NetJets Pauses Light Jet Sales as Flight Demand Booms

NetJets has “temporarily paused” sales of fractional shares, leases, and jet cards for the Cessna Citation XLS and Embraer Phenom 300 due to “unprecedented demand within the private travel industry,” a company spokeswoman told AIN. In the meantime, it is putting prospective customers for light jets on a waitlist. “The decision to pause light jet sales, in addition to previous announcements regarding raising card prices and eliminating peak period day travel on card purchases, allows the company to continue…delivering the best possible experience to all owners.”

According to NetJets, record contract utilization by existing fractional owners has resulted in flight demand currently exceeding all other highs in the company’s history. It added that inventory constraints within the light jet category have reached a point that additional fractional sales before more aircraft are delivered would put service at risk.

“While most NetJets owners have experienced business as usual in their recent travels, a few have felt the challenges that coincide with heightened demand across the industry,” the company said. “The vast number of flights is taxing the air travel infrastructure in ways we haven’t seen in years. This is mainly due to demand across the industry, as well as staffing challenges.”

To meet continued demand, NetJets said it is hiring hundreds of pilots and service employees through year-end and investing nearly $2.5 billion for 100 new aircraft to be delivered between now and the end of 2022.

Global Jet Capital Appoints Kaushal as New CEO

Business jet financier Global Jet Capital (GJC) has appointed Vivek Kaushal as CEO, replacing Shawn Vick, who will now serve as executive chairman. Kaushal was most recently GJC’s COO, a position he was appointed to in 2019 after joining the company in 2015 following its acquisition of GE Capital’s business aircraft portfolio.

In his new role, Vick will continue to advise the company through its limited partners, investment committee, and senior leadership team. “Over the past six years, Vivek has demonstrated passionate and dedicated leadership along with a deep understanding of our market and all elements of our business,” Vick said. “He’s also been a critical partner in developing the winning culture and strategy that defines our business.”

Kaushal has nearly 30 years of experience as a leader in a variety of financing businesses, including serving as chief risk officer for GE Capital Business Aviation Finance. He has a master’s of business administration degree from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta and a bachelor’s of science degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi.

GJC has more than $5 billion in investments in business aviation and is capitalized by private equity firms the Carlyle Group; FS/KKR Advisor, a partnership between FS Investments and KKR Credit; and AE Industrial Partners, of which Vick has served as a partner since 2014.

Dassault’s Geneva FBO Joins the Paragon Network

Dassault Aviation Business Services (DABS) at Switzerland’s Geneva Airport is the latest addition to the Paragon Network of elite FBOs and international handling agents. Dassault’s facility, the network's second recent European addition, includes a private terminal with newly refurbished passenger and crew lounges with business and entertainment amenities, concierge services, and a flight-planning area.

DABS also provides assistance with overflight and landing permits, obtaining landing slots, and fuel arrangements, as well as on-site customs and immigration for France and Switzerland since the Geneva airport straddles the border of both countries. The company has a presence on the both north and south aprons and is co-located with Dassault-owned TAG Maintenance Services, which operates a large hangar.

“Geneva is a renowned international hub, and we are delighted to afford our customers yet another world-class FBO,” said Paragon Aviation Group president Megan Barnes. “With a company history dating back to 1916, Dassault’s commitment to excellence in everything they do pairs well with our company’s focus on safety, customer service, and superior value.”

Members of the Paragon Network must undergo a comprehensive audit of their facilities and services to gain admission, and each company must also adhere to a set of core standards to remain a member. Founded in 2011, the network encompasses more than 100 locations in 25 countries with members in many of the world’s predominant business regions.

AviationManuals Pairs SMS Software, Doc Services

AviationManuals is building on its portfolio of services through a new offering that pairs its manual products with its safety management system (SMS) software ARC. The combination provides a more holistic approach to managing operational improvement and safety, AviationManuals said, providing an all-in-one content and software platform.

All manuals and letters of authorization services will come in tandem with the SMS software, as well as the regular updates to content and industry and regulatory information. The new package provides a single online location to manage all manuals, updates, and distribution; unlimited storage; read and initial tracking; news, resources, expert topics, and other content; and real-time safety metrics.

“This isn’t just a tweak—but a fundamental change in how we will be delivering our content, our expertise, and software access to our customers moving forward,” said Mark Baier, CEO of AviationManuals.

AviationManuals said the pairing was developed not only to create a central platform for business aviation operators and FBOs to manage their resources but to help continually enhance the safety of its customer base, which now numbers 4,000.

