Rotortrade is projecting that the helicopter market in Latin America will see a 20% expansion this year, according to the company's newly-released 2024-2025 Latin America Helicopter Market Report.

“Latin America is undergoing a helicopter transformation, driven by offshore growth, parapublic needs, and strategic reinvention,” according to Rotortrade. “Its oilfield activity is fueled by Brazil’s offshore energy bonanza, while Mexican private and public markets have stood the test of time. Yet other actors are slowly gaining traction. Recovery in helicopter demand is being led by increased mining, firefighting, and emergency operations, coupled with evolving government policies.”

Most helicopters in Latin America are single-engine models, totaling 1,412 aircraft. Robinson Helicopter has the greatest share at 30.4%, followed by Bell at 26.9% and Airbus at 25.6%. Twins account for another 235 helicopters, with Airbus and Bell each with about 40% market share, followed by Leonardo at approximately 20%.

Rotortrade sees opportunities to fulfill operators’ needs as various issues hamper delivery of new helicopters. Hurdles such as floating currencies, limited access to capital, import duties, customs restrictions, supply chain, and long lead times for new aircraft make preowned helicopters more attractive. “This environment is creating space for solution providers with a pool of recent preowned aircraft and the capability to quickly transition them to meet specific mission requirements,” said Rotortrade LATAM region head Raymond Lubrano.

As business aviation grapples with a maintenance technician shortage, industry leaders at the NATA Air Charter Summit last week delivered a sobering message: the days of being “passive beneficiaries” and waiting for skilled workers to simply appear are over. The reality check came during an “Industry Townhall: Collaborating on Solutions and Leveraging Opportunities” session, during which NATA committee leaders outlined challenges facing the industry and the collaborative approaches needed to address them.

While pilot shortages have dominated industry headlines, Phil Stearns, director of sales and marketing at Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems and chair of NATA’s maintenance committee, painted a picture of an even more critical shortage: aircraft maintenance professionals (AMPs).

“There are a lot of wise gray-haired mechanics that are going to be retiring in the next one to five years,” he said. “Talking with the dean of Embry-Riddle and other schools, there are unfilled seats in the AMP classes. The amount of people coming into this business that are going to turn the wrenches on all these planes that you’re either operating, buying, or selling, or moving paperwork on…it’s not a one-for-one at this point. More people are leaving than coming in.”

The implications extend beyond maintenance shops, Stearns said. “An inspection that might have taken four weeks before? Well, I’m short on technicians; now it’s going to take six or seven or eight.”

Nearly all metrics surrounding the business jet market strengthened in the first quarter, positioning the industry for a solid year despite the uncertain economic environment, according to financier Global Jet Capital (GJC). Releasing its latest Business Aviation Market Brief this week, GJC noted that flight activity, OEM backlogs, deliveries, and preowned transactions increased year over year (YOY), while inventories remained stable.

Flight operations were up 2.4% YOY, a result that GJC said reflects “an enduring expansion in the user base for business aviation.” North America led this growth, but operations outside the U.S. still increased despite prevalent geopolitical tensions.

Meanwhile, business jet backlogs were up 3.1%, to $47.9 billion, but there was some unevenness in backlog results. As manufacturers worked through supply chain and labor constraints, deliveries increased and are anticipated at higher YOY levels in 2025. With increased deliveries and market uncertainties, however, book-to-bill dipped below 1:1 in the quarter.

Transactions increased 25.9%, with dollar volume up 21.8%, as preowned jet market momentum carried over from 2024. Preowned jet inventory increased to 7.2% of the fleet (from 7.1% a year ago).

The economic situation remains fluid with some tariffs already in effect and others dependent on negotiations, but GJC concluded, “Regardless of the outcome, healthy conditions from 2024 and early 2025 position the business jet market to remain resilient through the balance of the year.”

Private aviation provider Flexjet has broken ground on a 9,000-sq-ft private terminal at Scottsdale Airport (KSDL) in Arizona. The $36 million facility is expected to open late next year.

Set against the backdrop of the McDowell mountains, the passenger terminal will feature interior décor inspired by the company’s Red Label by Flexjet LXi cabin collection, workspace and conference rooms with Wi-Fi, café and bar, 2,400-sq-ft outdoor terrace for events, and dedicated underground vehicle parking garage. It will also offer 9,500 sq ft of office space and a 34,000-sq-ft maintenance hangar.

“Scottsdale’s ultra-high-net-worth population has grown by nearly 90% in just the last 10 years,” said Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci, adding that private jet activity at KSDL has grown by more than 50% and Flexjet traffic there has doubled since 2000. “As we build the fractional industry’s largest network of provider-exclusive private terminals, I couldn't be more excited to truly plant the Flexjet flag in such a meaningful location.”

Developed in partnership with Atlantic Aviation, it will join the fractional operator’s private terminal network, which includes Teterboro Airport (KTEB); New York’s Westchester County Airport (KHPN); Dallas Love Field (KDAL); Florida's Naples Airport (KAPF); and California's Van Nuys Airport (KVNY). Additional facilities are under development at Montana's Bozeman (KBZN); Florida's Palm Beach International (KPBI) and Miami-Opa Locka Executive (KOPF); Las Vegas (KLAS); and London Farnborough (EGLF) airports.

