Textron Aviation opened a service facility at Essendon Fields Airport (YMEN) in Melbourne, Australia, more than doubling its previous footprint in the city. According to the Wichita-based OEM, the 35,000-sq-ft complex will support more than 1,400 Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker aircraft operating across the Asia-Pacific region.

“We’ve supported customers in Australia for decades, and we continue to invest where our customers tell us they need more capacity and faster access to factory direct expertise,” said Brian Rohloff, senior v-p of global customer support. “The Essendon Fields facility is a significant investment in a highly important region.”

Features include expanded service space, an onsite parts stockroom, and a customer lounge. The center complements Textron Aviation’s recent service center expansions and upgrades in Perth, Australia.

Essendon Fields CEO Brendan Pihan said the investment “underscores Essendon Fields’ commitment to building Australia’s most capable and connected business aviation precinct.”

In other news, the company marked 55 years of operation at its Indianapolis Customer Service Center, which supports North American Beechcraft, Cessna, and Hawker customers across the U.S. Midwest.

With the FIFA World Cup tournament set to kick off next month across North America, NBAA’s traffic desk is providing advice for operators intending to visit any of the 16 host cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Much as it does for similar high-profile sporting events, the organization suggests that aircraft operators obtain parking reservations with their preferred FBO as early as possible.

NBAA said to also expect traffic flow measures to be initiated, particularly as the tournament reaches its final rounds. Operators should anticipate game-day TFRs in a roughly 6-nm diameter centered on the venues, extending from the surface to 3,000 feet, lasting from an hour before the contest to an hour afterwards.

With events taking place in 11 cities in the U.S., three in Mexico, and two in Canada, there will be variations by region and likely by country, and operators are advised to keep track of notams as they are published. NBAA noted that passengers should be provided with screening, identity verification, and other security program information well in advance of the flight.

For the quarterfinals, starting on July 9, matches will be held in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Kansas City, with the two semifinal games less than a week later in Dallas and Atlanta. The tournament championship will be decided on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Looking to help foster the next generation of aircraft technicians, Duncan Aviation has placed a Honeywell TFE731 engine on permanent loan to the aviation program at Lincoln North Star High School, near the MRO’s Nebraska headquarters.

The engine—which powers a variety of legacy business aircraft, including the Learjet 70/75, Dassault Falcon 900, and Gulfstream G150—was originally intended to be used as a training aid for the company’s apprentice program at its Provo, Utah location. After a shift in workforce development strategy at that location, the engine became surplus.

“We’ve always believed in using real-world equipment to build confidence and competence in our technicians,” said Duncan executive v-p and COO Kasey Harwick. “When this engine no longer had a home internally, it made perfect sense to extend that same opportunity to students at Lincoln North Star.”

“We are so lucky,” said Amanda Woodward, aviation and technical education teacher at Lincoln North Star. “Our program is the only public school in the country with this type of equipment and opportunity.” The school’s aviation program has been recognized for its commitment to preparing students for aviation careers through classroom instruction and practical experience, and having a jet engine will expand that. “This gives [students] further opportunity to use real tools and truly explore whether a career in aviation maintenance is the right fit,” Woodward concluded.

EASA is preparing guidance on how jet-A and jet-A1 can be combined as European aircraft operators come to terms with fuel supply shortages caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Europe’s aviation safety regulator confirmed today that it is consulting with member states on the contents of a safety information bulletin.

According to industry sources, Eurocontrol has also prepared a set of contingency measures intended to save scarce fuel. These could include reducing aircraft speeds, endorsing single-engine taxiing at airports, and continuous descent flight paths. At press time, the air traffic control agency had not responded to AIN’s request to confirm the plans.

EBAA and other aviation groups have been urging the European Commission to suspend aspects of its ReFuelEU decarbonization policy, such as requirements for operators to source most of their fuel at European Union airports when flying within and out of the continent.

The EC has so far ignored calls to relax the anti-tankering rules and has sought to downplay concerns about fuel shortages by arguing that its mandates for 90-day reserves will prove sufficient. However, according to an EBAA spokesman, the safety-based guidance from EASA and Eurocontrol could “open a door” to some concessions by giving officials a way to avoid abandoning the policy on principle.

