Bombardier and Lebanese fashion house Elie Saab have unveiled a bespoke cabin design for the Global 8000, the first time the Canadian airframer has partnered with a couture brand to shape a business jet interior. The design is now being offered to Global 8000 customers as an option.

The companies presented the concept at Bombardier’s Aviator Lounge, the OEM’s hospitality space in Monaco, during the Formula 1 Grand Prix. The partnership—first announced in November—aimed to recast the business jet’s cabin as a residential-style living space.

“When we began discussions with Elie Saab, the Global 8000 was already well on the path to becoming a certified, operational aircraft. This allowed us to go beyond concepts and rethink the cabin as a true living space, while fully respecting the performance and operational realities of the aircraft,” said Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel. “This collaboration pushes the boundaries of business aviation and reflects our relentless focus on elevating the customer experience.”

The reimagined interior centers on a lounge area positioned as the cabin’s focal point and emphasizes natural light, uninterrupted sightlines, clean architectural lines, and a warm color palette. 

“With Bombardier, we approached this collaboration with a haute couture mindset, elevating every material and detail into a carefully curated expression of luxury, precision, and design excellence,” said Elie Saab Jr., CEO of Elie Saab.

In an expansion of its apprenticeship program, Savannah, Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace last week welcomed more than 60 high school graduates from 20 schools and eight counties across Georgia and South Carolina as full-time apprentices. The students are now at the company’s Savannah Technical Training Center (TTC), a dedicated space for on-the-job training and workforce development that opened in 2015.

After finishing initial training at the TTC, the apprentices will advance into specialized roles across the company. The TTC has 23 training spaces, providing an immersive learning environment through instructor-led classrooms, labs, and computer-based and hands-on training.

“Gulfstream’s continued investment in apprenticeship programs is essential to building a strong, agile workforce for the future,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “We are also committed to investing in the communities where our employees live and work and are pleased to welcome another group of promising graduates to Gulfstream.”

The company has nine apprenticeship program categories, ranging from aircraft manufacturing and technician roles to avionics installation. According to Gulfstream, the programs have “rapidly expanded to create additional career pathways for highly skilled, hard-to-fill roles, with three new programs recently launched across cabinetry, aircraft maintenance, and nondestructive testing. The apprentice programs have been extremely successful, with approximately 90% of promoted apprentices currently employed, while the number of active apprentices has grown from more than 120 to over 550 in the past year.”

NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft reached supersonic speeds for the first time on Friday, the agency announced. Piloted by NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less, the aircraft departed at 11:08 a.m. PDT from Edwards Air Force Base in California for an 81-minute flight that reached about Mach 1.1 and an altitude of 43,400 feet. 

During the June 5 flight, the X-59 team focused on flying qualities of the aircraft during subsonic and supersonic speeds. Plans call to stretch performance to Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet in the coming days.

“X-59 is getting ready for its quiet supersonic debut. Since the aircraft’s first flight on Oct. 28, 2025, the team has made tremendous progress, flying 16 times in the last 90 days and getting into a steady test rhythm,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

The flight is part of a series of envelope expansion trials ongoing for the demonstration airplane, which was developed in concert with Lockheed Martin and will ultimately be used as part of the Quesst program that will explore the public impact of noise from the latest supersonic technologies. Data accumulated from that program will be used to evaluate whether supersonic flight over land will be feasible in the future.

According to NASA, the X-59 is designed to fly beyond Mach 1 while creating a “quiet thump” instead of a loud sonic boom.

The Dominican Republic’s Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (CIAA) and the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) are investigating the fatal crash of a Gulfstream G200, which went down yesterday while attempting to make an emergency return to La Romana International Airport (MDLR). Both pilots—the only people onboard—were killed in the accident.

With a scheduled destination of Texas’ Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the twinjet—N318JF, registered to Puerto Rico-based Aibonito Aviation—took off around 3:30 p.m. local time and soon after the flight crew declared an in-flight emergency and attempted to return to the airport. According to reports, after what appeared to be a landing attempt on Runway 11, five minutes after takeoff, the aircraft circled and then lined up on Runway 29.

Upon touchdown, the aircraft veered left, and the landing gear collapsed as it departed the runway. Video from the scene shows the stricken jet skidding across the grass at a high rate of speed, hitting a ditch, bouncing up in the air, and shedding the left engine. It then erupted into a fireball as it collided with a runway sign.

West Star Aviation is proud to announce the establishment of a new satellite location in Addison, Texas, marking the fifth West Star Aviation satellite and expanding capabilities to better serve operators across the Dallas metroplex.

Modern Aviation has broken ground on a major development project at its FBO at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (KFTW). With a price tag upwards of $20 million, the project will include a pair of 39,200-sq-ft hangars—each with a 4,375-sq-ft attached office.

