Bombardier Defense has signed an agreement with German operator Aero-Dienst, a wholly owned subsidiary of the ADAC air ambulance group, for a second Challenger 650 configured for medevac operations. The aircraft supports ADAC’s global patient repatriation services.

Aero-Dienst managing director Oliver Kosing cited the Challenger 650’s advanced intensive care equipment and spacious cabin with stand-up height as being particularly well-suited to the operator's requirements. ADAC determined that its cabin dimensions and door configuration on the aircraft facilitate efficient patient loading while providing stable conditions for medical personnel during flight.

The Challenger 650 provides approximately 4,000 nm of range with a large passenger door and widebody cabin that is capable of accommodating up to four stretchers. 

ADAC board member Marc Kottmann said the addition to its fleet is a continuation of the organization’s longstanding commitment to air ambulance excellence. “Adding a second Challenger 650 is our commitment to keeping that standard not just intact, but ahead,” he said, noting more than 50 years of medevac expertise and thousands of completed missions.

According to Bombardier Defense v-p of worldwide defense sales Michael Anckner, the deal reflects confidence in the platform’s adaptability for critical missions. “Our Challenger 650 continues to set the benchmark for medevac operations, offering the range, cabin space, and operational flexibility required to respond rapidly and effectively to emergencies,” he said. 

Gulfstream Aerospace has reinforced its reach in Asia-Pacific with a new onsite customer support team in Singapore, the company announced today. Located at the facility of sister company Jet Aviation, the Gulfstream customer support office is the company’s first in Singapore and will provide immediate access to Gulfstream personnel, expertise, and support.

The office is staffed with eight Gulfstream employees, including customer technical managers, materials and quality team members, a field service representative, and a regional sales manager.

“Gulfstream is seeing increased activity across Asia, and Singapore was a natural choice for our next customer support expansion given its role as a leading aerospace hub,” said Gulfstream customer support senior v-p Lor Izzard. “Adding this dedicated onsite team allows us to deliver a more seamless and convenient service experience for customers across the region.”

Jet Aviation’s Singapore facility is one of six Gulfstream factory-authorized service centers, Gulfstream noted. The new office builds on its broader customer support presence in Asia-Pacific, including nine field service representatives, three Gulfstream Field and Airborne Support Teams, and a Singapore-based 5,000-sq-ft distribution center. In addition, Gulfstream has named 10 authorized warranty facilities worldwide.

A group of aviation innovators has urged the European Commission (EC) to do more to support efforts to bring all-electric and hybrid-electric aircraft into commercial service. In an open letter published on June 11, aircraft developers Vaeridion, Aura Aero, and Elysian, among others, called for more support for research and development and industrialization, as well as changes (including tax reform) to make the market for the new technology more viable.

The companies complained that the EU market for what it calls zero-emission and hybrid aircraft (ZEHA) puts green aviation at a competitive disadvantage. It wants the EC to introduce stronger disincentives for the air transport sector to keep using carbon-emitting fuel.

"Today, an electric plane pays more taxes for its renewable electricity than a conventional plane for its polluting fuel,” noted Carlos López de la Osa, aviation technical manager with Transport & Environment, which also signed the letter. “If we want to decarbonize aviation, we are flying in the wrong direction.”

The solution, he told AIN, is to make companies and consumers pay more for pollution. “This includes extending the scope of the EU [Emissions Trading Scheme] to flights departing from the EU, and taxing the use of fossil fuel and private jets,” he said.

Companies making the appeal to the EC want revenues from the new taxes to support work on ZEHA programs.

A new report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that this year’s production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will reach 2.4 million tonnes, representing just 0.8% of aviation fuel use. Presently, the vast majority of produced SAF comes from used cooking oils, fats, and greases via the HEFA process, but those feedstocks are limited. Next-generation SAFs use large amounts of renewable energy to convert green hydrogen, water, and CO2 into jet fuel using a power-to-liquid process.

