Daher Aircraft has inaugurated a customer support and logistics center in France. The 64,600-sq-ft facility, located at Jonzac-Neulles Airport (LFCJ), opened on Friday and includes spare parts stores, as well as aircraft maintenance and equipment overhaul capability.

The site in the west of France has replaced Daher’s nearby Merpins facility in the Charente-Maritime region, offering space for growth. It benefits from having direct access to the airport’s 4,494-foot runway.

In addition to supporting Daher’s family of TBM turboprop singles, the facility will also assist owners of around 3,000 legacy TB and Rallye light aircraft made by Socata (acquired in January 2009). The center will support diverse aircraft, including Airbus helicopters operated by French police, as well as Cirrus and Grob airplanes.

Daher said it will increase the workforce at this site from 32 to 40 people. Under its EASA Part 21J design organization approval, it can manufacture replacement parts in addition to supplying and repairing existing hardware.

“This inauguration marks another important step in Daher Aircraft’s commitment to further strengthening our global support network and the comprehensive services it provides,” said Daher Aircraft CEO Nicolas Chabbert. The facility was built for Daher by the local Haute Saintonge municipal government.

SpaceX yesterday announced higher pricing for aviation plans on its Starlink low-earth-orbit satcom network, effective August 7. According to SpaceX, “As the number of airplanes connected by Starlink continues to grow, we are committed to providing reliable, high-speed service plans that meet the needs of aviators all over the world.”

The biggest change is for the former unlimited plan, which worked globally and cost $10,000 per month. The new Aviation Global Unlimited service costs $20,000 per month, with service speeds of up to 1 Gbps. SpaceX requires the Starlink Aviation Performance kit to get 1 Gbps speeds but has not yet provided details on its cost.

For $12,500 per month, the new Aviation Regional Unlimited plan offers speeds of up to 500 Mbps but is limited to “the continent associated with your service area.” The former $2,000-per-month plan, which had no geographic limitations and included 20 GB per month with a $100 per gigabyte surcharge, will now rise to $4,000 per month for 25 GB and a $250 per gigabyte surcharge, not to mention be limited to a single continent.

A large-cabin jet owner who was an early Starlink aviation adopter is finding it difficult to justify the increases. Installing Starlink was “a $300,000 capital investment,” he told AIN. “Now they’re forcing us to spend three to four times what we budgeted [for connectivity].”

Garmin today unveiled its next integrated avionics suite—Axis—a move that incorporates a refresh of the G3X Touch, introduces a potential upgrade path for older systems, and adopts features from the G3000 and G5000 Prime integrated flight decks. Axis as “Prime lite” is one way to consider the new lineup, but the new suite also represents a long-awaited move away from traditional glass displays surrounding a center stack of individual avionics such as audio panels, navcoms, and transponders. The result is a much cleaner-looking panel with big displays that incorporate a GPS navigator, navcom, and audio panel.

Axis, like Prime, also fully embraces touchscreen displays while retaining the dual-concentric knob and a small amount of button functionality. Targeting the Class I and II certified light airplane and experimental amateur-built (EAB) markets, Axis is also a clear stepping stone to Prime, and a pilot who learns with Axis will find Prime an easy transition.

Garmin doesn’t envision Axis as a G1000 replacement, but at some point that product line—with its many buttons and no touchscreen displays (although touchscreen controllers are available)—may become obsolete. Axis certainly could be a suitable replacement for G1000, especially for training pilots who eventually will graduate to Prime-equipped airplanes.

Signature Aviation and advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure developer UrbanV are working on plans to support regional air services with Electra Aero’s EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft. The three companies announced their partnership on Tuesday, saying they intend to combine vertiports with Signature’s global network of private aviation terminals.

The alliance with Signature and UrbanV is part of Electra’s wider plan to help operators launch new routes from completely new landing sites beyond existing airports. According to the Virginia-based start-up, the nine-passenger EL9 will be able to operate from strips as short as 150 feet, providing alternatives to cars for trips of about 50 to 250 miles.

The memorandum of understanding signed by the partners does not specify which Signature FBO locations could be among the first to support what Electra calls Direct Aviation services. Additionally, the announcement did not say whether Signature might provide ground support for off-airport locations.

Both partners said they will jointly “identify and develop Ultra Short access points along core demand centers. The goal is to move efficiently toward site-specific term sheets that define how this new model is deployed in practice,” the announcement explained.

West Star Aviation has hired Kyle Victor as satellite manager for its Chicago satellite location. 

