FBO chain Signature Aviation will expand its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) reach in Europe to six new locations this year. Following multiple blended fuel agreements, the company will provide permanent supplies of SAF at five facilities in the UK—East Midlands (EGNX), Gatwick (EGKK), London Heathrow (EGLL), London Luton (EGGW), and Manchester (EGCC) airports—and across the channel at Paris Le Bourget Airport (LFPB).

This follows Signature’s recent announcement that it would increase its U.S. SAF footprint to six of the largest business aviation markets along the East and Gulf Coasts.

With this latest European tranche, it will bring the chain to 33 locations stocking permanent SAF supplies worldwide, with eight in the EMEA region. It will inject more than 50 million gallons of blended SAF into the company’s network.

“We are proud to expand our SAF offering to six new locations in Europe following our recent expansion to additional key locations in the United States,” said Derek DeCross, the company’s chief commercial officer. “Along with our suppliers, we’re continuing to leverage the most comprehensive SAF supply chain to help our guests meet their sustainability initiatives through greater availability throughout our network.”

It started as a normal morning in the flight department—until a senior maintenance technician handed in their resignation. The news spread like wildfire. “Why are they leaving?” whispered one technician. “More money? A better schedule? Is it our culture?” asked another.

Within hours, the department was in full-blown panic mode. Managers scrambled to reassure the team, and the director of maintenance had to begin the lengthy process of hiring a replacement. But the real challenge wasn’t just finding someone new—it was calculating what was truly lost.

Beyond the hidden toll of lost knowledge and productivity, turnover hits the bottom line in ways impossible to ignore. From overtime expenses to training investments, the financial impact of replacing a technician adds up quickly.

When a technician leaves, the work continues, forcing existing staff to take on substantial overtime to bridge the gap. Paying overtime to a seasoned, non-exempt technician adds up rapidly. For instance, one department’s most experienced technician earns an overtime rate of $100.75. At just 10 hours of overtime per week over 26 weeks, the cost exceeds $26,000.

The situation might mandate hiring a contract technician, who often commands up to $1,500 per day, especially when managing internal inspections. There's the cost of training, signing bonuses, and moving costs, among others.

The business aircraft fleet in the Asia-Pacific region rebounded in 2024 after three years of decline, according to Asian Sky Group (ASG). Led by growth in Southeast Asia, the fleet reached 1,156 in 2024, marking 1.2% growth from 2023.

Mainland China’s business aircraft continued to see erosion, down 4% year over year (YOY), but the country still accounts for the largest market share. Conversely, fleets increased for the second consecutive year in both Australia and India, coming in second and third, consecutively, with 214 and 168 aircraft, respectively.

Southeast Asia led the net fleet growth in the region by volume last year, with the addition of 17 aircraft—a 6.2% YOY increase, ASG reported. Further, the aircraft broker and data analyst believes the region is likely to pass the 300-aircraft milestone by year-end as Southeast Asian nations see growing tourism and private travel operations, along with high net-worth individuals.

South Asia followed in net fleet growth with 16 additions. This was a 9.5% increase that came entirely from India. The region ranks fourth overall in fleet size in Asia-Pacific. Nations in Oceania collectively accounted for a net increase of three aircraft but East Asia experienced a net loss of one business aircraft to 103 in 2024, making it the smallest fleet in Asia-Pacific. The Greater China region is down a net 21 aircraft on the year to 331.

Nimbl (née AviationManuals) collected and analyzed aviation operational risks throughout 2024 and held a webinar late last week to discuss what the company had gleaned from the data. It also released its Common Risks Report, highlighting what it found from roughly 40,000 risk assessment submissions and offering practical mitigation strategies to increase safety in aviation operations.

The report emphasizes the importance of recognizing and mitigating multiple risks that can align and lead to aircraft incidents, using James Reason’s Swiss cheese model as a reference. Nimbl’s risk-assessment tool offers a way to assess, track, and manage risks, integrating with scheduling and weather data to provide informed decision-making options for flight crews.

Meanwhile, during the webinar Kevin Honan, senior operations advisor at Nimbl, and Andrew Madison, assistant v-p and director of safety loss control at Starr Aviation, discussed key risks and trends in aviation. Top risks in their presentation covered airport operations, nighttime operations, crew currency, contaminated surfaces, non-towered airports, and no-passenger operations.

Possible mitigations they suggested included additional training for crew currency, creating more robust SOPs for specialty equipment use, and developing stricter procedures for operating in challenging conditions. Training programs, equipment upgrades with a focus on safety, and developing comprehensive risk-management processes are possible strategic resource allocation areas for business aviation flight departments.

Gogo, the first and only dedicated multi-orbit, multi-band connectivity provider dedicated to business aviation, is ready to deliver its unique service globally.

