Universal Aviation has increased its ground-handling footprint in the Caribbean with the announcement of a new joint venture with M Jet, an FBO at Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados. Universal has a “significant” ownership stake in the new joint venture it created with M Jet, which is now part of its network. This deal gives the Universal Weather and Aviation subsidiary a total of 36 ground-handling locations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
“We are delighted to be partnering with a brand that has such a pedigree within the aviation sector and which matches our commitment to excellence, which the M Jet brand has become synonymous with,” said M Jet executive chairman Mark Maloney. “In Universal, we have found a worthy partner to take the business to the next level.”
M Jet is open 24/7 with on-site customs and immigration clearance, passenger lounge, crew suite with showers, a 12-seat conference room, coffee bar, concierge, and dedicated pet quarantine, which is separate from the commercial terminal. The gated facility also features a private apron and 36,000 sq ft of hangar space capable of sheltering aircraft up to a BBJ or ACJ bizliner.
“Barbados continues to grow in popularity as a leisure destination for business aviation operators,” said Universal chairman Greg Evans, adding that it is “a strategic addition to our network.”
Vista Global reported a record first quarter with “high” double-digit revenue growth and a 55 percent year-over-year jump in its VistaJet program subscription hours sold. Noting that the momentum of 2022 carried into 2023, VistaJet sold about 9,000 gross annual hours under its membership program in the first quarter.
The U.S. market led this growth with program annual hours sold in the quarter double that of a year earlier, Vista said. In addition, Vista saw a 50 percent increase in the Middle East market, which was the second strongest region for new clients. More than 50 percent of its hours sold in the quarter were to existing clients, particularly in Europe and Asia, the international operator said, adding this demonstrates the strength and endurance of its product.
Vista credited its 2022 acquisition strategy—which saw the additions of Air Hamburg in Europe and Jet Edge in the U.S.—with helping to sustain the group’s growth.
In addition, Vista has been investing in a fleet refurbishment with more than 200 membership aircraft now outfitted to the silver and red interior standards, the company said.
Vista further shored up its financial footing with a $500 million five-year senior unsecured bond executed on May 1. The bond offer was “two times oversubscribed,” Vista noted, saying it attracted strong interest from institutional investors and pension funds.
Canadian aviation services provider Skyservice Business Aviation continued its expansion into the U.S. with today’s opening of its newest location at California’s Napa County Airport (KAPC). Operating from a temporary facility, the FBO—one of two on the field—offers passenger and pilot lounges, snooze rooms, flight-planning area, complimentary refreshments, and concierge services. The company is also leasing a 18,500-sq-ft hangar that can accommodate aircraft up to a Gulfstream G650. Skyservice told AIN that record rainfall in California and permitting issues delayed the planned January opening.
“As a full-service business aviation company for over 36 years, we understand the evolving needs of private jet aviation clients,” said company president and CEO Benjamin Murray. “Our unwavering commitment and focus are to deliver unmatched safety and service excellence while delivering full aircraft ownership support.”
In the third quarter, Skyservice will begin construction on its permanent facility at KAPC that will include a two-story, 20,000-sq-ft terminal with office space, passenger lounge, on-site restaurant with indoor and outdoor patio seating, two conference rooms, and pilot suite with quiet rooms, flight-planning area, and showers. In addition, it will have a 40,000-sq-ft hangar capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets. The new facility is slated to be completed in 2025.
Aircraft management and maintenance group Sirio today opened a new hangar at Milan Linate Airport that will provide support for sister company Flexjet Europe. The facility is the 11th hangar in the Italian airport’s business aviation complex, almost doubling the size of Sirio’s infrastructure there to 10,625 sq m (114,000 sq ft).
The Hangar X facility will provide covered parking for Flexjet aircraft and also line maintenance. It features underfloor heating and a crane, as well as benefitting from natural light on all four sides of the building.
Attending an opening ceremony in Milan, Kenn Ricci—principal of Directional Capital, which is the parent company of both Sirio and Flexjet—said maintenance is the business aviation industry’s linchpin. “For Flexjet, having expansive, industry-leading maintenance support within the same group differentiates us based on safety, reliability, and efficiency, allowing us greater control over our fleet and dispatch reliability,” he said. “This follows our model in the U.S. where we have a fully dedicated in-house maintenance resource for Flexjet following the acquisition of Constant Aviation this year. Together this gives our global organization the largest maintenance support structure in business aviation.”
Customers Embrace Wilson Air Center—Houston’s “Corral”
Wilson Air Center—Houston energizes employees and customers with newly completed 7,200 sq. ft. terminal renovation. Experience true Houston Hospitality combined with the world-class service at the Wilson Air Corral.
Beginning in January 2025, pilots in Europe will be able to receive training in a new Cessna Citation CJ3+/M2 Gen2 convertible full-flight simulator at FlightSafety International’s Farnborough, UK learning center. The simulator is being manufactured by Textron’s TRU Simulation + Training division.
Equipped with a third-generation control loading system, the simulator features real aircraft parts and Garmin’s G3000 avionics, providing a more realistic experience for trainees. FlightSafety’s Vital 1150 image-generation system provides the simulator's visuals, including high-resolution airfield models and imagery projected onto a 200- by 40-degree display. The electric motion base uses TRU’s RealCue system with 42-inch-stroke actuators. TRU’s latest simulator frame design accommodates configurable seating and arrangement of the instructor station and ease of access to internal equipment to maintain the device.
