NBAA, EBAA Shelve EBACE for 2020

As the global outbreak of Covid-19 deepens, NBAA and the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) have canceled their hallmark European event and the second-largest business aviation show globally, the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition 2020 (EBACE2020), the organizations announced Sunday.

The event was to have been held in Geneva from May 26 to 28, but Europe is facing numerous Covid-19-related travel and other restrictions. In fact, the move came one day before the European Union announced on Monday plans to introduce a 30-day ban on non-essential travel for most non-EU citizens in its 27 member states. Additionally, Switzerland has banned all events of more than 100 people in place through the end of April. 

While such restrictions right now are still not into May, the long lead times required for an event the scale of EBACE2020 necessitate an earlier decision. Further, they have agreed to refund exhibit and registration fees. 

“This is the hardest decision EBAA’s management and board of governors have had to make in years,” said EBAA secretary-general Athar Husain Khan. “But given the unprecedented circumstances, we had no other choice. We must do everything we can to help protect against exposure to Covid-19.”

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen added, “We view our participants as partners, whose health and well-being is our foremost concern, and that priority is front and center in our decision to cancel EBACE2020.”

VistaJet Reflects on Banner Year, Optimistic for 2020

VistaJet recorded a 16 percent increase in flights during the first 10 weeks of this year on the back of a strong 2019 performance, it said on Friday. The company continues to see strong demand across all regions, with the U.S. registering its greatest number of flights during the first two months, making up 23 percent of global flights. “Despite the deep impact of the coronavirus spreading across Asia, demand from the continent remains stable at 11 percent,” it added.

Last year, VistaJet's program membership surged 21 percent worldwide, expanding 24 percent year-over-year in the U.S., 26 percent in the Middle East, 23 percent in Europe, and 6 percent in Asia. The company also reported double-digit gains in flights and passengers globally last year, but didn’t quantify these claims. But it did say that during the first half—the “low season”—overall flights climbed 12 percent from the same period in 2018.

Despite the coronavirus’s effects on air travel, VistaJet founding chairman Thomas Flohr expressed optimism that this growth trajectory will continue, especially with the addition of Bombardier Global 7500s this year and synergies from aviation marketplace XO. “VistaJet’s solutions are particularly attractive in times of uncertainty. The last 12 months were yet another milestone for the company…We begin 2020 positively during the first 10 weeks.”

European Groups Step Up Illegal Charter Campaign

The European Business Aviation Association, the British Business and General Aviation Association, and The Air Charter Association are committing to step up their efforts to fight against illegal charters. The associations further have called on governments worldwide to take the issue of illegal charter flights more seriously.

The associations’ call comes in response to the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) released report of the fatal crash of the Piper Malibu carrying 28-year-old soccer player Emiliano Sala, into the English Channel January 2019. Published on Friday, the report stated that “neither the pilot nor aircraft had the required licenses or permissions to operate commercially”—raising the issue of illegal charter flights.

The associations plan to organize dedicated workshops across Europe for operators, brokers, and authorities to accelerate knowledge and best-practice sharing. In addition, they will roll out new tools to empower passengers and the business aviation community to look up charter operators, access factsheets, and report questionable operations, they said.

Further, the organizations stressed authorities must make additional resources available “to actively prosecute offenders who flout the law. There need to be far higher sentences, more substantial fines, the removal of pilots’ licenses and seizure of aircraft for those people who, despite knowing the law, operate as if they weren’t subject to any of it.”

FAA Eliminates Part 91 RNAV LOA for Europe

Thanks to input from NBAA and other aviation stakeholders, the FAA no longer requires a letter of authorization (LOA) for Part 91 operators planning to fly certain routes and procedures, typically in Europe, where specific area navigation (RNAV) requirements are in place. Removing an LOA requirement eliminates a huge burden for Part 91 operators, and NBAA said it has been working diligently to help in this effort.

The LOA BO34 requirement originally was in place so that Part 91 operators could demonstrate that their avionics equipment met the Precision RNAV or Basic RNAV/RNAV 5 system capability on routes and for procedures flown in Europe. “However,” NBAA pointed out, “the minimum level of system capability for U.S. operators flying RNAV routes or procedures is RNAV 1 and 2, both more stringent standards than RNAV 5.”

NBAA further noted that “there is no longer a need for Part 91 LOA B034” because they already meet the more stringent RNAV precision criteria. “Further, Part 91 operators are not required to seek LOA approval for RNAV 1 and 2 operations, but rather be prepared to show compliance upon request via their aircraft flight manual or pilot’s operating handbook–making the separate LOA requirement redundant.”

