The threat of tariffs on imports to the U.S. market could dent sales of French-made Falcon business jets, according to Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Éric Trappier. Announcing what he described as “unprecedented” net income of €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) during a press conference today in Paris, Trappier warned that the Trump Administration’s declared intention to impose 25% tariffs on the European Union could undermine its objective of delivering 40 Falcons this year.

Acknowledging instability in the context of the war between Russia and Ukraine, and political turbulence in France, Trappier said the U.S. government’s marked shift in strategy represented the most significant source of uncertainty around trading conditions in 2025. “The most concerning [political development] is the arrival of the new Trump Administration,” he said, highlighting the likelihood of tariffs and also what he characterized as a breach in the long-standing defense alliance between the U.S. and France.

Nonetheless, the Dassault group’s net revenues increased by almost 30% in 2024 to reach €6.2 billion, while net earnings increased by 19% to nearly €1.1 billion. It closed last year with a record backlog of orders valued at €43.2 billion.

This year, the company is targeting further revenue growth to €6.5 billion. However, Trappier warned that political and economic turbulence also includes rising taxes in France and further European Union action to suppress business aviation.

Embraer Executive Jets has expanded its authorized service center network with the addition of Fly Across MRO at Mexico’s Toluca International Airport (MMTO). Fly Across MRO will provide base maintenance for Phenoms, Praetors, and Legacy 450/500s. The company will offer both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, including AOGs and drop-ins.

The partnership follows a rigorous evaluation process to ensure that Fly Across MRO meets Embraer’s high service quality and safety standards. Fly Across is now a key service provider for Embraer aircraft operators in the region, offering maintenance, inspection, and repair services.

“We are pleased to grow our footprint in an important market like Mexico and in a strategic location for our operators,” said Embraer Services & Support v-p of global MRO centers Frank Stevens. “Embraer is growing its presence in the country, and we continue to enhance our services and support capabilities and capacity in Mexico.”

This expansion is part of Embraer’s continued investment in its MRO capacity, with recent additions including new maintenance lines in Dallas, Cleveland, and Sanford, Florida. Embraer’s Executive Jets service network includes eight Embraer-owned service centers and 44 authorized service centers across the Americas, with 74 centers total worldwide.

The aviation community is continuing to determine the extent of the ramifications of the rollout of tariffs in the U.S. and retaliatory actions of other nations, but concerns have spread globally throughout the industry. Among the newly implemented tariffs were an additional 25% levy on most goods from Canada and Mexico. Both nations are retaliating.

Despite earlier trade agreements that shielded the aerospace industry from previous tariffs, aircraft and their components appear to be covered by the newest round, industry groups believe. Still unclear is the compounding effects of components that may cross back and forth between borders as they are completed and/or repaired. But aviation groups are alarmed because of the complex, global nature of the industry.

Bombardier earlier had put off the release of its 2025 guidance as it awaited clarity on the full extent of the tariffs. This week, the company was still evaluating the situation and said it stood by its earlier comments that tariffs would harm both sides of the border.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) international president Brian Bryant and Canadian general v-p David Chartrand, meanwhile, yesterday jointly condemned the tariffs, calling the decision to move forward with them reckless. Across the Atlantic, leaders at both Dassault and Airbus have voiced concerns.

NBAA has planned a webinar for 11 a.m. on Tuesday to delve into the issue.

Slate Aviation, one of the largest U.S. operators of Bombardier CRJs and Challenger 850s, last week opened an 80,000-sq-ft aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) and cabin conversion facility at Middle Georgia Regional Airport. Located at a former Bombardier and Stevens Aerospace site, the facility is set to support the conversion of CRJ-200s into VIP charter and shuttle configurations.

More than 40 technicians are employed at the facility, and Slate plans to expand the workforce to more than 50 employees by year-end. Jonathan Cornwell, Slate’s v-p of aircraft production, is leading the facility, bringing more than 25 years of experience in aircraft interior completions. Juan Silva, also part of the leadership team, adds expertise in aviation interior services.

The MRO will also support Slate Aviation’s fleet, which includes nearly 35 CRJ-200s used for private air charter and per-seat services across the continental U.S., the Caribbean, and Canada. In addition to the MRO and conversion services, Slate Aviation recently announced a partnership with VistaJet to expand its per-seat services between premium U.S. destinations, starting with flights between New York and South Florida.

The FAA has certified the Airbus H125 helicopter to operate with single-pilot IFR capability. Announced on Monday, the approval clears the way for deliveries of the single-engine model to begin from the manufacturer’s U.S. assembly line in Columbus, Mississippi.

Developed in collaboration with Moog’s Genesys Aerosystems, the extended capability is based on an upgraded cockpit and new autopilot, along with redundant hydraulic and electrical systems. According to Airbus Helicopters, this combination supports advanced situational awareness and reduced pilot workload.

The FAA certification process started in March 2023 and Airbus aimed to complete it during the second half of last year. Describing the capability as an “incremental innovation that brings value to the market,” Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even said that the approval will reinvigorate demand for the single-engine rotorcraft.

“I don’t see the end of the H125 tomorrow,” he told journalists at a media briefing in Germany this week. “When you are at almost 80% market share [for intermediate single-engine helicopters], I don’t have the feeling we are lagging behind, [and] we benefit from the maturity, the reliability of the product.”

According to Jérôme Ronssin, head of the light helicopters unit at Airbus, the IFR feature will expand the H125’s mission capabilities across public service, emergency medical support, and law enforcement applications.

Dassault Aviation has appointed ExecuJet Haite Aviation Services at China's Daxing International Airport as an authorized service center for its Falcon business jets. The French manufacturer confirmed the appointment today, approving the base near Beijing to perform warranty work on Falcon 6Xs, 7Xs, and 8Xs.

This upgrade in status for ExecuJet Haite’s Daxing facility expands Dassault’s AOG and line maintenance support capability in China. The operation, which opened last year, complements the maintenance, repair and overhaul provider’s existing facility at Binhai International Airport in Tianjin, which is already an authorized service center for Falcons.

ExecuJet Haite is a franchise operation based on a joint venture between ExecuJet MRO Services, which is wholly-owned by Dassault, and Chinese aviation group Haite. On Monday, the company announced it had received Part 145 maintenance approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The facilities in Daxing and Tianjin also support Gulfstream, Embraer, and Bombardier business jets. They are certified by several international aviation safety agencies, including EASA, the FAA, and the civil aviation authorities of the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and Aruba. ExecuJet MRO Services also has facilities in Malaysia, the UAE, and South Africa.

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Georgia) reintroduced legislation to permit FAA-certified commercial pilot and aircraft maintenance technical training qualified expenses for 529 college savings plans. Collins had previously offered the bill, the Aviation Workforce Development Act, in 2023, but in the absence of a major tax package it made little progress. However, it did accrue 162 co-sponsors in the last Congress, suggesting a significant amount of support.

The latest introduction of H.R.1818 comes as Congress is assembling a tax bill that could serve as a potential venue for such a measure. Joining Collins in the introduction of the bill this year are Reps. Lucy McBath (D-Georgia), Jimmy Panetta (D-California), and Mike Kelly (R-Pennsylvania), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee’s tax subcommittee.

Tax-advantaged savings accounts for education, 529 plans were originally designed to offset the costs of education at a four-year university. Congress has, over time, expanded the list of qualified expenses to include apprenticeship programs in certain trades. Aviation programs, however, were largely left out of this expansion.

Fifteen organizations representing airlines, business and general aviation, flight trainers, and other operators have endorsed the bill.