Lilium yesterday at EBACE 2024 unveiled the first full-scale model of the eVTOL aircraft it plans to bring to market in 2026. The German manufacturer is targeting business aviation companies as early adopters of the Lilium Jet, which it is offering in a four-passenger Pioneer Edition for corporate and private charter applications, as well as with a six-seat cabin for commercial regional air services.

The most eye-catching feature of the mockup revealed at Geneva’s Palexpo exhibition center is the array of 30 ducted electric vectored thrust engines integrated into the Lilium Jet’s wing and canard. Factoring in anticipated energy reserve requirements for the all-electric vehicle, Lilium anticipates an initial maximum range of around 95 nm, but this is expected to increase as battery technology improves.

Business aviation continues to navigate a path through a political minefield in which enemies and frenemies alike seem determined to impede or even halt its growth. That is essentially the assessment of Holger Krahmer, the new secretary general of EBAA, as he and his U.S. colleagues from NBAA open EBACE 2024 today in Geneva.

For the second year running at the show, the industry’s enemies will be on hand, with climate change activists expected to call for a ban on all private aviation. Groups including Extinction Rebellion, Scientist Rebellion, and Stay Grounded are expected to protest outside the main entrance to the Palexpo convention center on Wednesday.

Dassault Aviation is moving ahead on development of major assemblies for what will become its flagship Falcon 10X—a 7,500-nm, Mach 0.925 aircraft that is set to enter service in 2027. The company brought a full-scale mockup of the 10X to its booth in the exhibit hall, providing a glimpse of the flight deck and 53-foot-long cabin.

The company had previously confirmed the delay, but chairman and CEO Eric Trappier told reporters yesterday at EBACE, “We are now confident that [2027] should work.”

The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has joined NBAA’s Climbing Fast program, a multi-media advocacy initiative that highlights the societal benefits of business aviation, the groups said Monday at EBACE 2024.

One of Climbing Fast’s key topics is sustainability, as the sector heads towards its commitment to be carbon-zero by 2050. That subject was at the heart of the panel session, which was moderated by NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen and EBAA secretary general Holger Krahmer.

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Business jet backlogs have reached a 16-year high, with the top five producers combining for more than $51 billion in the first quarter, according to the latest data from industry analyst JetNet. During its State of the Market Briefing on Monday at EBACE in Geneva, Rollie Vincent, president of Rolland Vincent Associates and JetNet iQ creator/director, noted that business jet deliveries are expected to scale up by 13% this year to 820 units, up from 729 in 2023. That is expected to grow in 2025 but at a slower rate, ticking up by 3% to 845.

Year-to-date, 186 jets have been handed over, led by the Cirrus Vision SF50 G2+ at 23, followed by the Embraer Phenom 300E at 18, Bombardier Challenger and Citation Latitude at 15 apiece, and Pilatus PC-24 at 13. Textron Aviation has topped the delivery board with 52 jets handed over, followed by Gulfstream, 34; Bombardier, 32; Embraer and Cirrus, 23 each; and Dassault, seven.

Embraer Executive Jets is in “harvest season” as it gains momentum from the series of updates to its existing product line, accord to company president and CEO Michael Amalfitano.

Addressing rumors about what airplane might be next in its lineup, and whether it would be bigger, he said, “We're going to do something bigger when we can disrupt it with something differentiated,” pointing to how Embraer migrated fly-by-wire into the midsize business jet class.

Gama Aviation has celebrated a milestone in its development of a new FBO/MRO complex at Sharjah International Airport in the UAE. While the company has been providing aviation services there for more than a decade from a previously existing structure, its space was constrained. Its plans to construct a purpose-built facility had stalled, however, due to a variety of economic factors during the global pandemic and its aftermath.

The company just completed a new 36,000-sq-m (387,500-sq-ft) parking apron at its 80,000-sq-m (20-acre) leasehold on the eastern side of the airfield. In the third quarter, it expects to break ground on a climate-controlled 14,000-sq-m hangar—one of the largest in the region, capable of sheltering bizliners—along with a new VIP terminal. The hangar will house the company’s MRO, as well as provide storage for based and transient aircraft.

The digital flip-through issues of AIN’s award-winning EBACE Convention News are now available online. It’s a great way to quickly scan the news from EBACE 2024, whether you’re in Geneva attending the show or watching from afar.