Up-and-coming FBO chain Vantage Aviation has acquired Monaco Air, the lone FBO at Minnesota’s Duluth International Airport (KDLH). A member of the World Fuel-sponsored Air Elite Network, the complex includes a 14,000-sq-ft terminal built in 2016 that also houses the airport’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In addition, the terminal includes multiple passenger seating areas, pilot lounge, snooze rooms with full beds, showers, equipment and storage lockers, business center, a flight-planning area, fitness center, and two conference rooms with seating for 20 and eight, respectively. Amenities include crew cars and onsite car rentals. The location also includes 40,000 sq ft of hangar space that can handle aircraft up to a Falcon 900.

Since its launch in October, Vantage has acquired four FBOs, including two this month, and is developing a new facility at Colorado’s Rifle Garfield County Airport (KRIL).

“Monaco Air Duluth is a great addition to the Vantage Aviation Network, and germane to our strategy,” said Vantage founder and CEO Ryan Maxfield, adding that the location offers a full slate of aviation services. In addition to providing fuel and ground handling to general aviation aircraft, Monaco Air is an “above- and below-wing” air carrier partner, maintenance shop, and Part 141 flight training school.

Gogo Business Aviation is racing against a tight timeline to upgrade approximately 2,400 aircraft still operating on its legacy air-to-ground network before service ends in early 2026. During the 2025 AEA Convention last week, Gogo v-p of aftermarket sales Dave Salvador discussed the company’s multi-pronged approach to transitioning these aircraft.

“The original air-to-ground network for Gogo has been in service for more than 14 years,” Salvador told AIN. “That network, the cellular technology that’s on there, we’re transitioning it from…EVDO to LTE.”

Customers have several upgrade paths available. “Those upgrades can be accomplished through moving from the legacy systems to the Avance L3 or Avance L5,” Salvador explained. “We also have the opportunity for someone to provision for the 5G product with an L5 and the 5G antennas, and then of course Galileo,” the company's low-earth-orbit satcom product.

Gogo’s 5G service, which has been in development for several years, is approaching key milestones. “We are in the final chip fabrication for the 5G chip that is expected to finish at the end of the second quarter,” Salvador said. “From there, we will start taking those chips and putting them in the hardware, which we already have PMA’d with a 4G chip, doing our final testing with the network, and then starting to deliver the production 5G hardware at the end of this year.”

Political and economic turmoil has not dented Airbus’ commitment to decarbonizing aviation, according to the European aerospace and defense group’s chief sustainability officer, Julie Kitcher. Addressing the opening of this year’s Airbus Summit today, she told journalists that the company and its partners are not discouraged by the apparent enormity of the task it will take for aviation to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050.

“In 2024, global temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and yet [the case for] decarbonization is now being challenged [by some critics],” Kitcher said. “Climate change is both a financial and a business risk and so we are committed to the net-zero goal. Our partners and also policymakers have made wide-ranging commitments, and with innovation, technology is on track to achieve progress towards these goals.”

Pointing to progress made more generally in delivering increased volumes of renewable energy, Kitcher said it is an increasingly low-cost solution that supports energy sovereignty and security, while also supporting investment and jobs. “Every year brings a new crisis, but at Airbus our conviction remains the same, and for a safe and united world, we need to innovate, inform, and inspire,” she concluded.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury repeatedly stressed that the company remains committed to bringing hydrogen-powered airliners into commercial service.

NATA has added Wyvern, a provider of aerospace safety risk management solutions, to its Partner+ program. This collaboration aims to expand safety-focused offerings for NATA members by connecting them with Wyvern’s expertise in safety risk management. Facilitating access to tailored business solutions, the Partner+ program also supports strategic initiatives within the aviation industry.

“Wyvern is proud to join NATA’s Partner+ Program to provide value to NATA’s many members, including FBOs and MROs. As our Wingman certification has been the global standard in the industry for decades, Wyvern’s new certification is a game changer, evaluating Wingman FBOs and Wingman MROs against contemporary safety risk management best practices and international standards,” said company CEO Sonnie Bates. “Wyvern’s vision is to ensure all aerospace organizations achieve and maintain a healthy safety culture, and we look forward to serving NATA members on their journey towards safety excellence.”

Founded in 1991, Wyvern provides a range of safety-related services, including training, consulting, auditing, and risk management software. The company offers programs such as Wingman FBO and Wingman MRO certifications, a quality safety management system (QSMS), and a virtual safety officer service.

NATA’s Partner+ program will be featured this week at the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in New Orleans.

Tell us about the product support you receive from business aviation OEMs. The 2025 AIN Product Support Survey is now open, ready for selected readers to rate aircraft, engine, and avionics support. AIN readers who have been picked to participate in this year’s Product Support Survey should have received their password and link to the online survey by e-mail. The survey needs to be completed by midnight on June 1.