GE Aviation Integrates C-FOQA with Vector SMS

GE Aviation has integrated its C-FOQA (Corporate Flight Operations Quality Assurance) program with Polaris Aero's safety management system, Vector SMS. GE called the collaboration the first of its kind, enabling flight data to be automatically forwarded to Vector SMS through GE Aviation’s application programming interface.

Launched in partnership with Flight Safety Foundation in 2005, GE’s C-FOQA program enables operators to analyze and routinely review recorded flight data to better identify and eliminate potential hazards. The program uses GE analytics software that takes into account meteorological information, navigation data, and terrain mapping to identify safety events and measurements.

Vector SMS, an app on Polaris Aero's VOCUS Safety Intelligence platform, meanwhile, was released in 2013 to provide a simplified approach to report, analyze, audit, and trend safety concerns, and facilitate engagement throughout an organization.

C-FOQA and Vector SMS combine for more than 400 Part 91 and 135 customers, GE Aviation said.

"This new capability streamlines the safety process and makes it easy for users to identify the underlying causes of safety events,” added Chris Connor, co-founder and CEO of Polaris Aero. “By understanding the C-FOQA events and being able to link them to root causes in Vector SMS, flight departments can go from safety compliant to best-in-class.”

The integration saves time and reduces workload, enhancing safety in an organization, Ben Ivy, senior product manager for GE Aviation, further said.

FL3XX, Stellar Join on Management, Charter Exchange

Stellar Labs, developer of the Stellar flight operations platform, and aviation management solutions provider FL3XX have partnered “to solve the operational and business challenges faced by charter operators, brokers, and corporate flight departments.” The companies announced the partnerships at last week’s NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference.

Under the agreement between the two companies, FL3XX’s more than 50 customers will be able to use the Stellar Marketplace to make their aircraft available to charter customers for quoting and booking with real-time pricing, feasibility checks, and safety data. Another service included in the partnership is Stellar’s self-service data analysis product, Stellar Data Studio.

Stellar’s more than 150 customers also have access to FL3XX’s aviation management platform, as Stellar is the exclusive provider for FL3XX’s platform and connected services in North America. FL3XX’s software can be used for charter quotes, sales, scheduling, flight logging, duty time calculations, invoicing, customer management, and reporting.

“As we grow our presence in the U.S. market,” said FL3XX CEO Paolo Sommariva, “it’s great to work alongside a partner and leverage Stellar’s strong industry experience. This partnership will drive more effective business impact for our clients.”

Sun ‘n’ Fun Pushes Back Annual Event by One Month

Organizers of Sun ’n‘ Fun Aerospace Expo are postponing the event, for now, by one month to May 5-10, citing concerns about the developing crisis with Covid-19. The 2020 Sun ’n‘ Fun originally was to be held March 31-April 5 at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Florida.

“Our first priority is always the health, safety, and well-being of our patrons, partners, staff, and volunteers,” said representatives of Sun ’n‘ Fun and the Aerospace Center for Excellence, adding the move to early May came with the full support of airport officials, the City of Lakeland, Polk County, and the FAA.

“We appreciate the unwavering support of our airport and community and hope everyone will make plans to join us here this May,” the organizers added.

In its 46th year, the annual light general aviation event encompasses a fly-in, airshow, convention, and tradeshow.

VNY Completes Major Taxiway Rehab Project

Los Angeles-area business aviation hub Van Nuys Airport has completed a nearly $30 million reconstruction program on its Taxiway B. The 14-month project was completed on time and on budget, according to Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which manages the facility.

The 8,800-foot taxiway was reconstructed in nine phases and included full-depth asphalt pavement, shoulder construction, new markings, installation of LED centerline and edge lighting, upgraded signage, and jet blast-resistant fencing, as well as grading and drainage improvements. Coordinated to permit tenant access and mitigate airfield impact, the project required a more than two-month shortening of 8,000-foot Runway 16R/34L and two extended closures of Runway 16L/34R, which was used as a temporary taxiway during the construction.

“Van Nuys Airport plays in integral role in our nation’s air transportation system, and we are committed to delivering to a gold standard in every aspect of operations, safety, and facilities, and the reconstruction of Taxiway B helps us do just that,” said LAWA’s interim CEO Justin Erbacci.

Later this month, work will begin on a similar 16-month long, $35.4 million rehabilitation project on Taxiway A, which is located on the west side of the airport’s runways. The FAA Airport Improvement Program is covering 90 percent of the cost of both projects.

Important Events Note

While there have been many cancelations and postponements of important events during the Covid-19 crisis, AIN remains committed to covering the business aviation industry. Please send any news and press releases, especially related to events you had been planning to attend, to ctrautvetter@ainonline.com and we will endeavor to help share your news.