International private flight provider Vista is refreshing its fleet with an order for up to 160 Bombardier Challenger 3500s. The Dubai-based group and the Canadian airframer announced the agreement—covering 40 firm orders and 120 options—today, saying that deliveries will start immediately and run over the next 10 years.

According to Vista, the new super-midsize jets will give it flexibility to support the travel needs of clients in its membership program worldwide. The company said that in 2025 it achieved another year of double-digit growth in demand for flights under the program offering, with an average 16% year-over-year increase in flight hours.

The Middle East recorded the highest regional increase in “live hours” at 32%. This compares with 30% in Africa, 22% in Asia, 15% in Europe, and 11% in the U.S. Its worldwide membership base increased by 12%.

These Challenger 3500s will be delivered in Vista’s branded livery of silver with a red stripe and will be deployed for both its VistaJet Program Membership offering and XO charter service. The cabin features a pocket door for privacy, voice-controlled cabin systems, interiors with Bombardier’s Nuage zero-gravity seats, and a jump seat for a flight attendant.

The FAA late last night issued a notam closing the skies over El Paso, Texas, for the next 10 days, citing “Special Security Reasons” for the temporary flight restriction (TFR). While an FAA spokesperson told AIN that the notam was canceled around 9 a.m. EST this morning, another similar TFR established over Santa Teresa, New Mexico, remains in effect, according to the agency.

The El Paso TFR, which would have shut down El Paso International Airport (KELP) for the duration, described a 20-mile-diameter exclusion zone—centered around the airport, and extending from the surface up to 18,000 feet—simply as “ntl defense airspace.”

Issued without advance notice, the TFRs were unusually strict in their verbiage, stating, “Pilots who do not adhere to the following proc may be intercepted, detained, and interviewed by law enforcement/security personnel,” and warning that “the United States government may use deadly force against the airborne acft, if it is determined that the acft poses an imminent security threat.”

In a statement, Rick Larsen (D-Washington), ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and André Carson (D-Indiana), ranking member of the subcommittee on aviation, noted, “What happened in El Paso last night is unacceptable…We look forward to pursuing a bipartisan solution that strengthens interagency coordination and ensures that the Department of Defense will not jeopardize safety and disrupt the freedom to travel.”

Yingling Aviation has completed its first installation of the Collins Aerospace Venue cabin management system. The Wichita-based maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider reported completion of the project on Wednesday, with the installation platform being a Gulfstream G550.

To date, Venue has already been installed on more than 1,800 aircraft worldwide, either on a factory-delivered basis or with the work completed by an aftermarket contractor. Collins provided some onsite support to Yingling’s technicians during power-up and testing tasks.

“The biggest wow factor is the Airshow HD moving map,” said Josh Peterson, regional sales manager and avionics expert at Yingling. “It gives passengers a beautiful, intuitive picture of where they are, paired with real-time flight information. When combined with the Venue app, customers gain real-time awareness of their [aircraft] asset, which adds tremendous value.”

Yingling is eager to offer the modification as an expansion of its support capabilities for medium- to large-cabin business aircraft. It said the Venue system modernizes the cabin by upgrading displays and passenger interfaces with intuitive touchscreen controls and high-definition entertainment options that enhance both the passenger experience and aircraft value.

Global business aircraft flight activity continued to strengthen in January, finishing the month up by 2.4% year over year (YOY) with operations increasing by 1.3% in North America and by 0.5% in Europe, aviation researcher and safety specialist Argus International reported yesterday. Further, Argus anticipates this growth to continue this month, projecting a 1.3% YOY increase in North America and 4.3% jump in Europe.

Activity in North America was muted by the winter weather in January. Citing its TraqPak data, Argus noted that flights were up by 6.5% from January 1 to 22 YOY but then declined by 10.9% during the rest of the month following the major winter storm that covered a large swath of the U.S.

As a result, the only operational category to finish on the upside was fractional in January, increasing by 10.3% YOY. Part 91 activity finished down by 0.8% and Part 135 fell 0.9% YOY in January. By aircraft categories, midsize-jet activity improved by 2.2% last month, followed by light jets with a 2.1% increase and turboprops at 0.2% on the plus side. Large-cabin jets flew 21 fewer flights, but operations were statistically flat.

In Europe, business aircraft activity has now been up for nine months in a row.

Aircraft maintenance and avionics provider Toledo Jet has been selected as an authorized dealer and installation center for Starlink Aviation, expanding its capabilities at its facilities in Ohio and Florida.

Toledo Jet can now install Starlink Aviation systems on a wide range of business aircraft, including Beechcraft; Bombardier Challenger and Learjet; Cessna Citation; Embraer; and Gulfstream models. Installation services are now available at Toledo Express Airport (KTOL) and Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE), where the company provides aircraft maintenance, avionics, and modification support.

Starlink Aviation uses a global low-earth-orbit satellite constellation to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity in flight. According to the company, the system supports applications such as video conferencing and streaming, with published download speeds of 135 to 310 Mbps and latency of less than 99 milliseconds.

“The addition of Starlink Aviation to Toledo Jet’s services represents a significant milestone,” the company said, citing its intent to combine long-standing Citation service center experience with newer avionics technologies.

“Our clients operate in a world where disconnection is not an option,” said company CEO Greg Fell. “By becoming a Starlink dealer, we are future-proofing their aircraft with one of the most significant advancements in aviation connectivity in 20 years.”