European airport management and FBO infrastructure operator Sea Prime grew business aviation movements at its facilities by 4 percent in 2023, to 33,000, which is also up 38 percent versus pre-pandemic 2019. At its facilities in Milan, Italy, traffic is already up 6 percent compared to the same period in 2023, thanks to high traffic during Milan Fashion Week in late February.

Celebrating its success this week at the 2024 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers conference, Sea Prime highlighted last year’s addition of a 50,400-sq-ft hangar at Linate Prime. This brings the total to 12 business aircraft hangars totaling 377,000 sq ft.

At Malpensa Prime, Sea Prime’s Fast Track service takes care of the needs of large-aircraft charter flights, such as for Milanese football and basketball teams and their rivals. “Rock and movie stars and international corporations are increasingly requesting Milano Prime’s Fast Track service, which guarantees a combination of comfort, privacy, and security,” according to Sea Prime.

“Sea Prime is constantly working to meet the increasing demand for business aviation services and infrastructures in Milano, with a focus on the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, during which Milano Prime airports will be ready to welcome visitors, athletes, and delegations,” said CEO Chiara Dorigotti.

NBAA’s 35th-anniversary edition of its Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC), which took place last week at Texas' Fort Worth Convention Center, attracted more than 3,300 attendees from 54 countries. Of that amount, approximately 10 percent made their first appearance at the event.

The show officially launched on Wednesday with a lively opening session hosted by SDC committee co-chairs Brian Abrahamson, manager of flight operations with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., and Jessi Litz-Rowden, Women in Aviation International’s manager of chapter relations.

It offered 32 educational sessions covering vital topics such as emissions and sustainability, emergency response planning, customs and border protection compliance, legal agreements, flight planning, fuel purchasing, regional aircraft operations, and personal development.

On the show floor were approximately 460 exhibitors encompassing the full range of aviation services providers, including FBOs, trip support, ground transportation, catering, and software providers.

“The passion that characterizes the scheduling and dispatching profession was front and center at this year’s conference, which brought people together to engage in new ways of thinking, empower each other, and come away inspired about the opportunities on the horizon,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.

Next year’s conference will take place in Portland, Oregon, from March 11 to 13.

ExecuJet Haite completed its first engine change on a Dassault Falcon, the Chinese MRO provider said today. Work on the Falcon 7X took place at ExecuJet Haite’s MRO center in Tianjin, China, which features a built-in overhead crane for engine changes and other complex work. The Falcon 7X is powered by three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A engines.

“Chinese Falcon operators previously had to send aircraft to Shanghai, or more often it went overseas for engine changes,” said ExecuJet Haite general manager Paul Desgrosseilliers. “However, after this most recent event, we have now demonstrated that it can be successfully performed at our Tianjin facility.”

ExecuJet Haite changed the "number one" powerplant on the 7X and then shipped out the engine for repairs.

The Falcon 7X and 8X rank as Dassault Aviation’s most popular aircraft types in China. Dassault Aviation recently renewed ExecuJet Haite’s authorized service center status for another three-year term.

ExecuJet Haite has received certification from the Civil Aviation Agency of China, as well as from the FAA, EASA, and civil aircraft regulators in Bermuda, Cayman Islands, and San Marino. The MRO also claims experience in Rolls-Royce and GE engine changes for other business aircraft types.

California aviation services provider Desert Jet—one of the hundreds of companies exhibiting last week at NBAA's Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference, in Fort Worth, Texas—turned a double-play just before the show, earning two of the industry’s highest safety standards, Wyvern Wingman Pro and Argus Platinum.

Based at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (KTRM) in Palm Springs, Desert Jet is now one of just 16 private aircraft operators to earn Wingman Pro status, a safety benchmark above Wyvern’s Wingman program—issued to companies that demonstrate effectiveness in all areas of SMS, excellence in addressing human factors and operational safety culture, and continuous conformity to international standards through an internal audit program.

The Argus Platinum rating is given to operators who pass a rigorous onsite safety audit and have well-developed safety management and emergency response plans. Only companies that have implemented industry-best safety practices relative to their operations and maintenance receive this highest Argus certification.

Along with its existing IS-BAO Stage 3 registration, these latest additions give Desert Jet the trifecta of top safety certifications. Fewer than one percent of all charter operators in the U.S. have earned all three ratings concurrently.

“Desert Jet is fully committed to embracing all available safety tools, including the third-party auditing services that assist in sharpening our approach to operating safely every single day,” said CEO Jared Fox. “We are proud to have yet again demonstrated that Desert Jet is one of the safest aviation operators in the world.”

