June 25, 2026
Thursday

Onex Partners, through its Onex Partners Opportunities Fund, has agreed—alongside TriWest Capital Partners and other co-investors—to acquire Canadian fractional jet operator AirSprint. The investment will support fleet expansion, operational enhancements, technology investments, and other initiatives to strengthen AirSprint’s position in the Canadian private aviation market, as well as continued investment in its workforce. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter.

AirSprint founder and chairman Judson Macor, president and CEO James Elian, and certain other current shareholders will remain investors following the deal’s closing. Macor will become AirSprint’s chairman emeritus after the deal has closed, while Elian will continue in his executive role and remain on the company’s board of directors.

Elian said the transaction reflects confidence in AirSprint’s team. “I am excited to work with Onex, whose commitment to supporting our team, serving our fractional owners, and advancing AirSprint’s long-term vision gives me great confidence that AirSprint will continue delivering the safety, service, reliability, and value our fractional owners depend on today and will expect in the years ahead,” he said.

Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with offices in Toronto and Montreal, AirSprint operates what it describes as the largest fractional fleet of private aircraft in Canada, serving more than 600 fractional owners and employing more than 400 professionals across the country.

Modern Aviation publicly unveiled its upgraded FBO complex at New York’s Francis Gabreski Airport (KFOK) this morning. Located on the eastern end of Long Island, KFOK serves the tony Hamptons area.

Built in 2007, the FBO’s 4,785-sq-ft terminal was completely gutted starting in March and fully renovated. It features a landside porte-cochère, two passenger lounges, pilot lounge, flight-planning area, shower facilities, concierge, refreshment bar, kitchenette/dining area, business center, 10-seat conference room, onsite car rental, and a crew car. U.S. Customs is available on call 24/7.

The highlight of the $18 million project is the newly built, heated 34,475-sq-ft hangar that can accommodate ultra-long-range business jets. Constructed over the past year, it brings the facility to 92,042 sq ft of aircraft shelter. An adjoining new building offers 2,250 sq ft of private office space.

“This new hangar strengthens our ability to serve customers with the high standards of safety, service, and reliability that define Modern Aviation,” said company CEO and co-founder Mark Carmen at the ribbon-cutting event, which was attended by company employees, local dignitaries, and elected officials. “It also reinforces our long-term commitment to this community and to the continued growth of aviation across Long Island.”

The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has made progress on getting a SAF book-and-claim pathway recognized under ReFuelEU legislation. Following ongoing lobbying and participation in technical workshops by EBAA, non-EU airports have now been brought back into the proposed policy—a direction the association believes to be a “positive development.” However, while the proposal remains under discussion by the European Commission, EBAA is seeking clarification as to the stage at which non-EU airports could become involved in book-and-claim.

EBAA and its industry partners have long called for the European Commission to recognize SAF book-and-claim under ReFuelEU regulations. The adoption of this mechanism—allowing SAF purchase and usage to be accounted for without requiring physical delivery to a specific airport—would, according to EBAA, promote greater use of SAF through a more flexible approach to “reflect the operational reality of business aviation.”

After a follow-up discussion about book-and-claim for sustainable aviation fuel in the EU, the proposed pathway has been broadened to include airports falling outside of the ReFuelEU definition of “union airports.” This follows EBAA’s intervention during a previous workshop.

“This is an important point for our sector,” EBAA wrote on June 12. “Excluding non-union airports from the outset would have significantly reduced the usefulness of any future book-and-claim system for our members,” given the “very diverse network” of locations from which business aviation operates.

Premier Private Jets’ three FBOs are now being supplied with jet-A and avgas from Titan Aviation Fuels. The PremierFBO network includes facilities at Oakland County International Airport (KPTK) in Michigan; Ohio’s Dayton International Airport (KDAY); and at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (KCVG) in Kentucky.

In the past year, Premier Private Jets’ charter business has more than doubled in size. The charter fleet’s 15 airplanes include 10 Hawker 800s, two of which were added recently, and five Cessna Citations. Since 2024, Premier has acquired the Dayton and Cincinnati FBOs and a maintenance facility in Dayton, and added to its mobile maintenance and AOG services.

