Textron Aviation has handed over the first batch of Cessna Citation Ascends to fleet launch customer NetJets, the Wichita airframer announced this morning. Delivery of a trio of the twinjets to the fractional provider comes six months after the newest member of the Citation family secured FAA certification. The latest in the venerable Citation XLS line, the Ascend entered service with an unidentified retail customer earlier this year.

NetJets, a long-time Textron Aviation customer, has operated a dozen different Citation models, including Ascend predecessors, over the past 40 years. In fact, the Citation S/II launched the service in 1986. The order for the Ascend came through a multiyear agreement placed in 2023 for up to 1,500 Citation Longitudes, Latitudes, and Ascends.

Additional deliveries are expected in the coming months as the NetJets fleet continues to expand, according to Textron Aviation. Noting that NetJets customers have shown a preference for midsize jets, NetJets Aviation president Patrick Gallagher said, “The Citation Ascend represents the next evolution in midsize jet travel, delivering the latest in exceptional design and comfort.”

The Ascend brings factory-standard Garmin G5000 avionics with autothrottle to the XLS line as well as a flat floor, cabin upgrades, and other enhancements. Sporting two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545D engines, the Ascend has increased thrust, improved fuel efficiency, and a 1,940-nm range with four passengers.

Business aviation flying last month climbed 3.4% year over year (YOY), according to industry data tracker Argus International’s latest global aircraft activity report.

North America, the industry’s leading market, posted a 3.5% YOY increase in April, led by the fractional segment, which posted a 13% gain. While Part 135 operations rose by 4.5%, Part 91 usage fell into negative territory, down 1.5%. Across all aircraft classes, light jets had a nearly 8% boost in the region, while large-cabin use fared the worst, off by 5.8%.

In Europe, activity for April was up by nearly 2% over the previous year. As in North America, the large-cabin segment saw erosion, off by half a point YOY.

Even with the Middle East posting a nearly 50% decline in business aviation flights compared to April 2025, the rest of the world posted a 3.1% yearly activity gain. Once again, the large-cabin jets lost the most ground, off 6.8% YOY and 8.8% from the previous month.

“Activity held strong in April, but there are signs of weakening in many spots,” said Travis Kuhn, v-p of market intelligence for Argus. “Large-cabin activity was off in North America, European growth slowed down much more than expected, and activity in the Middle East remains off about 50% from normal.” Gazing ahead, he added, “We see May looking positive in North America, but that is certainly subject to change.”

AirSprint today launched an app, dubbed Flight Sharing, for its fractional share owners to share flights and trade annual hours. According to the Toronto-based company, Flight Sharing allows owners to share flights and associated costs with other AirSprint owners through the app, either within a private group or across the broader owner community.

Participation is optional, and the company said owner confidentiality is maintained. Meanwhile, its new Hours Exchange program enables owners to buy and sell a limited number of annual flight hours.

“The inspiration behind the app came directly from our fractional owners,” said AirSprint president and CEO James Elian. “Their feedback continues to shape how we evolve. These new features provide even greater flexibility and advantages within our program.”

In addition, AirSprint released a white paper examining the evolution of private jet travel in Canada and the company’s fractional ownership model.

Founded in 2000, AirSprint operates the largest fractional fleet in Canada, including Embraer Praetor 500/600s and Legacy 450/500s, and Cessna Citation CJ2+s and CJ3+s. The company counts more than 600 fractional owners and has offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary.

The Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana International Airport (MDPC) has implemented changes that affect general aviation ground handling there. According to Universal Aviation, third-party ground handlers are no longer allowed to operate on the field, with all services—including pre-arrival coordination, onsite coordination, meet-and-greet, and support within airport facilities—now arranged directly with the airport’s internal team.

This marks a significant change to the planning process for those operators who previously worked with a preferred handler, as they must now coordinate permits, services, and payments directly with the airport owner, Corporación Aeroportuaria del Este.

Universal, which has had a presence in the island country for nearly a decade, noted that the transition began on May 1 with the closure of the airport’s dedicated FBO and the relocation of general aviation operations to the VIP terminal. It added that operators should confirm payment methods in advance of arrival at MDPC, along with updating their scheduling and dispatch procedures.

For operators who prefer a traditional general aviation handling environment, Universal suggests La Romana International Airport (MDLR), less than an hour by car from Punta Cana. MDLR’s private aviation terminal houses three ground-handling providers.

For Bombardier, Embraer, and Gulfstream aircraft, DAS Aviation offers comprehensive thrust reverser and inlet exchange programs designed to minimize downtime and keep aircraft in service.

