Cutter Aviation is celebrating a major expansion of its FBO ramp at Prescott Regional/Ernest A. Love Field Airport (KPRC) today in Arizona. The project added 86,973 sq ft to its apron, giving it a total of 5.5 acres of space, and enlarged the facility’s car parking lot by more than 24,000 sq ft.

According to the company, the work was required to accommodate the increasing demand for aviation services in the greater Phoenix area and will improve its operational efficiency at KPRC. It is holding a grand opening reception this afternoon to showcase the project’s completion.

“We are excited to reach this significant milestone in Prescott,” said company president and CEO Will Cutter. “This expansion helps us meet the growing demand in the area and better serve our customers.”

Cutter—which is celebrating its 97th anniversary this year—has five other FBOs, including Phoenix Sky Harbor (KPHX), Phoenix Deer Valley (KDVT), Albuquerque, New Mexico (KABQ), Colorado Springs, Colorado (KCOS), and Georgetown Executive (KGTU) in Texas. It offers aircraft maintenance services at Prescott and Phoenix Sky Harbor, at Centennial Airport (KAPA) near Denver, and in Texas at Addison Airport (KADS) and San Antonio International Airport (KSAT).

Global business aircraft flight activity last month rose 1.1% year over year (YOY), with North America and Europe seeing declines of 2.6% and 4.8%, respectively, while the rest of the world climbed by 26%, according to TraqPak data from Argus International. When corrected for the leap day last February, flying was up 4.7% globally last month, it added. Argus analysts are predicting a 0.6% YOY increase in North America and a 2.9% traffic decrease in Europe this month.

In North America, results by operational category were mostly positive last month, with fractional activity once again leading the way with 3.6% YOY gains. Part 135 flying inched up by 0.4%, marking the third consecutive month of increases, while Part 91 plunged 7.5%. But aircraft categories in the region were all negative versus last February: large-cabin jets, -4.4%; light jets, -4%; turboprops, -2.7%; and midsize jets, -0.5%. The largest and only double-digit increase in individual categories in North America was fractional large-cabin activity, which climbed 10.2% YOY.

According to Argus, European activity was “sluggish” last month, with aircraft categories in the red: turboprops, -7.3%; light jets, -5%; large-cabin jets, -3.9%; and midsize jets, -3.1%. But it was the complete opposite in the rest of the world: turboprops, +43.6%; midsize jets, +20.1%; light jets, +16.8%; and large-cabin jets, +7.5%.

The inaugural Business Aviation Asia Forum & Expo (BAAFEx) in Singapore this week had just three business jets on the static display, and Dassault was the sole manufacturer to bring one of its aircraft—in this case, a Falcon 8X. After the show closes today, the 8X will continue on a demonstration tour that started in Paris and will end at the Avalon International Airshow, near Melbourne, Australia, from March 25 to 30.

“It’s very important for us to be closer to our partners, prospects, and customers,” said Carlos Brana, the French manufacturer's executive v-p for civil aircraft. “It’s important to show our product. We are an airplane manufacturer and when we go to a trade show talking about airplanes, it’s difficult not to bring an airplane. [BAAFEx] is a first and we know it could be triggering a bigger event two years from now.”

Dassault’s presence at BAAFEx underscores the growth of its support network throughout the world. ExecuJet Haite, one of the companies in Dassault’s ExecuJet service center portfolio, is also exhibiting at BAAFEx. Both ExecuJet Haite locations in Tianjin and at Beijing’s new Daxing Airport are full of customer aircraft, further supporting Dassault’s efforts to stay close to its customers.

The FAA has decided to extend changes to the airman medical certification process, which had previously been slated to take effect January 1 but were delayed until March 1 after aviation stakeholders raised concerns late last year. On January 1, the FAA’s new requirements for color vision testing did take effect. This week, AOPA expressed support for the FAA’s decision to once again delay proposed changes to the airman medical certification process.

Proposed changes to medical certification would have led to immediate denials of incomplete medical applications. AOPA, along with other aviation organizations, expressed concerns after the change was announced late last year about the potential negative consequences, including delays in professional pilots returning to work after a denied medical.

