Curt Castagna, who has been a fixture in Los Angeles aviation real estate for more than three decades, has been replaced as CEO/managing member of Aeroplex/Aerolease Group in an interim capacity by industry veteran Barry Rondinella.

The company owns the leaseholds of extensive hangar space at Van Nuys and Long Beach airports, and according to a press release yesterday, its majority-in-interest owners voted to remove Castagna, after filing a lawsuit against him in the Superior Court of Los Angeles. The lawsuit alleges that Castagna formed a competing entity, Aeroplex Group Partners, and used Aerolease resources to siphon business away from it.

“The Aerolease companies’ owners had hoped for a peaceful transition, but instead Mr. Castagna left the members with no option but to pursue litigation,” said an Aerolease spokesperson. Following his dismissal, the suit further alleges that Castagna blocked access to Aerolease's IT systems, removed backup computer server hard drives, and locked the company owners out of their offices.

"I think the [Aerolease] press release was a little surprising to see because I think it's a bit premature," said Castagna, who also serves as the president and CEO of NATA. He told AIN that the two companies had become closely entwined over the years and the resulting dispute is like a "messy divorce."

Melbourne, Florida-based Satcom Direct has received an FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) for its SD Plane Simple Ka-band tail mount terminal on the Gulfstream G650. Gulfstream Aerospace collaborated with SD to obtain the STC.

The system’s antenna complements existing SD hardware, namely a Satcom Direct gateway router and Wi-Fi hub to distribute high-speed broadband to all passenger and crew devices. Satcom Direct has authorized Gulfstream and Jet Aviation Service Centers to install the Ka-band hardware.

Connecting immediately with existing Viasat GX satellites, the antenna is the first terminal in business aviation to optimize compatibility with Viasat's next-generation GX satellites. The upcoming satellites transmit dual polarity signals, more than doubling the amount of data transmitted and received and delivering more capacity than all the existing GX satellites combined. With the SD Plane Simple Ka-band terminal, G650 operators benefit from video streaming, live TV, video calls, file transfers, gaming, and virtual private networks.

“The latest STC in our growing portfolio gives Gulfstream G650 owners and operators access to more speed, more data, and more service plan flexibility,” said Satcom Direct president Chris Moore. “This is complemented by the added value delivered by our SD ecosystem, which provides access to industry-leading, genuinely global customer support, unparalleled cybersecurity services, and a connectivity system designed to maintain pace with the changing connectivity landscape.”

The British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) is protesting UK government plans to nearly double the hourly rate charged for passport and customs services at FBOs. The Border Force agency plans to increase these fees by 94% from July 1—from £77 to £150 per hour.

Earlier this week, the industry group wrote to Home Secretary James Cleverly, arguing that the UK’s Office for National Statistics showed wage growth of just 30% and asking for the fee increase to be capped at no more than 40%. The government said the fees have not been revised since 2019 and justified the increase as reflecting “increasing financial pressures, growing resource costs, and the need to future-proof these enhanced premium services.”

BBGA has demanded the government share quantifiable data to support the increase, pointing to an unpublished Home Office study that supposedly has compared similar services in other countries. “A 94% increase in charges coupled with no clarity of when a further increase in charges will be endorsed is unacceptable to the UK business aviation community,” said BBGA managing director Lindsey Oliver.

However, given that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday announced that a general election will be held on July 4, effectively stalling government business, it is unlikely that the Home Secretary will respond to the BBGA’s complaint during the election campaign.

Azzera has added functionality to its Celeste sustainable aviation software to help aircraft operators track and manage their inventory of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The new module announced yesterday accurately shows how much SAF is uplifted, including where it was bought and stored and which flights were flown with it.

The addition to Celeste supports SAF book-and-claim transactions, aggregating demand for the reduced-carbon fuel and providing SAF certificates to log purchases on each operator’s interface. According to the Swiss-based company, the system will reduce errors in calculating fuel inventories and make tasks more straightforward for operators’ compliance managers.

