Oklahoma Airport To Receive Third FBO

Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City will receive another service provider as work has begun on a complex to be called JetSet. Founded by Happy Wells, whose charter company has had a presence at the airport since 1997, the FBO's terminal will offer 12,000 sq ft of customer and office space. JetSet will have a passenger lounge, conference room, pilot lounge with snooze rooms and shower facilities, and a refreshment bar. The adjoining hangar will offer 28,000 sq ft of aircraft storage, capable of sheltering the latest big business jets. A second phase of construction consisting of an additional 50,000-sq-ft hangar is also planned.

More than 300 aircraft are based at the airport including 66 business jets, but of the more than 65,000 operations there in 2017, more than half were from aircraft not based there.

“Wiley Post is a popular location for charter flights traveling across the country to refuel because of its central location and proximity to major cities in the region,” said Wells. “Local traffic at the airport is also strong so we can offer essential services to travelers stopping for a short time or to people departing from the airport.”

When the World Fuel Services-branded facility opens early next year, it will be the third FBO on the field, joining Atlantic Aviation and Valair Aviation.

European Bizav Activity Slips in April

April business aviation departures in Europe were similar to those in March but down 3.1 percent from April 2018 to 66,165, according to data and consulting firm WingX’s monthly Business Aviation Monitor. Over the past 12 months, activity is down 1 percent compared with the same period a year ago. “Business aviation activity slowed further this month, reinforcing the impression that European demand has stalled since Q4 2018,” WingX managing director Richard Koe said.

There were 5 percent fewer business jet flights in April, with an 8 percent decline in privately filed flights. Among size categories, small and midsize jets had the greatest decline, particularly in France, the UK, and Switzerland. Large-jet activity in the region was down 3 percent from April 2018, with the steepest drops occurring in Turkey (21 percent), Spain (13 percent), and Germany and France (nearly 10 percent). It was flat in the UK and up 5 percent in Italy. 

The declines in April business aviation activity were noted among a couple of Europe’s largest cities as well, with London seeing a 5 percent decrease and Paris a 16 percent decrease—20 percent in small jets alone.

WingX noted that the declines were mostly reserved for flights within Europe, while those to North America and Africa “were well up this month.” Flights to the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, however, continued to fall.

FAA Remains Under Fire for Registry Operation

The FAA aircraft owner/operator registry’s system remains outdated and the agency has yet to develop a detailed plan for modernization, according to the Department of Transportation Inspector General (DOT IG). The DOT IG further concluded in its fifth and latest audit of the FAA’s registry: “Real-time access requires a physical presence at the registry office.” What’s more, the audit results are basically the same as the DOT IG determined from its previous four audits conducted since December 2010.

While FAA is in the early stages of developing plans to modernize the registry, the agency “has not yet made key decisions,” such as which processes to automate, the agency concluded. Consequently, the cost and timeframes for registry modernization remain uncertain, which is concerning since the FAA is mandated by law to complete registry upgrades by October 2021.

The audit found that the FAA relies on a “risk assessment” to guide where it focuses its surveillance, and automation could allow the FAA to better identify “fraudulent or incorrect submissions.” 

Della Posta To Succeed Saabas as President of P&WC

Maria Della Posta is taking the helm of Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) as president, effective June 1. Della Posta succeeds John Saabas, who is retiring after leading the Canadian engine maker since 2009 and serving with P&WC since 1985. In her new role, Della Posta will report directly to Bob Leduc, president of the parent Pratt & Whitney organization.

A 34-year P&WC veteran, Della Posta most recently was senior v-p. She joined P&WC in 1985 and held roles of increasing responsibility in supply chain, finance, and customer service. She became v-p of customer support in 2001 and senior v-p of sales and marketing in 2010 before taking the role of senior v-p.

"Maria has been instrumental in building Pratt & Whitney Canada's portfolio throughout her career,” Leduc said. “Maria brings extensive experience and a deep understanding of our customers and the markets in which we operate. As leader of Pratt & Whitney Canada's global business, I am confident that Maria will continue to drive sustainable growth and deliver exceptional customer service while maximizing operational performance worldwide.”