Discover how Stevens Aerospace’s APA location is reshaping the industry by prioritizing customer relationships and upholding an uncompromising standard of service. With a culture that values quality and transparency, Stevens continues to set the bar for excellence—ensuring every interaction reflects their commitment to trust, safety, and superior craftsmanship.

Textron Aviation has received the 2025 Excellence in Manufacturing Training Award from SME, a nonprofit focused on advancing manufacturing technologies and talent development across North America. The award recognizes Textron Aviation’s integration of employee development into its core business operations, and its leadership in manufacturing training.

A centerpiece of Textron Aviation’s workforce strategy is its Career and Learning Center, a $40 million facility in Wichita that offers immersive training to new hires. Featured in the center is a simulated manufacturing floor that supports up to eight weeks of technical instruction before employees move into production roles. The model is designed to ease the transition for new mechanics and improve productivity and retention.

“Our Career and Learning Center is equipped with the latest technology to provide realistic environments for training scenarios that mimic the reality of our manufacturing operations,” said Maggie Topping, Textron Aviation's senior v-p of human resources and communications.

In 2024, the company delivered more than 29,000 hours of professional training to more than 3,900 employees. Its ongoing development strategy includes paid high school and college internships, educator externships, facility tours, and a mentorship program that enrolled nearly 500 participants in its most recent cohort.

Opened in early 2025, the 75,000-sq-ft Career and Learning Center expanded previously existing facilities and was supported by a $3.325 million award from the state of Kansas.

Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Committee has approved Beijing-based ExecuJet Haite to provide line and base maintenance for Bombardier Challenger and Embraer Legacy business aircraft registered in the Central Asian country. The certification announced today is the Chinese maintenance, repair, and overhaul company’s first approval in this region.

China borders Kazakhstan, and ExecuJet Haite sees Central Asia as a growth opportunity. According to the company, there are eight to 10 Bombardier Challengers based in Kazakhstan and about the same number of Embraer Legacys.

“We believe we are well-placed to serve operators from Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asia region because of our proximity to that market,” said ExecuJet Haite general manager Paul Desgrosseilliers.

The company operates heavy maintenance bases at Beijing Daxing International Airport (ZBAD) and Tianjin Binhai International Airport (ZBTJ). It also has line maintenance operations at Beijing Capital International Airport (ZBAA).

ExecuJet Haite, which is a subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, is certified to support the French airframer’s Falcon business jets, as well as multiple types produced by Embraer, Bombardier, and Gulfstream. The group also handles avionics upgrades, satellite communications equipment installations, aircraft painting, and cabin interior refurbishments.

Jet Aviation has started building a pair of hangars for widebody aircraft its global headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. The expansion—announced last week at EBACE 2025—will increase the facility’s total hangar capacity to 430,000 sq ft, with an additional 194,000 sq ft of production areas and workshops.

The development project involves rebuilding and expanding the existing Hangars 1 and 2 to provide 172,000 sq ft of space for the largest business aircraft supported by Jet Aviation. There are also 59,000 sq ft of workshops within the new structures.

According to the business aviation services group, the buildings will incorporate the latest energy efficiency technology and sustainable materials. Features include a wooden arch, natural light from skylights, geothermal and solar energy, underfloor heating, and a mega-door to make aircraft movements flexible and reduce openings during cold weather.

“As one of the world’s leading maintenance and completion facilities, we are committed to growing and evolving our site and capabilities in line with the needs of our customers,” said Cyril Martiniere, Jet Aviation's v-p of maintenance operations for Europe and general manager of the Basel facility. “Basel was our first site and remains our global headquarters and home to our largest maintenance, refurbishment, modification, and VIP completions center.”

Jet Access has completed its third Garmin G5000 integrated flight deck installation for a midsize Citation Excel, expanding its in-house upgrades. The company has performed more than 40 Garmin integrated flight deck upgrades to date, and is a dealer for systems including the G950, G1000, and G5000.

The G5000 upgrade offers operators a touchscreen-controlled integrated flight deck with improved situational awareness and streamlined flight management capabilities. While the upgrade represents a significant investment, the company emphasizes strong return on investment through improved performance, increased reliability, and reduced parts costs compared to outdated avionics systems.

Jet Access provides access to its own upgraded aircraft and other available options to minimize downtime during installation. Clients are also supported with mentorship and post-installation pilot training from experienced flight crews. Jet Access operates from locations in Indiana, Tennessee, and Florida, supporting operators nationwide with its Garmin retrofit services.

“We are honored to be acknowledged as one of the leading Platinum dealers for Garmin,” said Scott Dillon, president of Jet Access maintenance. “We offer more than just products—we deliver a complete service package that includes supplemental lift, cost savings, pilot training, and support.”

Garmin senior director Dan Lind praised the company’s product knowledge and client focus, calling the retrofit “a very successful and popular program for Citation Excel aircraft.”