German charter operator Platoon Aviation is expanding its fleet with a “multi-aircraft” order for Cessna Citation Longitudes. The company announced the agreement with Textron Aviation on Wednesday, but did not specify how many of the super-midsize jets it is buying.

The Longitudes are expected to enter service with Platoon in early 2027. The Hamburg-based operator already has a floating fleet of 12 Pilatus PC-24 light jets in Europe.

Platoon chose the Longitude to extend the scope of its charter operations, with the Longitude able to fly up to 3,500 nm with four passengers on board. This allows trips such as London to Dubai, Hamburg to Madrid, and Dublin to Athens. The PC-24s are limited to sectors of up to around 2,000 nm.

The Longitude received EASA type certification in 2021. According to Platoon, it will be the largest operator of the type in Europe, but it declined to confirm how many aircraft it has ordered. Czech airline Smartwings and Düsseldorf-based IFM Traviation also operate the type.

After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa a “public health emergency of international concern” last week, measures to limit the spread of the deadly disease are now in effect. Trip support provider Universal Weather and Aviation noted that the possibility of exposure now extends beyond flights originating in affected regions and, for operators, passenger travel history has become a dispatch-critical planning variable.

All flights carrying any U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or preapproved excepted aliens who were in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan in the 21 days before their travel to the U.S. will be required to arrive at one of several specific major airports, where travelers may be subject to enhanced medical screening by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These airports include Washington Dulles (KIAD), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (KATL), Houston George Bush Intercontinental (KIAH), and New York City John F. Kennedy (KJFK).

Under the regulations, applicable travelers should not be permitted to board unless their itinerary routes them through an authorized designated U.S. first-port-of-entry airport. For green card holders (lawful permanent residents) who have been in that region during the past 21 days, entry to the U.S. is now suspended, with case-by-case exceptions considered for diplomatic personnel, crewmembers coordinated through the Regional Carrier Liaison Group, and certain preapproved excepted aliens.

Bombardier concluded its first five-year sustainability plan in 2025, achieving three foundational targets surrounding gas emissions, lost-time incident rate, and employee engagement score while at the same time completing a company turnaround. Releasing its “2025 Sustainability Report” this week, Bombardier noted that over the last five years it has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 25% relative to 2019, notched an employee engagement score of 81%, and marked a 33% decrease in lost-time incident rate compared with the 2020 baseline. 

These were among several of the milestones Bombardier highlighted in the report, with others including the publication of multiple environmental product declarations for its aircraft portfolios; receiving LEED certification at its Singapore service center and installing solar panels not only at that facility but also at its London Biggin Hill site; purchasing 7.7 million U.S. gallons of 30% blend sustainable aviation fuel through book-and-claim; collectively contributing more than C$5 million ($3.6 million) to Centraide and United Way from employees and the company; and sponsoring 3,900 student internships.

Continuing with its next five-year plan, running through 2030, Bombardier has established five targets: 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, 5% reduction in waste generation, maintaining the same level of water consumption, a 1.35 incident rate versus 1.41 in 2025, and a 0.50 lost-time incident rate versus 0.51 in 2025.

V2 Jets acquired Corporate Aviation, a Massachusetts-based charter brokerage, adding six aviation advisors and expanding its presence in the Northeast. Corporate Aviation brings an established client base in the Northeast to V2 Jets, a charter broker that has operated for 10 years with offices in New York City and Florida.

“Corporate Aviation has built meaningful relationships and earned a respected reputation in this industry,” said Steven Rosenzweig, co-founder of V2 Jets. “Bringing their team into the V2 Jets family gives us the opportunity to build on that foundation, expand our advisory bench, and continue delivering the experience our clients expect as we grow.”

Co-founder Guy Endzweig added that the acquisition deepens the company's ability to deliver its personalized approach to private aviation at a greater scale.

V2 Jets offers on-demand charter; V2 Vault, a funds-on-account program; and the Obsidian Membership, a private aviation membership for frequent flyers. The Boca Raton, Florida-based company said it plans to continue adding to its team and expanding into more global markets.

In 70 years, Duncan Aviation has grown from a small, Midwest distributorship into the world’s largest family-owned business jet service provider, built on people-first values, technical excellence, and innovation. Guided by multi-generational leadership, it delivers comprehensive aviation services while maintaining a family-oriented culture centered on trust, quality, and long-term relationships.

Wheels Up Experience has completed a brand integration of Air Partner’s private jet and group charter services and extended a concierge-level customer engagement model to its UK operations.

