Increased deliveries of both Falcon business jets and Rafale fighters boosted Dassault’s 2025 balance sheet. Announcing 2025 results this morning, the French aerospace and defense group reported revenues of €7.4 billion, up 19% from 2024.

However, Dassault chairman and CEO Éric Trappier warned of tough trading conditions complicated by multiple factors. “What is happening in the Gulf will have consequences if the conflict continues for any length of time, and that is on top of the war in Ukraine,” he commented.

A French government tax surcharge of €96 million, in addition to other taxes totaling €186 million, has dented operating profits, which nonetheless increased by 22% to €635 million. Trappier said this burden risks undermining Dassault’s competitiveness in the business jet sector with U.S. and Canadian rivals Gulfstream, Bombardier, and Textron, among others.

Last year, Dassault delivered 37 Falcons—six more than it did in 2024 but below its guidance target of 40 aircraft. During the same period, the company delivered 26 Rafales—15 for export customers and 11 for France—which was five more units than in 2024. Last year, it logged 31 net Falcon sales, five more than in 2024.

NBAA is planning to return its hallmark BACE event to New Orleans in 2028 for the first time in more than 25 years. The return to New Orleans will also mark the end of what would be a five-year run of hosting the show in the entertainment mecca of Las Vegas. However, Las Vegas remains on the schedule for 2029.

The association in 2022 announced that it would stage a trial to hold BACE in a single location and opted for Las Vegas, which had proven to be a powerful draw for attendees. The return to New Orleans marks a significant milestone because it was last held there in December 2001, a rescheduled event after 9/11 had forced cancellation of original plans that year. It was then to have been held there in 2005, but show organizers were forced to reschedule and move locations after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. The years of hurricane recovery made a return difficult.

To be held Oct. 10 to 12, 2028, at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the convention will hold the static display at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (KMSY) instead of the former location of Lakefront Airport.

Boca Aircraft Maintenance (BAM) has opened a business aircraft maintenance facility at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (KSRQ), marking the company's third Florida location and its first on the state's Gulf Coast side. Headquartered at Boca Raton Airport (KBCT), BAM also has a maintenance facility at Miami–Opa Locka Executive Airport (KOPF).

The 36,229-sq-ft KSRQ facility adds another base for BAM’s rapid-response AOG teams. Customers have direct gate access to the facility, which also features a 20,000-gallon fuel farm dedicated to BAM clients.

In addition to FAA Part 145 repair station certification, BAM holds authorizations from EASA, the UK, Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela, and the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

The maintenance provider specializes in Textron Aviation Cessna 441 turboprops, Citation 560s, and Hawkers; Bombardier Learjets, Challengers, and Globals; Eclipse 500s and 550s; Dassault Falcons; and Gulfstream G200s through GVs. Authorized services are available for Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Rolls-Royce, and Williams International engines. BAM’s avionics capabilities include Gogo air-to-ground and satcom systems, as well as Viasat and Iridium satcom, and installation of FANS 1/A+ datalinks, LED lighting, and in-flight entertainment systems, among others.

Digital aircraft records management provider Bluetail has released new AI tools to its software-as-a-service platform that automatically identify, organize, and place any scanned document “in precise chronological order within the logbook.” This makes searching for maintenance-related information much easier and allows aircraft owners and maintainers to quickly access pertinent information or share specific information with third parties such as regulators.

“We’ve been creating and now implementing our AI strategy for aircraft maintenance records,” said Bluetail CEO Roberto Guerrieri, “and we have taken some substantial steps over the last couple of months.”

While some owners still use paper maintenance documents, he added, “We are seeing people move to digital, and I think that it’s [due to] a lot of the evangelizing that we’ve been doing.” Even with digital logbooks, some owners back those up with printed copies organized into binders and use manual processes to access information. “The issues are still out there,” he said. “Compliance tracking is still complex, and it’s error-prone. Audits take weeks.”

Bluetail’s AI-powered digital logbooks are designed to help reduce time and increase aircraft availability and safety. “The data is where we’re playing,” he said. “It’s still trapped in paper and PDFs, but what [we’re doing] is AI working in a purposeful way to take on the issue of keeping up with your logbooks.”

Since acquiring AQRD, DAS Aviation has expanded its engineering team to 25+ engineers. With engineering and repair under one roof, solutions are developed and executed immediately. No handoffs. No delays. Back in service fast without compromising quality.

