Wheels Up laid off 11% of its pilots yesterday, citing a “staffing imbalance” caused by “a sharp decline in our pilot attrition rates in the first half due in part to a reduction of pilot hiring at the airlines and pilots choosing to stay at Wheels Up.” Layoffs were reportedly concentrated but not limited to King Air flight crewmembers and pared its estimated pilot ranks from 950 to 850.

“Aligning our pilot organization with the size of our fleet is critical to the success and health of our business, and the abnormalities in the industry over these last few months made appropriate staffing forecasting against regular attrition challenging,” Wheels Up said in a statement. “As we navigate through this difficult period of change, we want to once again acknowledge the pivotal roles that all of our team members play in ensuring our operation reflects the high standards we have set for ourselves, our members, and our customers.”

This marks the first time the company, which is majority owned by a consortium led by Delta Air Lines, has laid off pilots. In March 2023, a $30 million restructuring resulted in reduced headcount of non-operational staff and specifically excluded “pilots, maintenance, and operations-support personnel.”

Wheels Up reported a $487 million loss last year, and a $97 million shortfall in the first quarter. In April, the company consolidated maintenance facilities.

Describing the hundreds of pages of documentation associated with the agency’s recent reauthorization, “It’s just a lot; the volume is the issue, not the individual provisions,” FAA associate administrator for aviation safety David Boulter said yesterday during the opening session at the NATA Air Charter Summit in Oklahoma City. He termed reauthorization as an “every-five-year opportunity” and noted that many of the items were “holdovers from other reauthorizations, so really some of that is on us.”

Boulter also addressed the recent proposed changes to Part 380 operations, which would sever DOT Part  380 regulations from the Section 110 definitions and would convert some Part 135 operators to Part 121, which engendered more than 55,000 public comments. When the NPRM was issued, he said the Part 135 segment was experiencing “an accident rate that was unacceptable. Now a lot has changed and, frankly, in the 135 space the accident rate has been declining over the years, so we need to look at actual data.”

Thus, the agency intends to empower a safety risk panel of industry observers over the next several weeks.

Because the summit venue of Oklahoma City is also home to the FAA’s aircraft registry unit, Boulter noted that the agency is actively working to reduce the time for aircraft registrations, which are taking nearly 200 days to process.

Gusty tailwinds reportedly proved too strong to allow the pilots attempting to take off in a Hawker 800XP to lift the nose at rotation speed on Feb. 21, 2022, at Colorado’s Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, the NTSB said. No one was injured after the crew aborted the takeoff and the jet went off the runway and into the snow, although the Hawker was substantially damaged.

According to the NTSB final report, the probable cause of the accident was “the flight crew’s decision to take off in tailwind conditions that were consistently above the airplane’s tailwind limitation, which resulted in a runway overrun following an aborted takeoff. Contributing was the flight crew’s use of the instantaneous wind report for the decision to attempt the takeoff.” Like many business jets, the Hawker’s tailwind takeoff limitation is 10 knots. The FAA previously told AIN that “instantaneous wind” gives the pilot a three-second snapshot of current wind conditions; other reported winds, like those from AWOS, are a two-minute average.

When the Hawker was cleared to taxi to Runway 33, the wind was reported at 170 degrees at 18 knots, gusting to 30 knots. After a delay due to arriving traffic, the tower controller cleared the Hawker for takeoff and, according to the NTSB, “reported the wind was from 160 degrees at 16 knots, gusting to 25 knots, and the ‘instantaneous wind’ was from 180 degrees at 10 knots.”

Heritage Aviation has gained authorization as a Garmin Aviation service center at its base in Burlington, Vermont, allowing it to offer a wider range of service and support activities for these avionics.

“We are thrilled to become an authorized Garmin Aviation service center,” said Heritage Aviation CEO Matthew Collins. “Garmin is a renowned leader in avionics technology, and this service center recognition allows us to directly provide our customers with the most innovative and reliable avionics support available. Garmin avionics not only enhance the flying experience but also contribute to increased safety and efficiency.”

