Supersonic Bizjet Developer Aerion Halts Operations

Aerion Corp. on Friday ceased operations, citing a lack of available financing for its plans to bring a family of supersonic aircraft to market. In a statement, the company said it had built an $11.2 billion backlog for the Mach 1.2 AS2 business jet, but “in the current financial environment, it has proven hugely challenging to close on the scheduled and necessary large new capital requirements to finalize the transition of the AS2 into production. Given these conditions, Aerion is now taking the appropriate steps in consideration of this ongoing financial environment.”

This move comes less than six months after Aerion broke ground on a $300 million, two-million-sq-ft headquarters complex at Florida’s Orlando Melbourne International Airport. It also follows a series of announcements detailing firmed-up supplier relationships for the AS2, ranging from Honeywell to Collins Aerospace and Spirit AeroSystems. These came in addition to GE Aviation.

The supersonic developer also had scored major orders and LOIs from companies, including Flexjet and NetJets. “While we are disappointed to hear Aerion is ceasing operations, we understand the vast investment required by such programs to bring them to fruition and the inherent risks involved,” said Kenn Ricci, principal at Flexjet parent Directional Aviation.

Aerion planned to begin production in 2023, with first flight following in the middle of the decade. Meanwhile, in March it teased plans for the larger, near-hypersonic AS3 airliner.

GE Aviation Stops Work on Affinity Development

As Aerion ceased operations over a lack of available funding, GE Aviation has confirmed that it has discontinued development work on the twin-shaft, medium-bypass Affinity engine that was to have powered the Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet. GE Aviation also noted that it is redeploying its Affinity team to other programs.

The engine-maker announced plans in October 2018 to move forward with the Affinity for the AS2, saying it would be designed using a “proven engine core adapted from GE’s commercial airline portfolio” and would be part of a family in the 16,000- to 20,000-pound-thrust range. GE Aviation did not elaborate beyond acknowledging that work had ceased on the Affinity, but did note that it remains involved in the supersonic realm with the delivery last year of its F414-GE-100 engine for the NASA X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology demonstrator. 

Rolland Vincent, JetNet iQ creator/director and president of Rolland Vincent Associates, said the cessation of the engine program would be a “show-stopper,” and called the stop in operations at Aerion a setback for the supersonic business jet segment in particular.

Richard Aboulafia, v-p of analysis for the Teal Group, agreed, questioning whether the demise of Aerion could serve as a “category killer” and saying, “SSBJs were the only appealing form of civil supersonics. This weekend might be remembered as a kind of Supersonics Big Chill.”

Robert Sumwalt To Leave NTSB at End of June

Robert Sumwalt, who stepped in as the 14th chairman of the NTSB on Aug. 10, 2017, and served as a Board member since August 2006, is stepping down at the end of June, the agency confirmed today. Sumwalt was most recently reappointed to the position of chairman in August 2019 and his term on the Board was set to expire at the end of this year.

One of the NTSB’s longest-serving members who was appointed and reappointed by both Democrat and Republican administrations, Sumwalt brought with him a deep background and knowledge of commercial and business aviation. He spent 32 years as a pilot for Piedmont Airlines and US Airways and also managed a corporate aviation department of a Fortune 500 energy company. He has amassed more than 14,000 flight hours and served on the US Airways Flight Operational Quality Assurance monitoring team.

During his time as chairman, Sumwalt brought a focus on business aviation professionalism, particularly in the wake of the Gulfstream IV crash in Bedford, Massachusetts, as well as made a push to elevate Part 135 standards to incorporate elements that have been successful with commercial airlines. Sumwalt leaves a Board that also has a substantial background in transportation safety, including three other members—Tom Chapman, Michael Graham, and Bruce Landsberg—who have had past experience in business and general aviation safety.

PAG’s Keystone Acquisition Adds M250 Engine Expertise

Precision Aviation Group (PAG) has gained a new specialization in Rolls-Royce M250 turbine engines through the acquisition of Keystone Turbine Services (KTS) in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, PAG announced today. In addition to being an OEM-approved aftermarket MRO of the M250 series of gas turbine engines, KTS is a Honeywell authorized warranty and repair station for Pratt & Whitney PT6A and PT6T fuel controls, power turbine governors, and related accessories.

M250-series engines were originally developed by the former Allison Engine. To date, 31,000 have been produced, and 16,000 are in service, according to Rolls-Royce, which acquired Allison in 1995. The global fleet has logged more than 250 million flight hours among 170 aircraft types, primarily rotorcraft but also fixed-wing. Helicopter types utilizing the engine include the Bell 206 series and MD Helicopters MD500 series.

