, along with the Office of Management and Budget’s pause on federal financial assistance, “are sowing chaos in an industry that counts on long-term certainty and will raise project costs.”

According to the letter, the actions are putting billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of jobs, and tens of thousands of projects at risk. “Unfortunately, the actions in the first week of this Administration show a fundamental miscalculation of the bipartisan support infrastructure investment enjoys in Congress and how much governors, mayors, county commissioners, city councilmembers, and state legislators across the country count on federal infrastructure dollars,” the members wrote.

They urged Duffy to provide clear guidance on DOT’s plans to implement the president’s objectives surrounding infrastructure, make publicly available on DOT’s website an up-to-date list of all grants subject to the executive orders, and communicate changes to grant solicitations or requirements, including clarity on how to demonstrate compliance with the DOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.

An inquest into the deaths of five people killed when a Leonardo AW169 helicopter crashed at an English soccer stadium on Oct. 27, 2018, has ruled that the loss of life was accidental. The case heard by a jury and a senior coroner in Leicester reached its verdict late on Tuesday, essentially confirming the main findings of a September 2023 report by the UK’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).

Catherine Mason, the coroner, instructed the jury that the two-week hearing could only conclude that the deaths had been accidental since there were no legal grounds to dispute the AAIB finding that the main cause of the crash was due to failures in the tail rotor pitch control mechanism.

This accident occurred as the AW169 was departing the Leicester City Football Club stadium after an English Premier League game. It claimed the lives of club chairman Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, as well as fellow passengers Nusara Suknamai, Kaveporn Punpare, and Izabela Lechowicz, as well as the pilot, Eric Swaffer.

Separately, the Srivaddhanaprabha family is suing Leonardo in England’s High Court claiming £2.15 billion (about $2.7 billion) in damages for his death. In a statement issued on January 10, when the lawsuit was filed, Leonardo expressed its deepest sympathy for those who lost their lives, saying it will defend the claim and is considering the matter with legal advisers and insurers.

Epic Aircraft has announced stops for its second-annual U.S. demonstration tour of the all-composite E1000 GX turboprop single. The tour kicks off on February 10 in Sacramento, California, and concludes November 8 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Plans call for more than 75 stops, with more to be added while the tour is underway.

The company's tour comes on the heels of record sales during the fourth quarter, according to CEO Doug King. “Our U.S. demo tour provides prospective buyers with the opportunity to experience the E1000 GX. From first-class cockpit and cabin comfort to unparalleled performance and safety features, our airplane is the [turboprop] category leader: fastest speed and climb, highest service ceiling, greatest seats-full range, greatest full-tanks payload, and most fuel efficient.”

Epic said the E1000 GX is the fastest turboprop single in production today, with a top speed of 333 knots and 1,560-nm range with 1,100 pounds of passengers and baggage. Its ceiling is FL340.

“We’re seeing record-low insurance premiums for our owners, an accomplishment attributable to our exemplary safety record, highly regarded flight training program, and underwriter education,” said King.