Available used business aircraft inventory continued to shrink in June, according to information provider Sandhills Global. Sandhills—whose products include Controller, Charter Hub, Aviation Trader, Aircraft Cost Calculator, and AircraftValuation—released its latest aviation market report, finding the inventory tightening cuts across multiple aircraft segments.

On the business jet front, inventory levels fell by 0.15% month over month and 19.21% from June 2025, according to the company. Super-midsize jet inventory did tick up by 8.55% month over month, but large-jet inventory is down by 40% year over year (YOY).

Turboprop inventory has trended down for seven months, with June levels dipping by 13.67% YOY. Meanwhile, piston-single inventories increased by 2.48% from May but are still down 14.08% YOY. On the rotorcraft front, Sandhills pointed to Robinson piston availability down by 17.14% YOY in June.

“Aircraft inventory remains tight across much of the market, particularly among jets and turboprops, where inventory levels are still trending lower compared to last year,” said Controller sales manager Terrin Mohl. “Used turboprops have seen sustained declines for over six months, while piston-single aircraft inventory has remained relatively stable.”

Jet Access Maintenance is now an authorized Starlink Aviation dealer, expanding its connectivity and avionics capabilities at locations in Indianapolis, Nashville, and West Palm Beach, Florida. Jet Access Maintenance said its technicians have experience across leading in-flight connectivity systems.

The designation enables the maintenance provider to offer Starlink Aviation hardware sales and activation, installation by FAA-certified technicians, ongoing maintenance and technical support, and integration with existing avionics systems.

“Connectivity has become an increasingly important part of the ownership and flight experience,” said Jet Access Maintenance president Scott Dillon. “By adding Starlink to our offering, we’re expanding the solutions available to our clients and helping them identify the connectivity platform that best supports their aircraft and mission requirements.”

Jet Access Maintenance is part of Jet Access, an Indianapolis-based business aviation company offering aircraft management, charter, maintenance, sales and acquisitions, flight training, FBO, and airport services. In September, Jet Access launched a broker alliance platform for independent charter brokers seeking to scale without building their own backend operations.

Boca Raton, Florida-based dealer 5x5 Trading completed a fleet modernization program for Wheels Up Experience 18 months ahead of schedule, according to the dealer. Serving as Wheels Up’s exclusive transaction partner, 5x5 managed the acquisition and disposition of nearly 100 aircraft beginning in 2024.

The program supported Wheels Up’s decision to consolidate its owned jet fleet from four aircraft types to two, centering operations on the Embraer Phenom 300 and Bombardier Challenger 300/350. Wheels Up continues to expand both fleets in response to demand for its Signature Membership and charter programs.

“Fleet transitions of this scale require every acquisition and disposition to be managed in the context of the next,” said John Odegard, 5x5 co-founder and International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) chairman. “Working hand in hand with the Wheels Up team, we sequenced the transition to protect operational continuity while delivering against the timeline they set.”

“Modernizing our controlled fleet was a defining step in the transformation of Wheels Up, and we set an aggressive timeline because the opportunity in front of us demanded it,” said Meaghan Wells, chief growth officer, Wheels Up. “Their transactional discipline helped us reach a simpler, more efficient fleet well ahead of schedule.”

5x5 Trading was founded in January 2024 and holds IADA accreditation.

Cirrus Aircraft recently opened its newly built Talent Center in Duluth, Minnesota, which is dedicated to community engagement, talent development, and workforce innovation. The multimillion-dollar center will serve as a public-facing facility providing direct access to recruiting, technical training, and career development resources, according to the aircraft manufacturer.

“The Cirrus Talent Center represents the first touchpoint and impression many people will have with our company as a potential employer,” said Cirrus CEO Zean Nielsen. “It reflects Cirrus’ presence in our community, our commitment to delivering an exceptional team member experience, and our focus on advancing and developing operational excellence for both our teams and our aircraft owners.”

According to Cirrus, prospective applicants will be connected with Cirrus’ talent, organizational effectiveness, and learning and development teams, covering an array of career opportunities that include administrative and manufacturing positions.

The center will also be home to Cirrus’ wider talent pipeline in the region, which includes veteran hiring initiatives, a high school manufacturing internship program, and collaborations with Lake Superior College for machining and aviation maintenance.

Furthering its investment in the region, Cirrus plans to add more than 240 employees across its Duluth-based jobs in engineering, manufacturing, and corporate offices. The center will act as a gateway to these opportunities, the company said.