Abu Dhabi-based RoyalJet has expanded its presence and reach in the Asian market by opening an air charter base in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where it has positioned a Bombardier Global 5000. The company owns and/or operates nine Boeing Business Jets and five Bombardier Globals (Models 5000, 6000, and 7500) and offers business aircraft management, charter, leasing, brokerage/acquisition, flight support, FBO, and maintenance services, as well as VIP aviation consulting.

“This move is in response to the increasing demand for private charters in Asia-Pacific countries following the strong rebound of its economies after the pandemic and increased foreign investments in the region,” it said. RoyalJet also cited industry reports indicating an increasing number of high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals in the region that are spurring demand for business jet services.

The Global 5000 based at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (WMKK) can accommodate up to 13 passengers and features a galley, club-four seating, mid-cabin conference area, and aft VVIP lounge with a VIP lavatory. It also includes a sleeper divan.

In other news, RoyalJet named Shafiul Syed as its CEO, succeeding Mohammed Husain Ahmed. With 30 years of aviation management experience, Syed will focus on company growth while still maintaining high levels of safety. In his new role as advisor to the chairman, Ahmed will concentrate on safety, customer service, and strategy development.

Commercial real estate investment firm SomeraRoad has launched a new investment platform, SR Aviation Infrastructure (SRAI), with the purchase of the Quail Air Center complex at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (KLAS).

Established in 1985, the 23-acre facility features 268,000 sq ft of hangar space that can accommodate bizliners and 32,000 sq ft of offices. It acts as a private FBO, providing fueling and ground handling services for tenants.

“Quail Air Center is one of the premier general aviation facilities in the country, offering best-in-class hangar infrastructure and an unparalleled location just steps from the Las Vegas Strip,” said SomeraRoad partner and SRAI president Jonathon Reeser. “We have been working on the acquisition of this incredible asset for a long time and have large aspirations for the role this initial crown jewel can play in the scaling of a larger aviation infrastructure platform.”

SomeraRoad sees aviation infrastructure as “one of the most compelling opportunities in real estate today,” fueled by the increase in private air travel and limited new airport development, particularly in the general aviation sector.

Looking ahead, the company has identified additional near-term investment opportunities including general aviation, corporate aviation, FBO, and MRO hangars.

“We see tremendous opportunity for SRAI to aggregate the highly fragmented aviation infrastructure to an industrial scale,” explained Monte Koch, the company’s senior advisor.

Transport Canada is addressing industry feedback and concerns about proposed flight and duty time regulations and fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) for Subpart 703 (air taxi) and 704 (commuter) operators. Its recently released FRMS preliminary issue and consultation assessment report (PICA) outlines and gives responses to this feedback and also indicates that Transport Canada plans to hold focus groups and consultations, explore pilot projects, and work with data analytics companies to address these issues and improve regulations.

Subparts 703 and 704 operators, who accounted for most of the submissions to the PICA, cited high costs (more than $40,000) as a barrier for implementing FRMS. In general, they find the proposed FRMS program incompatible with their operations and seek simpler, clearer regulations. Feedback overall indicates operators agree on aligning with ICAO standards but express concerns about the practical implementation and approval process of FRMS.

“After reviewing and analyzing the PICA submissions, Transport Canada understands that the FRMS framework does not lend itself to unscheduled operations and the issues that these operators are raising are more reflective of potential opportunities to improve the prescriptive regulations,” the report states, “whereas the comments regarding the FRMS regime lend themselves to areas of improvement to fine-tune, streamline, and align with ICAO.”

Submissions also criticized the current approach to fatigue data and safety case validations, advocating for more scientifically valid methods and statistical analysis.

The workplace is increasingly complex and spans multiple generations, but bridging the gap between them is critical to a company's culture and therefore its safety mission, panelists agreed during Bombardier’s Safety Standdown last week in Wichita. “We recognize that having five generations in the workforce, it adds complexity—it adds tremendous complexity sometimes,” said Jennifer Pickerel, president of Aviation Personnel International, who moderated the panel on Thursday morning.

However, Pickerel suggested that workers “flip that paradigm” as they look at the various generations. “We've never had a broader skill set in the workforce. We've never had this many talented, passionate, skilled professionals in our workforce.”

She pointed to other discussions during Safety Standdown surrounding the critical role communication plays in safety. “The safety of our industry and our community literally hinges on our ability to effectively communicate with each other,” Pickerel said.

But for communication to be effective, it has to be quality and respectful, she said, and posited: “What might be possible if we turn to each other as resources, if we assume good intent, if we elevate our influence by leading by example, and—in the words of Ted Lasso—if we are curious and not judgmental?”