In response to these concerns, the FAA had, by mid-December 2024, delayed the changes. The agency now will hold a listening session with industry stakeholders on April 23. This decision allows for further input before any final changes are made to the medical certification process.

“We appreciate the FAA’s efforts to seek additional input from AOPA and others,” said AOPA president and CEO Darren Pleasance. “Our goal is to help pilots by working with the FAA to make the medical certification process more efficient while eliminating unnecessary burdens on applicants.”

As it moves forward with plans to bring fractional shares of business jets to China, Amber Aviation is adding more former NetJets Gulfstream G450s to its charter management fleet. The company displayed one of these G450s this week at the Business Aviation Asia Forum & Exhibition in Singapore.

Leased from NetJets, one of the investors in Amber Aviation, the G450s are then offered to customers in the AmberNet “fractional lease” program in blocks of 25 to 50 flight hours. “[NetJets] is coming through us to help grow the market,” said Amber Aviation chairman and president Jeff Chang.

Partnering with a Chinese company is usually required for non-Chinese investors who want to build a business in the country and also makes for smoother relationships with government and airport authorities, he explained. “So far it’s a successful venture.”

China does have a regulatory framework for the sale of fractional shares and operation of fractional fleets, and Amber Aviation has plans to offer shares. “Because the concept is still fairly novel in this region, the first step is fractional leasing, then eventually ownership,” Chang said. “People here still need a bit more time to understand the difference.”

For Amber Aviation customers, who typically travel with family and staff, “the G450 is a well-rounded aircraft that fits the traveling profile of this area,” he added.

Garmin has secured EASA certification for its Autoland and autothrottle systems for retrofit installation in 200-series Beechcraft King Airs with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics. This approval marks the first time these autonomous safety systems have been cleared for retrofit in twin-engine aircraft within Europe.

Designed for emergency situations when pilots are incapacitated, with the push of a button Autoland can autonomously control and land an aircraft without human intervention. The system evaluates multiple variables to select the most suitable airport and runway, including weather conditions, fuel reserves, runway characteristics, terrain obstacles, and other factors.

When activated, Autoland calculates an optimal flight path, initiates the approach, and communicates with air traffic control throughout the process. Passengers are provided with visual and verbal instructions while displaying essential information on flight displays, including the aircraft’s position, destination, and estimated arrival time.

Meanwhile, the company's autothrottle reduces cockpit workload by automatically managing engine power from takeoff to landing. It maintains optimal power settings based on manufacturer or user-configured parameters while providing engine protection against temperature and torque exceedances.

This certification package also introduces enhanced G1000 NXi features, including upgraded synthetic vision technology with 3D airport environment visualization and one engine inoperative stability protection. The latter assists pilots in maintaining control during single-engine failures by automatically adjusting pitch and roll limits.

The vast majority of airline passengers (98%) would consider using an eVTOL air taxi service as part of their journey, according to a survey conducted by Honeywell. Canvassing 1,000 U.S. adult travelers, the aerospace technology group also found that 79% of them would travel more often if they could use one of the new electric aircraft to get to and from airports.

With time savings clearly identified as the main basis for passengers’ willingness to embrace so-called advanced air mobility technology, almost half of the respondents (47%) told Honeywell that “not having to sit in traffic” was their main motivation. Other factors cited include ease of use and convenience (61%), cost (61%), minimal environmental impact (44%), and novelty or curiosity (44%).

Travelers expressing the highest levels of enthusiasm for the prospect of eVTOL air services included millennials (65%), people who have flown more than 10 times in the past year (67%), and those traveling for business (60%). By comparison, 58% of all respondents were in the “most enthusiastic” category, along with 56% of those who have taken fewer than 10 trips, and 45% of those traveling purely for pleasure.

Survey respondents also signaled a willingness to take eVTOL flights to move between cities within 100 miles of each other (41%) or to make trips from a suburban airport to a city center (31%).