ACA Warns AOCs To Prep for Brexit without Agreement

Concerned over the number of unresolved issues still outstanding in the waning weeks before Brexit is set to take effect on January 1, the Air Charter Association is advising operators take steps to ensure they have EU third-party operator approvals in place, permit questions resolved, and other approvals in the case of a non-negotiated exit (NNE).

An EU heads of state meeting on October 15 failed to yield the necessary agreements to settle questions surrounding aviation operations, raising the specter of an NNE, ACA noted. “We are now into the last forty working days of 2020, which makes defining the entire exit plan and the appropriate legislation a significantly tall order.”

“We urge the regulators to avoid a non-negotiated exit from the EU at any cost. Anything else would be catastrophic for the UK’s aviation industry,” added Luxaviation UK CEO George Galanopoulos.

Following a meeting with the UK’s Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority late last week on these issues, the ACA outlined an “action plan” covering a number of steps that can be taken in the absence of further Brexit clarity, including reminding air operator certificate (AOC) holders to ensure they have a valid third-country operator approval in the case of an NNE. Further, they should learn of permit requirements and whether security approvals are necessary.

Comments Critical of EPA Aircraft Emissions Proposal

Two-thirds of the more than 350 comments submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about its proposed rule to control and set standards for turbine airplane emissions said it falls far short and should be more stringent.

The proposal is intended to bring emissions standards and test procedures in line with those of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), but critics noted the rule goes no further to actually “reduce” greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As one organization put it: “This proposed rule is meant solely to comply with the minimum standards set by ICAO with no foreseeable reduction in emissions that can be attributed to the proposed rule.”

Other commenters criticized the proposal for not recognizing the successes made in the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). “By setting more challenging, yet achievable, mandates, EPA can create an environment for investment that can support additional production and use of SAF to help the aviation sector reduce emissions,” wrote a major oil company.

Several organizations and associations, including NBAA, were critical of the proposal’s reporting requirement. NBAA also mentioned in its comments an international program to significantly reduce business aviation’s harmful emissions over the next 30 years.

Thrive Grows Citation Fleet with Sovereign+s

Charter operator Thrive Aviation will take delivery of three preowned Cessna Citation Sovereign+s from Textron Aviation to meet demand for its services. With the addition of these twinjets, Thrive will operate an expanded fleet of Citations—also including two M2s, four CJ3+s, and one XLS+.

“Since the global Covid-19 pandemic began, more people are looking to private aviation as a means of traveling while limiting the spread of the virus,” said Thrive CEO Curtis Edenfield. “The delivery of these new aircraft will help us support increased demand and provide our clients with the well-being and peace of mind they seek for their families and businesses.”

Based at Henderson (Nevada) Executive Airport and with an expanded 21,000-sq-ft hangar at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Thrive is expected to take delivery of the new Citations by the end of the year once the midsize twinjets have undergone interior and exterior overhauls. “We look forward to continuing our growth with Textron Aviation in our future expansion plans,” Edenfield added.

“The delivery of these Citation business jets is a significant milestone for Thrive, which can now support a greater range of customers,” said senior v-p of sales and flight operations Rob Scholl.

Universal Tapped for UK’s Northolt GAT Management

Universal Aviation, the ground support division of Houston-based Universal Weather & Aviation, has been selected to manage the general aviation terminal at London Northolt Airport.

Starting on January 1, Universal—which already has a presence in the UK capital through its FBO at London Stansted—will have designated areas set aside in the facility at the Royal Air Force-operated airport for the handling of business aviation. This will include a reception area, a small operations section, a passenger lounge, and security screening, as well as food storage areas. A separately-run cafe will also be available for crewmembers.

Fueling is provided by World Fuel Services, which has several tankers on-site and accepts fuel releases, while Universal will be responsible for all over-the-wing aircraft handling.

“Because it’s a military airport, it has historically been a little tricky to get in and out of for some operators,” said Universal Aviation UK and Ireland managing director Sean Raftery, who added that Northolt’s close proximity to Central London makes it an attractive option for business aircraft operators. “By partnering with Royal Air Force and extending our ground support operations to Northolt, we are going to be focusing on making this an easier, more accessible option that business aircraft operators will want to use as an alternative to other more congested airports close to the city.”