Gogo Business Aviation is migrating its Gogo Biz air-to-ground (ATG) network to LTE technology. Anyone operating an aircraft that currently has a “legacy” Gogo system (ATG 5000, 4000, 2000 or 1000) installed will be impacted and needs to act quickly by upgrading to AVANCE by Dec. 31, 2025.

Switzerland-based Absolute Aviation has acquired Aviation Centre, an aircraft maintenance facility located in Windhoek, Namibia. Under the umbrella of Absolute Aviation, the South African MRO will undergo a rebranding to become Absolute Aviation Centre.

According to Absolute Aviation, the Namibia facility will be used as a “strategic parts warehouse,” calling the acquisition a “significant expansion” for its footprint in the region. The founder of Aviation Centre, Peter Hartmann, will continue to lead operations there.

Absolute Aviation is the authorized sales, service, and parts representative for Cessna, Beechcraft, and Pipistrel in Southern and Central Africa. The company also represents a number of aircraft parts, engines, and performance enhancement manufacturers in Africa, as well as aviation services relating to aircraft and flight operations management through its FBO and flight services business.

The FAA proposed a $175,000 civil penalty against Houston-based air charter operator Empyreal Jet for allegedly operating a Hawker 800XP in unairworthy condition following "improper" maintenance.

"An inspection in September 2022 found cracks in the skin of the jet’s rudder," the FAA alleged. "In October 2022, Empyreal reinstalled the damaged rudder and subsequently operated the plane on approximately 31 revenue flights. Empyreal personnel entered in a maintenance log that they had replaced the rudder when in fact they reinstalled the original damaged part."

Empyreal has 30 days after receiving the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency. The company, which has about 15 employees and a fleet of two Hawker 800XPs and a Bombardier Learjet 60, did not respond to AIN’s request for comment at press time.

Air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity provider SmartSky Networks has named Hillsboro Aviation and Haggan Aviation as sales and installation partners. Both new partners offer full MRO services, including connectivity upgrades for business aircraft with SmartSky next-generation ATG connectivity.

“The premium travel experience our customers demand requires high-performance inflight connectivity, which is why we wanted to partner with SmartSky,” said Hillsboro Aviation COO Ryan McCartney. “We are getting more and more frequent requests for a proven option for better Wi-Fi, and the buzz in the marketplace is that SmartSky is delivering it.”

Hillsboro Aviation operates at Oregon's Portland–Hillsboro Airport (KHIO), where it has provided complete helicopter and airplane support since its inception in 1980.

Meanwhile, Haggan Aviation, which operates at Denver Centennial Airport (KAPA), is the largest certified FAA Part 145 repair station in the Southwest region and offers full airframe, engine, avionics, paint, and interior capabilities. The company lays claim to particular expertise in Hawker and Learjet airframes.

“Haggan Aviation’s aircraft maintenance capabilities and expertise are well-known in the region,” said Aria Bahawdory, director of MRO account management for SmartSky. “Because SmartSky has current first article installation projects in progress on the Hawker 800/850/900, as well as follow-on installations on the Lear 60, Haggan is a perfect addition to our dealer network.”

Levo Aero, a technology company serving small to medium-sized Part 135 operators, recently unveiled the first enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer resource management (CRM), and SmartInbox software suite designed exclusively for charter operators. The company also plans to introduce the Levo Marketplace, a dedicated B2C platform that will allow retail customers to buy private charter trips and book empty-leg seats directly with the aircraft operator.

It promotes a "robust affiliate network" of charter aircraft that, with Marketplace Levo, will permit customers to book flights in real-time. Conversely, it will allow charter operators to move aircraft and fill empty legs. CEO Joe Moeggenberg said he brings more than 40 years of experience in the Part 135 sector along with expertise, relationships, and insights to tackle some of the longstanding challenges the charter industry has struggled to solve.

“The industry is rapidly evolving, requiring more sophisticated, efficient approaches to meet operational demands,” said Moeggenberg. “This has never been more important for the small and medium-sized Part 135 operators."

Separately, Levo announced a recent partnership with Outer Banks Aviation (OBXA), a company specializing in private charter flights to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and aerial tours along the East Coast. On the ground, OBXA provides a wide range of aircraft services, including maintenance, hangarage, and a flight school.

AIN’s senior-level Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit (CALS) East, set for July 15 to 17 in Jersey City, New Jersey, will address the latest hot topics, strategies, and solutions in business aviation. The summit is attendee-centric and serves as an educational and professional networking platform, connecting corporate aviation leaders with peers, industry experts, and solution providers in a relaxed, informal environment. We invite U.S.-based flight department leaders to apply to attend this all-expenses-paid event as our guests. Seats are limited, so don’t wait to apply.