ForeFlight has teamed with Breakthrough Energy to explore the development of a tool that could help flight planners and pilots reduce contrails, the companies announced this week at EBACE 2024. While early in development, the feature would be added to ForeFlight’s flight-planning suite to provide information on where conditions exist for contrails, enabling operators and dispatchers to determine whether to alter the flight path.

The tool would combine weather forecast analysis, satellite imagery, and other data to model and detect contrail conditions. Luxaviation is working with the companies on the initiative.

ForeFlight is looking at adding the tool into Dispatch with the profile view for planners to help decide whether an altitude change could help avoid contrails and evaluate the tradeoffs between fuel consumption and contrail avoidance, said Kelsey Pittman, v-p of business aviation for ForeFlight. For pilots, ForeFlight is considering adding this information into the weather briefing in ForeFlight Mobile so they can have up-to-date forecasting and the ability to make last-minute adjustments, she added.

ForeFlight chief revenue officer Kevin Sutterfield said the data is something that the company’s customers have been seeking to reduce their climate footprint and is important as business aviation continues its sustainability goals. 

“We consider corporate sustainability as an integral part of our business strategy and integrate sustainability into our decision-making processes,” added Luxaviation CEO Patrick Hansen.

Preowned business jets are now selling 45% faster than in 2019, according to the latest market forecast published by global sales broker Jetcraft. The report also contends that "the industry is in a much-needed market correction period, with a dip in both the volume and value [of transactions] in 2023."

According to Jetcraft, in the period spanning 2022 and 2023, aircraft spent an average of 129 days on the market compared to 233 days in 2018-2019. Ongoing transaction volumes are now similar to 2019 levels, while values remain higher than the pre-pandemic peak, and the company predicts a 59% increase in total transaction value between 2019 and 2028.

According to Jetcraft president and CEO Chad Anderson, the market shifts can be explained by factors such as international travel resuming and buyers "making faster, more emotional purchase decisions due to increased demand." The company is projecting $15.6 billion in revenues by 2028.

“If you step back and think about it, the obvious reason is that now we finally have some more supply," Anderson told AIN. "The demand, to me, is about the same this year as it was last year, but the benefit to the buyers is that there's more supply that allows us to fulfill their appetite through a bit more reasonable process and a timeline that buyers can live with.”

Private charter flight operator Opul Jets is installing Starlink’s high-performance satellite connectivity platform on its fleet. The system delivers download speeds ranging from 40 to 220 Mbps and upload speeds of 8 to 25 Mbps with latency of under 99 milliseconds. The price is $150,000 (not including installation), and monthly service costs range from 20 GB for $2,000 per month (plus $100/GB additional) and global unlimited for $10,000 per month.

The first installation is on the UK-based operator’s 16-seat Global Express XRS. Opul’s all-Bombardier fleet includes a mix of midsize, super-midsize, and ultra-long-range jets. It is in the process of adding a Cessna Citation CJ2.

Opul Jets operates from bases at London Biggin Hill Airport, Ronaldsway Airport on the Isle of Man, Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport, and Mumbai, India. Its operations are conducted under air operator certificates held by UK-based SaxonAir Charter and Av8Jet Charter in Malta.

The group’s CEO, Harry Ackerman, told AIN he is working to acquire an AOC holder based in an EASA state to give UK-based Opul Jets unrestricted access to the European Union market. He said this move would allow it to base aircraft throughout Europe and also have access to locally licensed aircrew. The company is also acquiring the Jet Centre FBO on the Isle of Man, which is being upgraded.

CHC Helikopter Service, a subsidiary of CHC Helicopter, has signed a 12-month contract to provide crew change and transportation services for Shell’s North Sea operations, using a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter flying from the Deepsea Yantai rig to CHC’s Sola and Bergen bases.

The contract is a continuation of the two companies’ long relationship, according to CHC. The company also provides North Sea services for Aker BP, Equinox, and OKEA, and the latter recently extended its contract with CHC for another four years.

In addition to supporting offshore energy companies, CHC serves search and rescue organizations and government departments, with emergency medical services and support worldwide, including in Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Norway, and the UK. CHC's Heli-One division provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services, operating more than 150 aircraft in 20 countries.

“Our latest agreement with Shell underscores our dedication to meeting our customers’ specific needs. Our team consistently pursue excellence and will ensure Shell’s team members can always reach their destinations and return home safely and efficiently,” said Helge Aase Nesvåg, senior commercial director EMEA-E. 