With Gogo Galileo HDX now available for the King Air, global connectivity has finally caught up to one of aviation’s most trusted platforms. Stevens Aerospace worked alongside Gogo to bring the system to the King Air, delivering seamless integration, proven real-world performance, and connectivity aligned with how operators fly today.

The 71st annual Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS) opened yesterday in Provo, Utah, with a “leading safety through culture, innovation, and practical solutions” theme. The event is being held in partnership with NBAA and NATA.

BASS moderator David Belastock, captain at Bechtel’s flight department, reminded attendees that members of a flight operation “are all safety leaders.” FSF president and CEO Hassan Shahidi welcomed attendees: “This summit is only successful if you’re able to engage with each other and with the panels and with the speakers. I encourage you to engage actively and use this summit as an opportunity to learn from one another.”

Keynote speaker Michael Graham, vice chairman at the NTSB, kicked off the summit with a summary of lessons learned—and lessons that still need to be explored—following the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) on Jan. 29, 2025.

Three panel sessions were held during the rest of the morning, covering lessons learned from 2025 aviation events and how safety data can help shape solutions; collaboration between flight and ground crew to reduce incidents at airport ramps and hangars; and steps being taken to help aviators deal with mental health issues based on current research and trends.

The afternoon gave attendees an opportunity to choose different BASS round-robin safety conversations by splitting into four groups focused on various safety issues.

Yingling Aviation is near receiving supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for installation of Gogo’s Avance air-to-ground connectivity system in Hawker twinjets. The STC is in the final stages of approval after Yingling submitted data to the FAA. Hawker models covered under the STC application include the 750, 800, 800XP, 850XP, and 900XP.

The STC will include Gogo’s Avance L3, L5, and LX5 5G system. The LX5 provides speeds of up to 80 Mbps on Gogo’s 5G ATG network in the contiguous U.S. and parts of Canada. “This enables streaming-grade performance, supporting video, VPN, cloud applications, and multiple devices simultaneously,” according to Yingling Aviation.

“Connectivity is no longer a luxury in the cabin; it’s an expectation,” said Josh Peterson, regional sales manager and avionics expert at Yingling Aviation. “What’s exciting about this STC is the flexibility it brings. Whether an operator needs a cost-effective solution or the highest level of performance, we’re able to meet them where they are and provide a clear upgrade path as technology continues to evolve.”

Chinese private aircraft management and charter group Sino Jet has added an ultra-long-range Gulfstream G700, joining a fleet of more than 40 aircraft. The operator fleet includes a mix of G650s, G550s, and G450s, as well as Bombardier Global 7500s, Dassault Falcon 7Xs and 8Xs, Airbus ACJs, and Boeing BBJs. With a range of up to 7,750 nm, the four-cabin-zone G700 can perform nonstop flights from Beijing to New York.

Since 2018, Sino Jet has operated to the IS-BAO Stage 3 standard and it now holds dual operating approvals from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the Cayman Islands Civil Aviation Authority. The company, founded in 2011 and part of Hualong Aviation, has also secured operational and maintenance approvals from regulators in the U.S., Europe, Bermuda, and Aruba.

Sino Jet’s main operating bases are in Beijing and Hong Kong, and it also has offices in international locations, including Dubai and Zurich. The group, which is a member of both NBAA and the Asian Business Aviation Association, operates FBOs and maintenance services in Macau, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Nanchang. It has developed its own digital operations management platform called “Cloud of Sino Jet.”

Yasa-Sam Air has ordered a Cessna Caravan, via parent company PT Semuwa Aviasi Mandiri, to support missions across Indonesia. This airplane will augment the Caravan and Grand Caravan EX it currently uses for charter and logistics missions.

The addition of a third unit will enable Sam Air to “enhance [its] ability to serve domestic charter routes, logistics services, and public service missions across Indonesia,” said aircraft manufacturer Textron Aviation. Tony Jones, Textron Aviation v-p of sales for Asia-Pacific, added that the Caravan’s “proven reliability and operational flexibility [make] it an ideal solution for missions across Indonesia.”

Along with its passenger transportation flights to “all regions of Indonesia,” Sam Air noted that it also supports government programs “to achieve equitable economic development in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost regions.” In November 2024, the company signed an agreement to purchase two CASA C-212 cargo aircraft and two Indonesian Aerospace N219 light utility aircraft.