Gulfstream’s G500 and G600 have both received European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) steep-approach certification, enabling the twinjets and their approved crews to access an extended range of airports.

The additional approvals, announced today, follow equivalent regulatory permissions already in place in the U.S. The G500 received an FAA nod for steep approaches in October 2023, with the regulator awarding similar approval for its larger G600 sibling in May 2024.

Both EASA and FAA permissions build on G500 and G600 steep-approach landing demonstrations conducted in 2021 at the UK’s London City Airport and Switzerland’s Lugano and Sion Airports. At the time, Gulfstream said it expected steep approach approval from both authorities in 2022.

The International Civil Aviation Organization defines a steep approach as one with an angle of 3.5 degrees or more. The FAA sets its benchmark as more than 4.5 degrees, believing that approach angles of less than 4.5 degrees don’t present a significant amount of increased risk.

As the pace of large rocket launches from Texas and Florida is poised to increase, airline operators and air traffic managers are paying closer attention to how those launches intersect with operations in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean. That focus sharpened as SpaceX sought approval for higher-frequency Starship operations at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) late last year, adding to ongoing launch activity in south Texas.

With plans advancing to launch Starship from Florida by midyear, environmental impact statements for proposed sites at KSC and CCSFS outline substantial airspace closures tied to both launch and reentry operations. According to the analyses, launch windows could close Atlantic airspace for 40 minutes to two hours, affecting routes over the U.S., Atlantic, and Caribbean, with 133 to 400 aircraft potentially impacted during peak periods.

Reentry operations are expected to also be disruptive, following west-to-east trajectories similar to space shuttle landings that could shut down southbound domestic and international traffic into major Florida airports, including Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Miami, as well as airspace over Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

In a Safety Alert for Operators issued January 8, the FAA formally warned air carriers and flight crews to expect increasing airspace disruption tied to space launch activity, including the potential for debris-generating mishaps.

The Air Charter Association (ACA) is highlighting the dangers posed by illegal charter flights via its upcoming online campaign, Fly Legal Day, on January 21. As well as commemorating the anniversary of a high-profile fatal accident, the campaign also “aims to educate the industry and the public, to prevent the occurrence of future air tragedies,” explained The ACA.

The industry has established its own reporting mechanism to allow air charter professionals and members of the public to report details of suspected illegal charter flights. This initiative was prompted by a fatal accident in 2019 that killed soccer player Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson when a Piper Malibu, operating as an illegal charter, crashed into the English Channel en route between Nantes in France and Cardiff in the UK.

In March 2020, a UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch report revealed that “neither the pilot nor aircraft had the required licenses or permissions to operate commercially.” In November 2021, a UK court jailed David Henderson for 18 months after finding him guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft. The charge resulted from his role in arranging the flight.

The ACA immediately passes on information supplied through its reporting mechanism to the relevant civil aviation authority. In 2025, there were two such occasions where information passed on via the group led to suspected illegal charter flights being prevented.

Many operators believe their engines are nearing required maintenance events, only to discover otherwise through detailed logbook review. Knowing the true maintenance status can have a major impact on planning and cost.

Colorado-headquartered ONEflight International is celebrating record growth in 2025, generating a 90% year-over-year revenue increase that it partly attributes to “strategic golf partnerships and a rapidly expanding footprint in the European market.” Overall, the charter broker booked 16,522 flight hours last year, close to double the 9,375 hours in 2024. Its revenues of $232 million last year were also up 90% from 2024’s $122 million.

ONEflight saw elevated appetite for a variety of charter routes last year, including “a notable increase” in transatlantic travel from the U.S. to Europe. Demand for flights within Europe also experienced strong growth, with ONEflight citing “heightened activity across major European destinations.”

This growth was augmented by a “deepened involvement” in golfing events. Alongside becoming the official private aviation partner of arena-based golf league TGL Golf, ONEflight also became the joint main sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic event in May. ONEflight International president and CEO Ferren Rajput said these engagements helped “elevate [the] brand on a global stage.”

CAE has delivered the first of two eVTOL flight simulators to Joby Aviation’s pilot academy in Marina, California. The fixed-base platform is expected to receive FAA level 7 flight training device qualification, whereas the second unit to be delivered later this year will be a level C full-flight simulator with a six-axis motion platform, Joby said.

Joby and CAE have been collaborating on flight-simulation technology for the single-pilot, four-passenger JAS4-1 eVTOL aircraft since 2022. The simulators feature the CAE Prodigy image generator, which offers highly realistic and detailed 3D urban visuals.

“These simulators set a new benchmark for training infrastructure in urban air mobility,” said CAE president of civil aviation Alexandre Prévost. “By leveraging decades of expertise in high-fidelity simulation, we are helping Joby prepare pilots for safe, efficient operations and supporting the industry’s transition to sustainable air transportation.”

Joby president of operations Bonny Simi said the two simulators are “central to the FAA certification process and being delivered on time to support pilot training ahead of Joby’s first commercial flights planned for this year.”

Joby also signed an agreement last week to acquire a 700,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility in Dayton, Ohio. The company said the additional space in the city will allow it to double its production rate to four eVTOL aircraft per month in 2027, with operations there set to begin this year. 

Skyservice Business Aviation has expanded aircraft detailing services to its flagship FBO at Toronto Pearson International Airport (CYYZ), marking its first availability for the company in Canada. The services, which include OEM-approved exterior and interior detailing, were already established at the Fontainebleau Aviation (a Skyservice company) locations in Miami (KOPF) and Fort Lauderdale (KFLL).

These services will be offered to both based and transient clients of the company’s Toronto FBO, using material-specific processes to protect aircraft surfaces and finishes and maintain the cabin environment for passengers and crew. Designed to be integrated with flight activity, maintenance events, and FBO operations, the scheduling will aim to minimize aircraft downtime.

“Aircraft detailing plays an important role in maintaining aircraft condition and appearance over time,” explained Skyservice president and CEO Benjamin Murray. “Extending this service to Toronto strengthens our ability to support aircraft owners through a fully integrated service model—bringing detailing, maintenance, FBO, and operational support together to simplify aircraft care across its life cycle.”

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