Duncan Aviation has started a significant expansion of its turbine engine overhaul facility in Lincoln, Nebraska. This expansion follows an announcement during the 2023 NBAA BACE convention by Pratt & Whitney Canada designating Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln MRO facility as a DOF, Designated Overhaul Facility, for PW300 and PW500 turbofan engines.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is now on tap at London Oxford Airport, the UK’s fifth-busiest business aviation gateway. Provided by World Fuel Services, the Neste-produced SAF is available in blends of 30% or a less-costly 10%.

The airport noted that several of its locally based Formula One racing teams had lobbied for the availability of the renewable fuel. While the Neste SAF is delivered in 34,000-liter batches from its facility in Ghent, Belgium, new tenant OXCCU, a spin-off from Oxford University, is preparing to open its on-field SAF plant in August. Using second-generation e-SAF power-to-liquid technology, OXCCU will use electricity to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide and hydrogen into synthetic aviation fuel.

Following that move, in September, in conjunction with the 50^th anniversary of Airbus Helicopters in the UK, the airframer will open its new UK headquarters consisting of 66,000 sq ft of hangars and 59,000 sq ft of offices and workshops. The £50 million complex will also include seven dedicated helipads to handle the largest rotorcraft.

Large business aircraft completions and MRO provider Citadel Completions has expanded its facility at Chennault International Airport (KCWF) in Lake Charles, Louisiana. There, the company has signed a three-year lease with the airport authority on an additional 10,000-sq-ft facility, one of the few remaining available structures on the field.

This will allow it to relocate its supply chain management and warehouse center, freeing up enough space in 115,200-sq-ft Hangar D to accommodate an additional maintenance bay suitable for narrowbody aircraft. “That brings in another A320, A319, or 737 and it has enough room for us to do more maintenance there, and frankly meet the customer demands that we are seeing out there on the market,” explained Neil Boyle, Citadel’s senior v-p and general manager, adding that the company’s main focus is on private jet maintenance. “Because of the requests for so much maintenance on VIP business aircraft, and the outfitting and refurbs, we’ve decided it’s time to get the warehouse off the floor.” According to Boyle, the company’s backlog extends to mid-2025, despite running two shifts a day.

Citadel also operates the even larger Hangar H at KCWF with 118,000 sq ft of space, enough for a Boeing 777 and an Airbus A340, with room for several smaller aircraft. In anticipation of increasing business resulting from the expansion, it plans to hire 20 more employees.

Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) enjoyed another good year in 2023, with market volumes “almost back to where we were in 2019,” according to ACH head Frédéric Lemos. He also remarked that the market forecast for 2024 looked similarly stable, with a global requirement for around 200 helicopters. Moreover, he said, that market stability looked set to remain for some years ahead.

Gross orders for ACH products reached a value of €575 million ($623 million) across 74 sales, comprising 16 ACH125s, 19 ACH130s, four ACH135s, 22 ACH145s, nine ACH160s, and four ACH175s. Deliveries in the year amounted to 84 helicopters.

The ACH145 has outsold the competition for five consecutive years and the ACH160 leads the medium helicopter market. With ACH’s portfolio aimed primarily at the middle/upper sectors of the corporate market, the value of sales is much stronger than at the lighter end of the marketplace, with a corresponding positive effect on ACH’s market share when measured by value as opposed to helicopter numbers.

While the ACH145 continues to prove popular, with the premium Mercedes-Benz cabin model due to receive a facelift next year, the ACH160 is “the star of the [EBACE] show for us this year,” said Lemos. The first deliveries were made in 2022 and 10 are now in customer hands. The fleet has surpassed 1,500 flight hours, with the fleet leader having achieved 500.

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) program, honoring its first registered ground handler, SRC Aviation of New Delhi, India. Also as part of the milestone year, IBAC launched an IS-BAH campaign, “Elevating Ground Handling Safety.”

“The idea for IS-BAH was based on the success of the aircraft operators’ standard, IS-BAO, introduced more than 20 years ago,” said IBAC director general Kurt Edwards. “Its global recognition as an industry safety standard inspired us to develop something similar for the critical ground handling sector, complement the operational standard, and get ahead of coming SMS requirements in this area. We are grateful for SRC Aviation and their proactive approach to safety.”

SRC Aviation implemented and achieved Stage 1 in 2014, and Edwards said they have “continued their leadership in the program” and have been with IS-BAH for the duration.

“We are very proud to have been the first IS-BAH-recognized ground handler on the planet,” said Bobby Chadha, managing director for SRC Aviation. “Implementing IS-BAH has significantly benefited us by reinforcing our commitment to ground handling safety and elevating our service quality.”

Edwards told AIN that the program has had a “terrific pickup over those years with more than 300 registered facilities around the world.”