Slated for completion in the first quarter of 2027, they will bring the complex to more than 262,000 sq ft of aircraft storage. Both hangars will accommodate the latest ultra-long-range business jets while enhancing operational efficiency and customer service offerings on the field.

Modern acquired the former American Aero facility two years ago. This expansion represents a step forward in the company’s continued investment in the city and underscores its long-term commitment to KFTW.

“We are proud to break ground on this new hangar complex in Fort Worth, which reflects our ongoing commitment to investing in the communities and airports we serve,” said company president and CEO Mark Carmen. “This project strengthens our ability to meet growing demand at Meacham International Airport and further enhances the exceptional service and facilities our customers expect from Modern Aviation.”

Airbus Helicopters is unveiling the U145, an uncrewed version of the H145 light twin, this week at the ILA Berlin airshow. The U145 full-scale mockup at ILA will highlight the rotorcraft’s cargo-carrying capabilities, eliminating the cockpit and incorporating an integrated nose door, a foldable loading table, and a dedicated cargo floor.

To achieve uncrewed and autonomous flight, Airbus Helicopters is equipping the U145 with a specialized sensor suite and AI capabilities. Plans call for a first flight, with a safety pilot onboard, at the end of 2026 and entry into service early in the 2030s.

The U145 will be Airbus Helicopters’ second uncrewed helicopter converted from a crewed version. The first is the VSR700, an uncrewed version of the piston-powered Guimbal Cabri G2.

A U.S. version of the U145 is also under development by Airbus U.S. Space & Defense with partners Shield AI, L3Harris, and Parry Labs. This will be the MQ-72C, an autonomous variant of the Lakota UH-72B.

“With the U145, we are offering our customers an autonomous, uncrewed version of our H145 helicopter, combining the proven airframe, power, and useful load of the H145 with the autonomy of a UAS,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Matthieu Louvot. “To develop the U145 and its capabilities as a multi-mission UAS, we will be teaming up with leading autonomous mission partners to further expand the UAS ecosystem in Europe.”

The Air Charter Association (ACA) has selected 15 young people to take part in its 2026 internship program. The group includes a mix of recent high school graduates and college students, with eight women and seven men coming from countries including Angola, Spain, Slovakia, and the UK.

Aged between 18 and 25, the interns will receive a week of training at London Biggin Hill Airport in August with a mix of classroom instruction and on-site training at local business aviation companies. Each participant will then be allocated to one of The ACA’s member companies for work experience based on their preferred career path, explained the organization's training manager Julie Ellis. 

Each intern will prepare a research project based on their work experience during the program, which is to be completed by September 11, when the group will attend the ACE 2026 trade show at Biggin Hill. The author of the best report will be honored at the group’s annual Air Charter Excellence Awards in October.

The 2026 cohort was selected from almost 200 applications through a multi-step assessment process. Five of those who participated in last year’s program now have jobs with charter companies including Air Charter Service, Chapman Freeborn, CharterSync, and FlyerTech.

High-voltage battery systems in electric aircraft pose a lethal risk to accident investigators and first responders, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch warned in its Annual Safety Review for 2025. The AAIB received 783 occurrence notifications in 2025, up from 762 the previous year, and recorded 12 fatal accidents resulting in 18 deaths.

The only fatal commercial air transport accident of the year involved a Beechcraft King Air B200 at London Southend Airport (EGMC) in July, which resulted in four fatalities. The AAIB opened one formal investigation, 23 field investigations, 56 correspondence investigations, and 131 record-only investigations during the year, and supported 45 overseas investigations involving UK interests.

Nine safety recommendations (SRs) were issued by the AAIB last year, the fewest in at least the past decade, according to a historical chart in the report. Industry stakeholders delivered 96 proactive safety actions in direct response to AAIB investigations, without the need for formal recommendations.

Chief inspector Robert Balls, who took over the role in January, described the low recommendation count as a reflection of closer collaboration with stakeholders. “This reduction in SRs and increase in safety actions compared to last year reflects the importance of working closely with stakeholders in our investigations to deliver the best safety outcomes for aviation,” he wrote in the foreword.

AIN’s 2027 FBO survey is open! The deadline to vote in the 2027 survey (to be announced at our 3rd annual FBO Awards Dinner & Gala and published in March) is December 6. It's earlier this year than usual. The survey takes only a minute, and you can do it while waiting for passengers, on the shuttle bus to/from the hotel, or at any other time that is convenient for you. Participants will be entered to win a $250 Amazon gift card (winner must reside in the U.S.). Log in to rate your experiences at the FBOs you visit.