The FAA has issued an emergency order revoking StarFlite Aviation’s air carrier certificate, alleging that the Part 135 operator knowingly falsified pilot training records. StarFlite, which was not immediately available for comment, has the option of appealing the emergency order to the NTSB.

According to the FAA, StarFlite management personnel allegedly “ made numerous false entries in the training records of at least 10 pilots, including the chief pilot,” between November 2019 and November 2024. The agency added that these entries show check rides and competency checks in various aircraft that didn't occur and, as a result, StarFlite used unqualified personnel on at least 170 flights.

Further, the FAA  found that the Houston-based carrier lacked qualified management personnel to ensure the safety of the company’s operations, and “its conduct demonstrates a disregard for the safety of the flying public.”

Based at Houston Hobby Airport (KHOU), StarFlite provided both charter and managed aircraft with a mixed turboprop and jet fleet up to Gulfstreams. The company appeared to have held an Argus Gold rating along with Wyvern registration, but presently is not listed on either company’s operator directory. StarFlite’s website is also now pointing to an “under construction” page.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has strongly implied that ADS-B Out electronic conspicuity (EC) will soon become mandatory for all aircraft operating in the UK’s lower airspace. An updated concept of operations will be published in late 2026 or early 2027.

In a new document (CAP 3217) published March 2, the regulator outlined that increased integration of beyond-visual-line-of-sight drones will require all airspace users to adopt enhanced safety measures, stating, “Expecting unmanned aircraft to detect manned aircraft without an EC solution is not currently possible.”

Following a 2025 consultation, 808 survey responses were received, including 49% from the general aviation community—who, although “recognized and generally valued the potential for EC,” also highlighted concerns “particularly regarding the practicality, proportionality, and costs associated with equipage requirements.”

Within non-segregated airspace—defined as “the volumes of UK airspace where BVLOS UAS will be operating alongside other airspace users, with EC acting as a mitigation”—aircraft operating at speeds greater than 140 knots must use an ADS-B Out transponder with Mode S functionality. ADS-B In will remain optional, the CAA said.

Several respondents also voiced concern that a one-size-fits-all solution resembling TCAS would be inappropriate, commenting that “integrating lower-power EC devices with TCAS could lead to excessive alerts and traffic display distractions for manned aircraft operators to manage.”

Jet Linx will resume its Base Partner Program in April, reviving an equity-based investment model it suspended in 2020 ahead of a planned West Coast U.S. expansion. The program pairs Jet Linx with local private aviation users who invest in the company and serve as brand ambassadors in their markets.

These investors, called Base Partners, receive equity ownership in Jet Linx alongside the company’s founders and share in the success of all locations. The operator selects Base Partners based on their engagement in local communities and familiarity with their markets. The company credits the model with helping it scale from a single Omaha base in 1999 to 22 locations across the U.S.

“We are local, trusted members of the Omaha community where we were founded,” said Jet Linx co-founder and executive chair Jamie Walker. “We grew by partnering with local individuals nationwide who gave us this same advantage in the city they call home.”

The revamped program allows new investors to participate in existing locations, as well as new bases the company plans to open in 2026. Jet Linx intends to expand to the West Coast after focusing on recent growth in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

The company distributes customer service and economic ownership across markets rather than using centralized national operations. Each base has its own aircraft, pilots, customer service staff, and facilities.

NBAA has enhanced its members-only customs information fact sheet page to update in near-real time, the organization announced this week at its International Operators Conference in San Diego. The resource helps members research and plan international flights, select ports of entry, and follow airport customs procedures, NBAA said.

The GA Airport Fact Sheet resource compiles customs and border protection information from hundreds of airports, and now refreshes when NBAA receives updated details from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Information includes hours of service at CBP facilities, permission-to-land procedures, inspection processes, contact information for CBP officers and airport staff, and special procedures for specific airports. Members can sort the information by airport name, ICAO code, state, and update timestamp.

“The particulars about customs services vary from one airport to another, with no two ports of entry alike,” said NBAA senior v-p of safety, security, sustainability, and international affairs Doug Carr. “These new, real-time updates further reinforce NBAA’s commitment to delivering timely, actionable information that supports all business aircraft operations, including those with an international profile.”