As Gogo Business Aviation nears the launch of Gogo Galileo, the company’s new Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) global broadband satellite service, it’s receiving unprecedented demand for the new service. That demand has been accelerated with the development of 27 Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) across Gogo’s dealer network. Those STCs will unlock a total addressable market of more than 18,000 aircraft globally, many of which have not had access to broadband connectivity prior to Gogo Galileo.

President-elect Donald Trump selected Sean Duffy, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin and Fox Business show host, to serve as the next secretary of transportation. A former district attorney for Ashland County, Wisconsin, he brings little transportation background to his new role but is known in Washington, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Jan. 3, 2011, until his resignation on Sept. 23, 2019.

More recently, he has co-hosted the Fox Business show, “The Bottom Line with Dagen and Duffy,” as well as a “From the Kitchen Table” podcast with his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy.

“Sean has been a tremendous and well-liked public servant,” Trump said in announcing his intent to nominate Duffy to the post. “During his time in Congress, Sean was a respected voice and communicator in the Republican Conference, advocating for fiscal responsibility, economic growth, and rural development. Admired across the aisle, Sean worked with Democrats to clear extensive legislative hurdles to build the largest road and bridge project in Minnesota history.”

Trump added: “Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and fulfill our mission of ushering in the Golden Age of Travel, focusing on safety, efficiency, and innovation.”

On the aviation front, Trump stated, “He will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.”

Hermeus has installed Starlink’s satellite-based connectivity equipment on the Quarterhorse Mk 1 remotely piloted vehicle it is using to develop a planned family of hypersonic aircraft. The connectivity service will be used for beyond-visual-line-of-sight command and control functions during flight testing.

According to the U.S. start-up, its engineering team integrated the Starlink installation during the course of ongoing taxi ground tests. Hermeus posted images of the equipment on social media, stating that its test campaign had not been delayed by the project.

According to Starlink Aviation, its equipment can work on supersonic aircraft. However, the SpaceX subsidiary has not said whether this would extend to flights at hypersonic speeds, which are defined as Mach 5 and above.

Hermeus is working to apply its Chimera air-breathing hypersonic propulsion technology to power a range of aircraft, including military uncrewed vehicles and a Mach 5 twenty-seat aircraft it has said could enter service in the 2030s. The Quarterhorse Mk 1 technology demonstrator uses General Electric’s J85 engine, while the Mk 2 model—which is expected to start supersonic flight testing in 2025—will be powered by Pratt & Whitney’s F100 turbofan.

In September, the Atlanta-based company broke ground for its hypersonic engine and flight test facility at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. This will be used for high-Mach flight testing that is due to start in 2026.

CAE president and CEO Marc Parent will be stepping down in August 2025 as part of an ongoing succession plan, the aviation and defense training company announced last week. A 20-year veteran of the company, Parent has been at CAE’s helm for the past 15 years. In the meantime, he will continue to lead CAE in his role as CEO and as a member of the board of directors while the board searches for his replacement.

“Under Marc's leadership, CAE has become a global leader in training for civil aviation and defense and security forces, through which we have furthered our mission to make the world a safer place,” said CAE board chair Alan N. MacGibbon. “During his tenure, CAE’s annual revenue has nearly doubled to $4.3 billion…driven in large part by the transformation he led from being primarily an industrial products company to becoming the world leader in aviation training solutions.”

Parent added, “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead this company over the last 15 years. Having been engaged in succession planning discussions for some time, the board and I are fully aligned on the process and transition to CAE’s next CEO.”

Fort Worth's police department signed a purchase agreement with Bell Textron for a second Bell 505 helicopter for its air support unit. The department took delivery of its first Bell 505 in 2021 and it has been a longtime Bell customer, including for the Bell 47 and 206 JetRanger.

The air support unit “plans to increase its public safety presence with the platform’s versatile-mission capabilities, such as search-and-rescue missions,” according to Bell.

“Bell is proud the Fort Worth Police Department has chosen to expand its existing all-Bell public safety fleet with the purchase of an additional Bell 505, continuing our long-standing relationship with the department,” said Lane Evans, Bell's managing director for North America. “We remain confident that the Bell 505 platform will continue to be a great asset to the community and surrounding areas for years to come.”

With a Garmin G1000H NXi glass cockpit and synthetic vision, the 505 offers improved visibility with wide panoramic windows and an open cabin design. It cruises at 125 knots and has a range of 306 nm. Powered by a Safran Arrius 2R turboshaft engine, the 505 can hover in ground effect to 14,450 feet or out of ground effect at 10,460 feet.