MEBAA Show Poised To Provide Bizav Boost in Morocco

The Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) is optimistic business aviation in Morocco will benefit from the show it is organizing there for September. “Due to its strategic location between Europe, the Middle East, and the rest of Africa, Morocco is seeing an increasing number of movements, and a new business aviation airport, Tit Mellil in Casablanca, [is] to be operational by 2025,” MEBAA chairman Ali Alnaqbi said.

Data provider WingX told AIN that bizjet departures from Morocco were up 5.4 percent for the first four months of 2019 compared with the same period in 2018. In the 12 months to the end of April, business jet departures from Africa were up 14 percent compared with the 12 months earlier.

“These indicators all point to a good year for business aviation in 2019, reinforced by the interest we are seeing from key industry players in the MEBAA Show Morocco,” Alnaqbi said of the event, taking place September 25-26 at Marrakech. “The market will be discussed in detail…by representatives of both industry and government, offering firsthand insight into the industry.”

At Least Four Killed in Alaskan Tour Aircraft Midair

An NTSB Go-Team was scheduled to arrive this afternoon at the scene of Monday’s midair collision near Ketchikan, Alaska, between two float-equipped tour planes: a de Havilland Beaver and a DHC-3 turbine Otter carrying a total of 16 people. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, four people are known killed, 10 are injured and two are missing. The passengers on both aircraft came from the cruise ship Royal Princess. At the time of the accident, VMC was reported.

The single-turboprop Otter (N959PA) was operated by Taquan Air of Ketchikan. In a statement, the 40-year-old company said it is canceling flights while federal authorities investigate. FAA records indicate that the registered owner of the ill-fated Beaver (N952DB) is Mountain Air Service, also of Ketchikan. There are no official reports of any previous serious accidents involving Mountain Air Service aircraft.

Taquan has been involved in three previous fatal accidents and one serious accident, according to NTSB data.

Airstream Jets Expands to Teterboro

Boca Raton, Florida-based charter broker and jet card provider Airstream Jets (ASJ) is expanding to the Northeast U.S. with the opening of an office at Signature Flight Support’s south terminal at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. 

The move to add an office is designed to help accommodate increasing demand for ASJ’s new Distance Card, the company said. ASJ also pointed to a rapidly growing customer base and said its revenues are on pace to triple those of last year. Sold in increments of $25,000, the Distance Card offers mileage-based pricing, using an algorithm that the company said provides flexibility and cost transparency.

Debbie Higgins, who has more than 30 years of business aviation experience, will head the new office as president of operations. Higgins’s background includes managerial experience in flight departments in both the South Florida and New York areas. She also founded Aero Education Academy in 2017 to train and mentor future business aviation professionals. Additional staff will be brought on board at the Teterboro site throughout 2019, ASJ added.

“In selecting our new office location, we felt it was important for us to have a presence in the heart of the world’s leading financial center,” Higgins said.

FAA: ADS-B Rebates Are Gone

Just a few days after the FAA warned that the $500 ADS-B reservations were running out, the agency reported that the last few hundred rebate slots for general aviation operators are now gone. “Fewer than 1,000 rebates remained as of Friday,” the agency warned on May 10. “The rate of rebates being claimed has doubled from about 70 per day to about 150 per day in the last week.”

The agency projected that those rebates would run out by the end of the week, but by the end of Monday, it issued the notice that they were gone. However, the FAA added that should any of the reservations be returned, it would make them available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The FAA offered 20,000 rebates in all since launching the program in September 2016 to encourage owners of fixed-wing, single-piston aircraft to equip with ADS-B Out avionics ahead of the January 1, 2020 deadline. Leaders in the helicopter market had pushed the agency to include helicopters in the rebates but to no avail. Data released earlier this year suggested that rotorcraft equipage lags well behind other categories.

Count on AIN for Full Coverage of EBACE

As ever, you can count on AIN for full coverage of EBACE 2019. Our team will publish three of our award-winning daily EBACE Convention News editions at the show on May 21, 22. And 23. We will also have comprehensive real-time reporting of all the top news at AINonline.com and in our daily e-newsletters. If you are an exhibiting company that wants to share news or propose pre-show interviews and briefings please contact show editor Chad Trautvetter.