Under the integration, Air Partner services in the UK, as well as in other locations around the globe, will operate as Wheels Up. Air Partner Cargo, however, will continue under its existing name, maintaining its focus on global shipping and courier services.

The transition follows Wheels Up’s purchase of Air Partner in 2022 under a deal valued at about $109 million. That acquisition brought to Wheels Up a UK-based aviation services group with operations spanning 18 locations and four continents.

While Air Partner initially maintained its previous identity, Wheels Up began the global integration in the U.S. earlier this year and has now extended globally to establish a unified identity across its markets.

As part of this, Wheels Up is now using its concierge customer engagement approach, with dedicated sales and services teams from inquiry through trip delivery and follow-up support, in the UK. The integration provides for more consistency across regions and jet types, with seamless access to the full Wheels Up portfolio, the company added.

NBAA has revised its Management Guide to reflect the evolving landscape of business aviation, the association said today. The guide provides advice from industry veterans to help professionals navigate the challenges facing their operations and the industry.

Version 2026-01 builds on the comprehensive update in 2024 that aligned the guide with the pillars of the NBAA Certified Aviation Management (CAM) program. The document highlights the five CAM program domains: leadership, human resources, operations, aircraft maintenance and facilities services, and business management.

Mark Blackman, aviation director for a sporting organization and a member of NBAA’s Business Aviation Management Committee (BAMC), called the alignment critically important. “Our goal is to give a comprehensive overview and direct individuals to more specific expert material when appropriate,” Blackman said. “If an individual is new to a leadership role or is preparing for one by studying to become a CAM, we believe that this guide should be their number one resource.”

The BAMC is planning to release additional revisions later this year, including guidance on emerging technologies. Other updates are in the works surrounding maintenance.

Molly Hitch, NBAA director of educational development and engagement and staff liaison to the BAMC, added that the guide is NBAA’s most downloaded resource. “Current and future leaders in our industry are continually seeking guidance, assistance, and institutional knowledge on best practices,” she said.

A May 2027 statutory deadline for updating airworthiness standards for electric aircraft engines is in jeopardy after the Trump Administration’s drive to reduce the federal bureaucracy sidelined the advisory body Congress tasked with the work, a government watchdog reported yesterday.

In a report mandated by Section 1012 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the FAA cannot act on a separate provision of the same law, Section 956, requiring it to modernize airworthiness standards for electric and hybrid-electric engines and propellers. The FAA had planned to task an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) with that work, but the committee lost its members in August 2025 as part of a government-wide effort to dissolve and reconstitute federal advisory committees under a Trump administration executive order targeting what the White House described as “unnecessary bureaucracy.”

According to a notice published in the Federal Register, the FAA solicited nominations for new ARAC members in September with a deadline of Oct. 20, 2025. However, the Secretary of Transportation has yet to formally appoint new members, leaving the committee unable to accept any tasks. The FAA intends to address the electric propulsion standards requirement once appointments are made, the GAO notes, but has set no expected time frame.

Eurocontrol has released guidance on using controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) now required in most of Europe’s airspace. The recommended practices mainly focus on how operators should log on and key steps in-flight.

Based on ICAO procedures, flight crew should be logged on for CPDLC 10 minutes before entering airspace where its use is required. They should check the connection after reaching 10,000 feet and report if it is not working, unless the issue relates to a known incident of interference with the GNSS service.

The guidance warns pilots not to disconnect from CPDLC, pointing out that this is tantamount to disabling a radio. That said, in some time-critical situations, voice clearances may still be used, and this would also apply if network connections prove slow and uplinks get lost.

Eurocontrol’s notes also mention that an uplink message stating that a flight is “cleared to” a specific waypoint via multiple other points is a route change rather than a direct clearance. It should not be confused with a “proceed direct to” message that relates to a single waypoint.

The latest guidance emphasizes the need to use the CPDLC load function to avoid errors. It also covers the appropriate response when replying to controllers’ requests to “advise/state preferred level.”

AIN’s 2027 FBO survey is open! The deadline to vote in the 2027 survey (to be announced at our 3rd annual FBO Awards Dinner & Gala and published in March) is December 6. It's earlier this year than usual. The survey takes only a minute, and you can do it while waiting for passengers, on the shuttle bus to/from the hotel, or at any other time that is convenient for you. Participants will be entered to win a $250 Amazon gift card (winner must reside in the U.S.). Log in to rate your experiences at the FBOs you visit.