“I’m truly excited about this because SMS combined with continual operational improvement is the future of our industry, so the more we can help to get users to participate the better,” Baier said.

NATA Renews Meetings on Illegal Charter

As charter flying continues to gain steam and restrictions lift, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is renewing its series of meetings around the country focused on combating illegal charter. The association is mapping out the next seven meetings around the U.S. beginning this month and extending through September.

Pre-pandemic, the association had collaborated with the FAA on engaging with local communities and operators on the pitfalls of illegal charter with a push to educate about the “careless, the clueless, and the criminal.” These efforts began in South Carolina and then spread to gatherings in Indiana, Tennessee, and Florida, among other locations, raising not only awareness among operators and local communities, but also with FAA officials. The last gathering, before the pandemic halted the meetings, was held in Fargo, North Dakota, in late 2019.

NATA is still hashing out details of the meetings, but the schedule calls for the next one to be held this month in Indianapolis. Next month, NATA is planning forums in Austin and Houston, Texas, along with Van Nuys and Bakersfield, California. Following in September are sessions in Charlotte, North Carolina; Omaha, Nebraska; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The meetings are part of a multi-pronged effort NATA has engaged in to tackle the issue, including managing a hotline, providing a range of educational resources, and working with other organizations globally.

FBO To Bring Customs to Florida’s Vero Beach

Corporate Air, an FBO at Florida’s Vero Beach Regional Airport, will break ground next month on a 4,000-sq-ft U.S. Customs inspection facility. The $2.2-million structure, built to U.S. Customs and Border Protection specifications, will be adjacent to the FBO's terminal and is expected to be completed in early 2023.

“Our customers were frequently flying internationally and wanted to come directly to their Florida homes, so we have answered their request and are building a U.S. Customs facility that will turn Vero into an international airport,” said company president Rodger Pridgeon.

The FBO is in expansion mode. It opened a 12,000-sq-ft hangar in March, bringing its total aircraft storage space to 65,000 sq ft. It is also adding more than four acres of ramp space in a $7 million project—funded by the state Department of Transportation and the airport—ahead of the start of construction of a trio of 12,000-sq-ft hangars, which are expected to be completed by mid-2023.

The developments are due to increasing demand, said Pridgeon. “We would build a hangar and it would immediately fill up with mostly large jets,” he told AIN. “As we increased our [eight-acre] ramp, it would still max out on peak days.” Plans call for the construction of another pair of 12,000-sq-ft hangars and a 30,000-sq-ft MRO facility.

Textron Aviation Qualifies Sherwin-Williams Paint System

Textron Aviation has qualified Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings’ Skyscapes Next Generation exterior basecoat and clearcoat system for Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker aircraft. The new qualification, which includes both solid and effect colors, expands Sherwin-Williams’ relationship with Textron Aviation.

The Wichita airframer previously qualified the Andover, Kansas-based paint company’s Acry Glo and Jet Glo Express systems for use in both original equipment manufacture airframes, as well as re-paintings.

"We are honored to expand our relationship with a distinguished manufacturer such as Textron Aviation and its iconic aircraft brands,” said Molly Moses, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings' North America sales manager. “This additional qualification provides Textron Aviation’s customers with multiple options. They can continue to use a traditional, single-stage system like Jet Glo Express or Acry Glo or if they want to utilize a basecoat-clearcoat finish, Textron Aviation now offers Skyscapes Next Generation. Depending upon the complexity of the scheme and the customer’s preferences, this gives Textron Aviation an array of optimized solutions.”

Carver Aero FBO Group Expands into Wisconsin

Iowa-based FBO chain Carver Aero has increased to four locations with the acquisition of the Janesville Jet Center, the lone service provider at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport, which features a 7,300-foot main runway.

The FBO, which is open every day from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. with after-hours callout available, offers an 8,600-sq-ft terminal with an eight-seat conference room, pilot lounge, flight planning room, and crew car. It is attached to a 10,800-sq-ft hangar that can shelter aircraft as large as a King Air or a Citation. The facility is within walking distance of a golf course and restaurant.

Carver, which was sold last year to investment firm CL Enterprises but retained its name, added its third FBO earlier this year. This latest purchase marks its first foray out of the Hawkeye State.

“The Janesville FBO fits into our business strategy to expand into smaller communities throughout the Midwest,” said Peter Limberger, Carver’s chairman as well as co-founder and chairman of CL Enterprises. “This airfield can accommodate higher volumes and larger planes. That means greater opportunity.”