“The expanded partnership with Titan builds upon years of successful collaboration at PTK,” said Premier CEO Josh Birmingham. “Titan consistently has demonstrated its reliability, responsiveness, and high standards, which are consistent with our own. We are pleased to have them with us wherever our FBO customers land.”

Premier is evaluating additional FBO acquisitions, he added. “The integration of these three business units—FBO, MRO, charter—has proven a strong platform for success and growth.”

Cutter Aviation has received an FAA supplemental type certificate for installation of the Gogo Galileo HDX (half duplex) antenna on the Pilatus PC-24. Gogo’s newest offering, Galileo, leverages Eutelsat OneWeb’s enterprise-grade low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite network to deliver airborne high-speed connectivity globally.

By integrating the Gogo Galileo system, Cutter Aviation continues its tradition of providing avionics solutions that enhance passenger experience while maintaining the PC-24’s performance, versatility, and operational flexibility. Through the STC, the HDX antenna is now available for installation on PC-24s registered in the U.S., and the company expects approval from other authorities to follow.

“This project is about giving PC-24 customers access to truly global, high-speed connectivity without compromising the aircraft’s performance or versatility,” said Cutter president Will Cutter. “We focused on creating a seamless, well-engineered solution that integrates cleanly into the airframe and provides a reliable, future-ready connectivity platform. Our team understands how critical connectivity has become for operators, and we’re proud to help bring that capability to the PC-24 market.”

Crewchief Systems has released AskCrewchief, a tool that allows users of its maintenance record-keeping software to ask questions about aircraft status via text or voice. The Crewchief platform combines digitized paper records with operational information and manufacturer and regulatory maintenance requirements.

With AskCrewchief, an aircraft owner can query the system in natural language to determine aircraft status. This includes, for example, asking when an upcoming inspection is due, which recurring airworthiness directives will need to be done, or other compliance-related questions. The feature is available for Crewchief GA subscribers.

Crewchief recently added telemetry integrations with Garmin avionics and via AirSync’s recording device, and it also obtains flight-log estimates from FlightAware.

“This is the latest step in how we strive to serve our members,” said Crewchief co-founder and CEO Aaron de Zafra. “From day one, our goal has been to give the aviation community clear, in-context answers when they need them. AskCrewchief takes everything our platform understands about an aircraft’s service history and makes accessing it as natural as asking a question. It reflects how we operate, continuously adding value for our members.”

Belgium has taken delivery of the first of 20 multirole H145M helicopters, destined to serve with the nation’s armed forces and federal police. The aircraft forms part of a wider procurement contract signed in 2024—via the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA)—since supplemented by additional firm orders for three more.

In May 2024, the Belgian Council of Ministers formally approved the purchase of up to 20 units of the light twin helicopter for use by Belgium’s ministry of defense. “Through this purchase, Belgian Defence will obtain an efficient tactical airlift capability for special operations and a medical evacuation capability by air,” explained the NSPA, which added that the helicopters would also be deployed in other roles, including humanitarian missions.

The original deal included additional firm orders for two more H145Ms, plus options for three, for the Police Federale. “Leveraging the same platforms will enable commonality and interoperability in terms of technical support, training, and execution of missions,” suggested the NSPA. At the time, it stated that the first aircraft were due to be delivered in 2026.

Deliveries of the Air Force’s H145Ms are set to continue at a rate of one or two per month until mid-2027, when they will replace the remaining aging Agusta A109s. Other European operators of the militarized variant include Hungary, Luxembourg, and Serbia, with Germany set to take up to 82 H145Ms.

SUSTAINABILITY QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What aircraft operational adjustment may help reduce the formation of persistent contrails?
  • A. Increasing cruise speed significantly.
  • B. Flying at slightly different altitudes to avoid ice-supersaturated regions.
  • C. Reducing passenger loads.
  • D. Eliminating use of winglets.

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