After a fatal crash involving a helicopter that struck a slackline across a canyon near Superior, Arizona, on January 2, VAI, AOPA, and the National Agricultural Aviation Association are leading a coalition of aviation associations asking the FAA to revise processes for identifying and notifying pilots about the hazards of slacklines. Slacklining is a sport where participants walk across a webbed line. In this case, it was strung across the canyon at 600 feet agl.

In a letter to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, the coalition is asking the agency to review existing slackline notice practices; ways to improve notams, including graphical depictions; and additional outreach and compliance efforts when such hazards are in navigable airspace.

According to the letter, “FAA data identifies accidents described with the phrase ‘struck object during low altitude ops’ as among the deadliest recurring types of accidents threatening helicopter operations. Specifically, low-altitude object strikes accounted for 15% of Part 91 helicopter fatal accidents and were the highest occurrence category for Part 133 and Part 137 helicopter fatal accidents, at 40% and 73%, respectively.”

“The data is clear: low-altitude object strikes remain one of the most persistent and deadly threats in helicopter operations,” said VAI president and CEO François Lassale. “This request reflects a practical, safety-focused effort to work with the FAA and industry partners…to identify measures that reduce risk before another accident occurs.”

C&L Aerospace has launched a customer parts portal that provides real-time inventory information, pricing, and online ordering capabilities for aircraft operators and MRO facilities. The system, developed by the Bangor, Maine-based company using customer feedback, allows users to search for parts, view warehouse locations, compare OEM and aftermarket options, and place orders online. The portal displays parts availability, pricing, photos, and certifications. 

Users can access quotes, view order history, and upload documents, including compliance forms and purchase orders. A negotiation tool allows customers to request price adjustments without phone or email contact, with client-specific pricing applied automatically.

“We wanted to simplify the ordering process and eliminate the unnecessary time customers often spend searching for parts, documents, and pricing,” said Chris Kilgour, CEO of parent C&L Aviation Group. “Customers have told us they want a clean interface, fast access to information, and the ability to make decisions quickly. This new portal delivers exactly that.”

The portal is available only to operators and MRO facilities. Existing customers can access the system immediately, and new eligible customers can request access at the company’s website.

C&L Aviation Group provides parts support, maintenance, component repair, interior refurbishment, aircraft disassembly, and aircraft management services for business jet and regional aviation operators. The company has warehouses and sales offices in the U.S., Germany, Singapore, Scotland, Australia, and South Africa.

Private jet charter broker LunaJets posted first-quarter revenues of $48 million, a 28% year-over-year increase. The company said it continues to build on strong 2025 performance while tempering its expectations for the broader market this year.

The first-quarter results follow a record 2025, in which Geneva-based LunaJets closed the year with $200 million in revenues, up 20% from 2024. Flight activity grew 10% in the first quarter this year, and the company added close to 300 new customers during the period.

“These numbers reflect the trust our clients place in us and the flexibility of our model,” said CEO Guillaume Launay. Chairman Eymeric Segard added, “In a market that demands both precision and flexibility, we have built an organization that delivers on both, and first-quarter 2026 is evidence of that.”

An operational test came in March, when geopolitical tensions in the Middle East prompted LunaJets to coordinate more than 30 evacuation flights through its group charter and private jet divisions. Organizing these flights “under intense time pressure required not just expertise, but genuine dedication to the people depending on us,” Launay said.

LunaJets is deploying AI-powered tools to improve advisor response times and information accuracy for clients. A redesigned digital client platform is also in development, with a phased rollout planned later this year. The company expects to open two more office locations by year-end.

MD Helicopters received FAA supplemental type certificate approval for an upgrade kit that replaces the Rolls-Royce 250-C20B engine with the -C30 engine on MD 500N helicopters.

According to the Mesa, Arizona-based OEM, the engine swap improves performance in hot-and-high environments while retaining the no tail rotor (Notar) system. Benefits include increased horsepower, enhanced hover performance, higher operational ceiling, and better safety margins in high-temperature and high-altitude conditions.

“This STC restores and enhances the performance operators expect, while preserving the unique advantages of the Notar system,” said MD Helicopters president and CEO Ryan Weeks.

Priced at $395,000 (including labor but excluding the engine), the upgrade kit is available immediately through the company’s authorized service center network. Operators can buy an engine from a service center or provide their own. MD Helicopters said removed components retain residual value that operators can recover to offset the upgrade cost. 

This engine upgrade is part of the company’s Fielded Fleet Upgrade initiative aimed at maintaining capability for legacy aircraft. MD Helicopters has manufactured rotorcraft since 1947, with thousands of aircraft in service worldwide supporting military, law enforcement, utility, commercial, and VIP operations.