“Our customers rely on us to design and deliver the best aviation experience, and that includes supporting them throughout their entire aircraft ownership journey,” said Duncan Van De Velde, Textron Aviation v-p sales for Europe.
“We are excited to expand our extensive Cessna Citation training network into the region,” said Brian Moore, CEO and director of operations at FlightSafety Textron Aviation Training. “Our partnership with Textron Aviation and TRU will provide a high-fidelity training device and enable us to deliver a high-quality training experience to our mutual customers.”
Collins Aerospace is now a global distribution partner for Inmarsat’s new SwiftJet in-flight connectivity service for business aircraft. The L-band-based service is due to enter commercial service this year, offering maximum speeds of 2.6 Mbps. Inmarsat noted the service is up to six times faster than its SwiftBroadband service.
SwiftJet uses Inmarsat’s Elera satellite network and can support assured global connections in flight, according to the company. Its bandwidth is sufficient to support video calls, web browsing, email, texting, and cloud-syncing, as well as collaborative tools such as Microsoft Teams.
Collins, a unit of Raytheon Technologies, is a long-standing partner of Inmarsat. Under the agreement announced today, it will help business aviation customers to upgrade their connectivity installations, as well as manage pricing plans and service contracts. The service will use more advanced hardware that can be equipped for a wide range of aircraft, including smaller jets. Inmarsat said existing SwiftBroadband customers will require minimal changes to their aircraft system to upgrade to SwiftJet.
SwiftJet will be offered alongside both SwiftBroadband and Inmarsat’s Jet ConneX service, which uses the Ka-band satellite constellation. Jet ConneX, for which Collins is also a distributor, has been installed on more than 1.350 aircraft worldwide.
Driven largely by its surging organ transport business, Blade Air Mobility edged closer to profitability during the first quarter, increasing revenue by 70 percent from the year-ago period while cutting losses by 7.4 percent. For the period, Blade’s revenues increased to $45.3 million versus $26.6 million from a year earlier, while losses decreased to $10.2 million from $11 million.
The operations of the newly constituted Blade Europe account for a big boost in the overall revenue growth rate of the company. Subtracting that contribution from overall results, Blade’s first-quarter revenues still increased by 43 percent year-over-year. On a more granular basis, Blade reported other bright spots in the quarter compared with last year, including a 145.1 percent jump in flight profit to $7.2 million from $2.9 million; an increase in flight margin to 15.8 percent from 11 percent; a 148 percent boost in short distance revenue to $10.4 million from $4.2 million; and a 111.2 percent revenue increase from its MediMobility organ transport division to $26.8 million from $12.7 million.
Blade said the growth in MediMobility was fueled by “entirely organic growth” consisting of new transplant center customers, growth with existing customers, and overall strong market demand. MediMobility revenue increased by 23.7 percent quarter-over-quarter.
Charter and corporate shuttle flight operator Private Wings has signed up as the launch customer for Deutsche Aircraft’s Dornier 328eco turboprop twin that will run on 100 percent power-to-liquid sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The OEM said the 43-seat D328eco is a first step towards its longer-term goal to bring a hydrogen-powered version to market.
Private Wings operates from bases at Germany’s Berlin Schoenefeld and Ingolstadt airports. It specializes in carrying larger corporate groups and sports teams and operates a fleet of nine Dornier 328s, as well as a single example of the Dornier 328Jet and a Beechcraft 1900D.
Deutsche Aircraft announced the signing of a letter of intent today during a ground-breaking ceremony for its final assembly line at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The company already provides maintenance support for Private Wings' current Dornier 328s, for which it owns the type certificate.
The D328eco, which is expected to emit 95 percent less carbon dioxide than the Do-328, will have Pratt & Whitney PW127XT-S turboprop engines and the Garmin Companion flight deck. Deutsche Aircraft is also developing a cabin that it claims will be quieter and more comfortable for passengers. The manufacturer is aiming to run the first D328eco prototype on SAF by year-end as it aims for type certification and service entry in 2026.
Speedbird hired Doug Dvorak as v-p of sales. Dvorak has more than 10 years of experience in private jet charter and aircraft sales having previously served as director of sales for multiple companies.
Cirrus Aircraft promoted Patrick Sniffen to executive director of global marketing. Sniffen served as Cirrus’s director of marketing for more than three years. He has previously held roles with Signature Flight Support as v-p of marketing and Jet Aviation as v-p of marketing and communications for the Americas.
Corporate Wings recently promoted Deena Sullivan to president. Sullivan has more than 17 years of experience in the aviation industry and previously served as president of client services.
The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) appointed Charles Bolden Jr., Matthew Jesch, and David Paddock to its board of trustees. Bolden is a decorated naval aviator, test pilot, astronaut, and NAHF enshrinee who served as the 12th administrator of NASA from 2009 to 2017. Jesch is the CFO of Tailwind Technologies and has more than 35 years of financial and operational experience with public and private companies. He will also serve as the organization's treasurer. Paddock serves as president of Jet Aviation and has more than 25 years of aviation industry experience.
The Flight Safety Foundation awarded Bob Agostino, v-p of American Aero FTW at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, with its 2023 Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award during a ceremony held last week at the organization's Business Aviation Safety Summit in New Orleans. The award has been presented annually since 1975 and recognizes Agostino’s "safety accomplishments over a career that spans nearly five decades," according to the Foundation.
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