Four business aircraft operators—Metrojet, ASL Group, Elit’Avia, and Axis Aviation—have been making early use of these SAF inventory management and tracking tools. The platform can be integrated with other flight scheduling software to process real-time data for carbon dioxide emissions calculations.

Celeste can perform calculations to meet the varying requirements of different jurisdictions in the carbon compliance market. These include the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and the regional emissions trading systems enforced by the European Union, Switzerland, and UK.

“The European fleet makes up about 15% of the world’s business aviation fleet, and the vast majority of Europe’s operators are counting emissions—the mandates are driving this—and increasingly operators worldwide are voluntarily monitoring emissions, too,” said Azzera founder and CEO Puja Mahajan.

Duncan Aviation received the first-ever FAA-issued Repair Station certificate that unites all of its facilities and Satellites under a single Repair Station number, JGVR194F. The FSDO in Lincoln, Nebraska, worked with Duncan Aviation’s Quality team to add all Satellites and AFLs (Additional Fixed Locations) to the Lincoln Repair Station certificate.

Switzerland’s Nomad Technics has completed a C-check on a head-of-state Airbus ACJ320, the MRO provider said Wednesday. Performed at Nomad Technics’ facility in Basel, Switzerland, the scheduled inspection saw a thorough examination of the bizliner’s primary and secondary structures. The work included the implementation of service bulletins and airworthiness directives, as well as inspection and modifications to the aircraft’s systems.

Technicians also did cosmetic and functional cabin repairs to improve passenger experience. The work included thorough testing and repair of the in-flight entertainment system. Functional and operational tests of all aircraft systems concluded the maintenance job. Despite multiple findings, the aircraft was returned to the customer on time.

“The successful completion of this C-check on the Airbus ACJ320 is another great milestone for Nomad Technics and will enable us to further enhance our capabilities to offer and execute maintenance services not only on Airbus but also on a variety of other aircraft types,” said Nomad Technics CEO Thomas Gierlich. “We are very proud of our Airbus maintenance teams and the entire organization behind it who have been performing extremely well.”

Aircraft management and charter service company FlyingGroup has added the ninth Pilatus PC-24 to its fleet. The twinjet was handed over to the company earlier this month with an exterior design featuring “elegant gray lines and Swiss edelweiss flowers.”

‟Our customers love the PC-24. [It] is the most modern jet in its class and the spacious cabin offers unparalleled comfort. Our first ‘Edelweiss PC-24’ has been in operation for several years, and we’re proud to take delivery of a second, latest generation ‘Edelweiss PC-24’ with a higher payload and even greater range,” said Johan van Lokeren, CEO of Antwerpen, Belgium-based FlyingGroup.

“In this class, there is no other business jet as versatile or capable. People who see the PC-24 for the first time are always amazed at how spacious the cabin is. And the most recent upgrade to the PC-24 delivers yet another reduction in cabin noise. We have no doubt that the passengers of our valued partner, FlyingGroup, will enjoy the flexibility and other amenities,” added Pilatus business aviation v-p André Zimmermann.

Vietnam veteran and business aviation advocate Paul Smith passed away on May 10, NBAA said today. He served more than 27 years in both the U.S. Air Force and Army, receiving the Bronze Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and the Army Commendation Medal, among others.

After his military service, Smith joined AOPA in 1985 and then Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University—his alma mater—the following year. He then joined NBAA in 1987 as the director of airspace, air traffic, and infrastructure.

“Paul was our original advocate with Air Traffic Services,” said NBAA senior v-p of education, training, and workforce development Jo Damato, CAM. “His legacy is, in part, the successful effort to win a policy decision from FAA leaders to involve NBAA in the agency’s daily collaborative decision-making process for coordinating all stakeholders in the aviation system.”

Before retiring from NBAA in 2006, Smith became one of the association’s first regional representatives. He was honored with the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award in 2016, and he represented the Texas Aviation Association for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Aviation Advisory Committee.

“Paul’s lifelong mission was one of service, first and foremost to his country and then to the aviation industry that he loved,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.