Virtual Business Aircraft Auctions Gain Steam

With the Covid-19 pandemic making in-person business aircraft transactions more difficult, at least a few companies have taken the sales process online with virtual auctions. Two such upcoming events include Assent Aeronautics’s November 19 auction and Global AVX’s on December 10.

Assent's auction this week will be staged at Jet Aviation at Dallas Love Field. In addition to Jet Aviation, Assent has partnered with Amstat, Jackson Walker, Controller, and Conklin & de Decker for its auctions.

The November 19 event caps off Assent Aeronautics’s inaugural year for its Private Aircraft Auction House. In its first year, the company said it has had more than $180 million in aircraft cross the auction block and an 85 percent closing rate. It is planning further events on Feb. 4, May 20, Sept. 23, and Nov. 18, 2021.

Global AVX, meanwhile, is launching a dedicated aviation online auction platform with the first sale on December 10. The Dublin, Ireland-based firm said the auction is designed to fill a need for a global auction process and added that travel restrictions have spurred interest in online transactions. Hopkinson Aircraft Sales, which has offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Calgary, Alberta, is the debut broker with a Citation Ultra up for bid.

NATA Fueling Requirement Change Sees Industry Approval

NATA noted strong business aviation industry support for its proposed changes to the NFPA 407 Standard for Aircraft Fuel Servicing, which is under consideration for revision. The window for public comment closed last week, and the association’s Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA) 1539, which opposes the mandatory retrofit of costly automatic fueling equipment shutdown systems, received nearly 300 comments from FBOs, airport operators, charter operators, and state aviation associations.

According to procedure, the comments received will now circulate amongst the NFPA 407’s technical committee voting members as balloting on the measure begins.

“Hundreds of stakeholders from across every segment of the aviation business community made their voices heard against this unnecessary, onerous requirement to retroactively modify existing refueling equipment,” NATA’s fuel quality expert Steve Berry told AIN. “We hope that the weight of these comments will be enough to achieve the majority vote needed from the technical committee to approve, but no matter the outcome, NATA stands ready to engage in the next steps on behalf of our members and the industry.”

Final results of the committee vote are expected on or about November 18.

Russian Bizav Traffic on the Upswing

Despite the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic, business aviation in Russia is showing good dynamics in the second half of the year. According to the Russian United Business Aviation Association (RUBAA), after a slight increase in early 2020 and a sharp drop in April, business aviation traffic on some routes—such as Russia-EU—significantly exceeds last year's figures at present.

For example, according to recent statistics published by VIPPORT, an FBO at Moscow Vnukovo-3 Airport, in August it served 3,707 business aviation flights, which is 33 percent higher versus the same period last year.

“Despite the crisis, which causes significant damage to the Russian business aviation sector, it is coping with its impact relatively well at present,” RUBAA executive director Anna Serezhkina told AIN. She pointed to the recent increase in FBOs there, with four new facilities opening—two at Vnukovo, one at Yuzhny, and one at Tsentralny—over the past year. “We expect the next logical step will be the growth of the aircraft fleets.”

But not all agree with that assessment. Oleg Ivanov, corporate affairs director of A-Group, an FBO at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport, noted that this year turned out to be quite difficult. All significant projects were postponed until better times, he said, while the company tried to simply keep current activities and provide security to its passengers and workers.

Aviation Manuals Offers Free Flight Planning Guide

To help operators avoid making common mistakes on flight plans, Aviation Manuals has released a free guide, which is available for download on the company's website.

Citing the FAA, Aviation Manuals said the majority of A056 applications don’t pass muster because an aircraft’s equipment doesn’t match what is claimed and filed on the flight plan. The company said the guide will help operators with flight plans that correctly mirror items such as minimum fuel and allocation requirements, as well as assist them in selecting correct equipment codes and following proper formatting standards.

Detailed information about each equipment code is covered in the guide, as are checklists that operators can fill out and send to their flight planning service providers to update the codes on their flight plans.

“Errors on flight plans can cause flight delays, force route changes, and even slow LOA [letters of authorization] approvals,” said CEO Mark Baier. “We are providing this complimentary flight planning guide to help operators avoid some of the pitfalls we are seeing related to incorrect flight plan completion.”

What Does a New U.S. President Mean for Bizav?

The U.S. business aviation community is preparing to work with a new administration in Washington, D.C. AIN senior editor Kerry Lynch gives us the low-down on what the industry can expect on key issues such as user fees, FAA priorities, the environment, and more.