As an authorized Garmin Aviation service center, Heritage Aviation’s team of technicians can service and maintain a comprehensive range of Garmin avionics solutions, including GPS navigators, autopilots, communication systems, and weather radar. Customers will also benefit from expert advice and guidance to meet individual needs and provide after-sales support, including warranty service and ongoing maintenance.

“Heritage Aviation has a stellar reputation for airframe and avionics work that compliments its dedication to customer satisfaction,” said Garmin director of aviation aftermarket sales Jim Alpiser. “We are happy to welcome them as a new addition to the Garmin service center community, and we look forward to working with the team at Heritage.”

Private aviation company FlyHouse has announced the completion of its acquisition of air charter booking platform JetASAP.

"Acquiring JetASAP is a monumental step forward for FlyHouse. This integration not only enhances our service offerings but also aligns perfectly with our mission to transform the aviation industry. We are dedicated to leveraging JetASAP's technology and expertise to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers and stakeholders. This acquisition is a game-changer, and we are eager to integrate their platform with our upcoming app, setting new standards in private jet travel. Our goal is to make private jet travel more accessible, transparent, and efficient for our customers,” said FlyHouse CEO Jack Lambert Jr.

"I can't wait to jump in and get started," said JetASAP founder and CEO Lisa Kiefer Sayer. "In the coming weeks and months, I'll be working closely with the team to scale both the FlyHouse app and JetASAP, building on our solid foundations. Together, we will be stronger and move even faster to reimagine the future of aviation."

FlyHouse said it aims to “elevate the overall customer journey and simplify the booking process” by acquiring the technology.

Comlux Malta has recently achieved EASA Part 145 certification from the Civil Aviation Directorate of Malta, the MRO provider said today. With certification in hand, Comlux Malta can provide line maintenance services for EASA-registered Airbus A320s and A220s at its facilities in Malta and Dubai.

With the approval, Comlux Malta can now serve both existing and new operators of the aircraft types. The company plans to add approval to maintain Bombardier and Boeing aircraft. Comlux Malta general manager Lorenzo Pagnan applauded the approval, saying, “Securing the EASA Part 145 certification is a significant achievement for Comlux Malta, complementing our existing air operator certificate and continuing airworthiness management organization certifications."

The EASA approval furthers Comlux Group’s aircraft sales and acquisitions, aircraft operations and charter management, cabin interiors, maintenance, and upgrades.

Flights in and out of Geneva Airport in Switzerland were still only operating at 70% capacity on Wednesday afternoon in the wake of severe disruption to air traffic services caused by flood water damaging equipment in the basement of the air traffic control center. ATC provider Skyguide said the restrictions would apply until further notice and said the exact cause of the emergency was being investigated.

Shortly after 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Skyguide closed all airspace around Geneva as it tried to assess the damage to cooling systems that threatened to overheat air traffic control equipment in the facility’s data area. Some flights resumed soon after midnight, but operations were then restricted to 50% capacity until 10 a.m. today. The flash flooding occurred following torrential rain that caused widespread disruption across the city and surrounding areas.

Three main FBOs operate out of Geneva Airport’s General Aviation Terminal: Signature Flight Support, Jet Aviation, and Swissport Executive. Business aircraft movements are restricted, as well as airline operations.

AIN sister publication Business Jet Traveler has launched its 14th annual Readers’ Choice survey. The poll solicits private aircraft fliers’ opinions about and experiences with flying privately and asks them to rate charter, jet card, and fractional-share providers, membership clubs, aircraft manufacturers and models, and more. All respondents will receive a prepublication copy of the results, be entered into a drawing for a $500 Amazon gift card (gift cards apply to U.S. survey respondents only), and have a donation made on their behalf to Corporate Angel Network. Take this year's survey or view results of the previous Business Jet Traveler reader surveys.