IATA noted that recent mandates in the EU and UK call for e-SAF production of around 0.6 million tonnes by 2030. However, global production capacity currently operating and under construction stands at around 0.02 million tonnes, with only one production site in operation. The organization estimates that it would take approximately 20 commercial-scale refineries to achieve the mandated volume. But no new final investment decisions for e-SAF facilities have been made over the past year.

“It looks to be another disappointing year for SAF production,” said IATA director general Willie Walsh. “The path to meeting 65% of our needs in 2050 is growing more difficult with each year of ineffectively sequenced government policies and oil companies’ manifest lack of interest.”

Walsh added that the current bottleneck in petroleum due to the Iran war, and the resulting price spikes, should add even more urgency to the development of SAF.

Swedish flight data network Wingbits has released an AI-based platform that allows users to use plain language queries to create autonomous agents to monitor live and historical flight-tracking information. Wingbits obtains flight-tracking data from a network of 6,000 ADS-B receivers in 120 countries, and it offers rewards to contributors who install receivers and provide optimized coverage or fill gaps in reception.

To search on Wingbits.AI, users post a query such as “track every private jet landing in Nice” or “flag GPS interference around Estonia.” Users can also set up automated monitoring routines, and when Wingbits.AI has a result, it sends a notification to the user via email, Slack, Telegram, or Google Sheets, with more integrations being added. The result links to the relevant information on the Wingbits map.

The connection between aircraft and tracking data comes from Wingbits’ captured encrypted ADS-B data matched with fleet registries, operator records, and ownership databases. While the historical data, monitoring feature, and full access to the Wingbits network are available to subscribers, the Wingö AI chatbot is available to anyone and responds with information about current flight activity.

“Last year, we focused mostly on growing the community and increasing the coverage,” Wingbits CEO and co-founder Alex Lungu told AIN. “But now we’ve got to a point where we feel quite comfortable to start productizing some of that coverage.”

ACASS, a Montreal-based business aviation services provider, has added a Boeing BBJ2 and an Embraer Legacy 650 to its managed fleet. Both aircraft are based in Kenya and registered under the San Marino (T7) registry.

The two long-range jets will be made available for global charter. The BBJ2 is suited for head-of-state transport, executive travel, and large-group intercontinental missions, while the Legacy 650 “offers highly efficient and comfortable long-range travel, with a proven track record of reliability and performance,” according to ACASS.

“These additions reflect both the continued demand we are seeing in Africa and our commitment to providing flexible, high-quality aircraft management and charter solutions in the region,” said CEO André Khury. “ACASS has decades of experience across Africa, and we are proud to continue expanding our footprint with aircraft that meet the evolving needs of our clients.”

Both aircraft will operate under ACASS’ management framework, which encompasses aircraft management, charter, sales and acquisitions, flight crew staffing, and technical support.

MRO provider Haven Aviation Services Group (ASG) has expanded its upstate New York footprint with the opening of a new maintenance facility at Frederick Douglass/Greater Rochester International Airport (KROC). Located on the Avflight FBO campus, the 14,500-sq-ft facility can accommodate up to a Bombardier Challenger 650 and is FAA Part 145 certified.

This approval allows the company to perform maintenance, inspections, and repairs on a wide range of aircraft platforms, including Bombardier Challengers, Dassault Falcons, Embraer executive jets, Cessna Citations, Hawkers, and Beechcraft King Airs, among others.

The expansion to Rochester underscores Haven’s broader mission: “To make private aviation frictionless, ensuring that aircraft owners and operators experience their jets as they were always meant to be: time machines.” The Amarillo, Texas-based MRO also has a location in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and its first New York facility is in Buffalo. Haven said it will continue to expand across the U.S.

“Rochester represents exactly the kind of market we built Haven ASG to serve,” said company founder and CEO Travis Lamance. “Private aviation clients in this region deserve maintenance support that matches the standard of the aircraft they operate. Our Rochester facility delivers that.”

AIN sister publication Business Jet Traveler’s 16th annual Readers’ Choice survey is now open, and we invite you to share your private flying experiences. Your participation helps shape industry insights while supporting a great cause. For each completed survey, BJT will donate to Corporate Angel Network, which provides free flights to cancer treatment for patients and their families. Take the survey.