Bombardier’s revenues jumped 32% in the second quarter to $2.2 billion as deliveries reached 39 business jets, a 34% increase from a year ago, the company reported this morning. Also helping that revenue bump was Bombardier’s services business, which topped $500 million for the first time in quarterly results as the Canadian manufacturer reaps the fruits of its significant expansion in that arena over the past few years.

As for the deliveries, they weighted more toward Challengers, with 20 handed over versus 15 in second-quarter 2023, while Global deliveries reached 19, compared with 14 last year. For the first six months, Bombardier delivered 32 Challengers and 27 Globals.

However, Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel maintains that this will shift in 2025 with Globals becoming the driver of growth. This includes the transition to the Global 8000, which Martel told analysts remains on track for first delivery by year-end 2025.

Bombardier reaffirmed its guidance to deliver between 150 and 155 aircraft, even with the strike that occurred earlier this month at the company’s Global production plant. Martel said the strike affected 11 working days and “a couple of tails” but that most of the Globals scheduled for delivery this year have already entered completions.

Bombardier has maintained a book-to-bill of about 1:1. Even so, backlog has grown by $700 million in the first half, to $14.9 billion.

GE Aerospace’s Catalyst turboprop engine is meeting and exceeding its targeted performance numbers and is on track for FAA certification by year-end, the company said this week at EAA AirVenture 2024. The engine powers Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft Denali single-engine turboprop, which is set for certification next year.

Engines in the flight-test program have logged more than 2,100 hours and 900 flights, which “gives a lot of confidence in the performance,” noted Paul Corkery, head of GE's Catalyst program. Compared to other 1,300-shp powerplants, he said the GE engine burns 18% less fuel while producing 10% more power at altitude.

Catalyst's Fadec engine controls, adapted from systems on larger GE turbine engines, are integrated with the Denali’s Garmin G3000 avionics and autothrottle, enabling Textron Aviation engineers to design a single-lever power control. This simplifies the workload for the pilot and protects the engine from exceeding critical parameters.

For FAA certification, the Catalyst had to complete 23 key engine-level tests, and 19 of those are done. The remaining four—covering endurance, vibration, blade-out, and compressor operability—are underway in four separate test cells. “We expect all that testing to be wrapped up by the end of the third quarter,” Corkery said, “then we’ll be finalizing and submitting the final reports.”

North Dakota-based Spectrum Aeromed has received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for its air ambulance modification designed for the Daher Kodiak 100. The STC permits the installation of up to two ambulance modules on the utility turboprop single—which can function on floats or wheels—as well as a four-drawer medical storage cabinet with mounting rails on top.

According to the company, which has been outfitting aircraft for more than three decades, it provides operators with a solution customized to their specific medical transport needs.

“This STC approval represents a pivotal achievement for Spectrum Aeromed and underscores our dedication to advancing aeromedical solutions,” said Justin Mahler, the Fargo company’s v-p of design and certification. “With the Daher Kodiak 100 now equipped to accommodate our air ambulance modules and cabinetry, operators can optimize their aircraft for medical missions without compromising on efficiency or safety.”

A study published yesterday reveals that business aviation flights from Farnborough Airport contribute £1.9 billion of gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy every year. The CBI Economics study, which included a comprehensive survey of UK businesses, found that approximately 80% of the flying activity from Farnborough Airport related either directly or indirectly to supporting UK business and inward investment.

“‘These latest findings from CBI Economics support what we have been saying for some time—that the role of business aviation in driving inward investment and creating economic opportunity within the UK is both significant and demonstrable. Farnborough Airport in particular, with its well-invested infrastructure and available runway capacity, has a critical role to play in supporting economic growth going forward, both at a local level and also across the wider UK,” said airport CEO Simon Geere.

“With Farnborough Airport serving smaller [and] lighter aircraft, our environmental footprint is a fraction of that of a traditional commercial passenger airport, yet our economic output relative to our size is completely unsurpassed. We are hugely proud of the local and national economic success story which Farnborough Airport has clearly become.”

The report asserts that, based upon the survey findings and supporting analysis, flights from Farnborough Airport are predominantly of high economic impact, time-sensitive in nature, and essential in purpose.