KTS will serve as PAG’s 12th repair station in a network that includes locations in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Brazil. PAG’s subsidiaries have MRO capabilities on more than 32,000 products, including accessories, avionics, dynamic components, engines, fuel accessories, glass panel displays, hydraulics, landing gear, instruments, starter/generators, and wheels/brakes.

European Aviation Groups Protest Rising ATC Charges

Aircraft operators flying in European airspace will face higher air traffic control (ATC) charges starting in 2023 to cover up to €5.4 billion ($6.6 billion) in Covid-related losses by air navigation service providers (ANSPs). Five leading airline and business aviation trade groups have protested the recent decision by European Union (EU) member states to require ANSPs to make up their deficits through higher charges.

According to a joint statement by Airlines For Europe (A4E), the European Regions Airline Association, the European Business Aviation Association, the European Helicopter Association, and the International Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the EU member states rejected the European Commission’s recommendation that they should take the long-term impact of Covid on airspace users into account when setting revised financial performance targets for ANSPs. The groups maintained that European airlines are not expected to recover financially until at least 2024.

The aviation groups argue that EU member states should have used their governments’ Covid recovery plans, as well as other funds or regulatory mechanisms, to cover all or part of the shortfall in ANSP revenues. “No other regulation, airport charges scheme, or normal business contracting mechanism foresees airspace users shouldering previous losses from their suppliers, especially not in extraordinary times like the Covid-19 crisis, which is clearly a force majeure event,” said the joint statement.

UAE Clamps Down on ‘Per Seat’ Jet Charter Offers

UAE authorities have cracked down on the pooling of charter flight seats after the closure of scheduled access from India led to a spike in numbers of flights to the UAE. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) issued a notam yesterday indicating that charter companies attempting to offer seats to third-party passengers on flights to reduce costs would not be permitted to continue service.

“When business aircraft are used to transport passengers from restricted destinations, they shall not be pooled or sold per seat,” it said. “Operators hired for pooling or ‘per seat offer’ may be banned from operating in the UAE. The GCAA is collecting all information required from local authorities to verify flight and passenger information.”

UAE officials also said airline flights from India would remain suspended until June 14, increasing demand placed on private operators to ferry passengers from the subcontinent as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage in India. According to local news, a travel operator in Dubai said the only categories of passengers allowed on business jet charter flights arriving from India into the UAE are families, UAE citizens, diplomats, official delegations, golden residency visa holders, and businesspeople.

Airbus H160 Earns JCAB Approval

The Airbus Helicopters H160 medium twin has been granted type certification by Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), paving the way for entry into service in that country with All Nippon Helicopters (ANH). ANH already operates six Airbus Helicopters AS365s and five H135s used for electronic newsgathering. Customer preparation already has begun, while technical training is now underway in Kobe, Japan, where an H160 Helionix avionics trainer has been deployed. 

Additional H160 deliveries are slated for later this year in Brazil, UK, and U.S. The aircraft received EASA type certification approval in July 2020, though FAA certification is still pending. The H160 features technologies such as noise-reducing Blue Edge main rotor blades and more fuel-efficient Safran Arrano engines. 

Airbus has logged orders for more than 40 H160s to date, including 11 last year. Additionally, the French armed forces could purchase as many as 169 copies of a militarized variant, the H160M, that remains under development. More potential H160 customers include France’s Gendarmerie Nationale for 10 units and Spain’s Guardia Civil.

NATA Goes Green

While it has taken on a leadership role in the aviation industry’s sustainability movement, NATA has been setting an example for its members by making its own operations carbon neutral as of last year. NATA analyzed its organizational-wide carbon footprint, taking into account direct and indirect emissions factors such as purchased utilities, business travel, and employee commuting to determine its environmental impact and purchase verified and certified carbon offsets.

Last year, NATA established an environmental committee to support the industry goal of expanding access to aviation while embracing technological advancements and sound policies. Such measures include the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), biodiesel, electrification, and solar energy, backed up by the use of offset credits.

“We’ve taken another step toward a cleaner future by taking a look at our own team’s environmental impact,” said NATA president and CEO Tim Obitts, adding that the aviation industry has made great strides on a number of sustainability initiatives. “We are not just talking the talk on sustainability, however. By achieving net-zero carbon emissions in our own operations, we are walking the walk.”

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