MRO provider Duncan Aviation owns and operates aircraft with perhaps the most unique paint schemes in the industry. The company’s most recent addition is a PC-12 that represents a fish. It is a testament to Duncan Aviation’s creativity, quality, and the trust the Duncan family has in its team members.

The FAA has struck an accord with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) to address the growing concerns of controller fatigue. Under the agreement announced yesterday, air traffic controllers will receive at least 10 hours off between shifts and 12 hours off before and after a midnight shift. These changes will be folded into the schedules negotiated for next year.

In addition, limits will be placed on the number of consecutive overtime assignments and procedures adopted surrounding education on more effective recuperative breaks. Further, the agreement calls for the FAA and NATCA, in consultation with scientific experts, to form a collaborative workgroup that expands on the existing Fatigue Risk Management System and Fatigue Safety Steering Committee in developing recommendations to address areas of improvement identified in an April 2024 report surrounding the issue.

The agreement comes as the FAA grapples with a controller shortage and mounting overtime and as fatigue has come under a spotlight in the wake of a series of high-profile close calls in recent years. NATCA and the FAA concurred that the agreement would provide for “long-term, systemic changes.” The FAA also said it is on track to meet its goal of hiring 1,800 controllers this year.

The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has issued certification to Air Chateau DWC, giving it clearance to develop new vertiports and heliports. The aviation consultancy said the approval will allow it to press ahead with plans that include a large-scale helicopter project in the UAE announced in October.

According to Air Chateau DWC, the certification is valid for one year from June 13 and allows it to start designing heliports and vertiports in compliance with the requirements of both the DCAA and the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority. The company will also need to satisfy regulations covering equipment specifications.

In November, Air Chateau signed a provisional agreement to buy up to 100 Archer Midnight eVTOLs. The company, in which Dubai-based business aircraft broker ArcosJet is a shareholder, already operates a fleet of helicopters and manages an eight-pad commercial heliport at the VIP terminal of Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport.

The FAA recently published Advisory Circular AC 120-92D to help operators comply with new rules that require certain operators to develop safety management systems (SMS) under FAR Part 5. The new requirements apply to Part 135 on-demand operators, air tour operators, Part 21 design or production certificate holders, and certain Part 91 operators approved to conduct air tours.

The 130-page document also updates a 2015 AC and applies to operators previously required to have an SMS under Part 5, such as Part 121 and 135 airlines. This revised circular also might assist aviation organizations interested in receiving “FAA acknowledgment” of their voluntary development and implementation of an SMS. Additionally, the AC provides organizations with a method to meet ICAO Annex 19, which addesses “safety management framework for an SMS acceptable to the state.”

Because operators range widely in complexity and size, the circular states that SMS policies, methods, and procedures can be tailored as needed. However, this scalability “does not allow the aviation organization to set aside any sections of Part 5.” The AC provides some examples of how an organization may integrate “new practical, economical, and effective SMS methods and procedures that complement their existing operations and processes while leveraging the policies, procedures, or methods already in place that comply with Part 5.”

Airbus and Airports Council International (ACI) World—the trade organization representing more than 2,100 airports in 169 countries—have signed an agreement in support of the aviation industry’s goal of reducing its environmental impact. The partnership—announced on Monday at the Farnborough Airshow—covers a wide range of topics, including sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen technologies, advanced air mobility, operational efficiency, and aircraft noise mitigation, through the exchange of information and perspectives on low-carbon operations and the communication of industry progress.

Under the agreement, the two organizations will jointly develop guidance materials and possibly collaborate on policies and standards necessary to reach industry targets. This agreement builds on the two-year-old partnership between Airbus and ACI Europe that covered similar areas.

“This partnership marks a significant step in our collaborative efforts to reduce aviation’s environmental impact,” said Airbus chief sustainability officer Julie Kitcher. “By combining our technological expertise with ACI World’s vast network and operational insights, we aim to influence policies and standards that support sustainable aviation and drive industry-wide innovation. Together, we can create a cohesive and aligned approach to achieving our decarbonization targets and enhancing the sustainability of the global aviation sector.”

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