The Irish Business and General Aviation Association (IBGAA) has become the 16th association to join the Climbing Fast initiative as it looks to spread the message of business aviation’s economic impact and sustainable innovation. IBGAA chairman and XJet and Robusto Capital founder and CEO Josh Stewart announced the decision to join as he helped kick off the organization’s International Business Aviation Conference this morning in Kildare. Now in its fourth edition, the conference brought together 160 aviation professionals from Ireland and beyond.

“It is critical that we work together with one global voice to make clear business aviation’s leadership in sustainability, and as a key driver of economic growth and investment, here in Ireland and around the globe,” Stewart said.

In addition, Stewart announced that IBGAA is rolling out the Irish Aviation Diaspora to develop the aviation community through the global Irish base. “We’ve got some momentum growing. We’re all together, but we need to expand our audience,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Darragh O’Brien, the Irish minister for transport, climate, environment, and energy, who typically helps open the conference, sent a video message to attendees emphasizing the importance of sharing industry engagement, experience, and insights. “The business and general aviation sector plays a vital role in our economy here in Ireland,” he said. “Beyond serving our strong tourism and commercial needs, it’s a key enabler for foreign direct investment and connectivity for our regions.”

Thanks to passage of a bill last night to reopen the U.S. government, NBAA expects that flight delays and restrictions at 40 high-impact U.S. airports, as well as the business aviation ban at 12 of them, will be eliminated before Thanksgiving travel. The FAA also today issued an amended order freezing airline traffic reductions to 6% at these airports, but left unchanged limitations on general aviation and nonscheduled commercial operations.

These delays and reductions were implemented in an attempt to cope with air traffic controller staffing issues exacerbated by the government shutdown, during which controllers were working without being paid.

“NBAA commends Congress for concluding the government shutdown, and we look forward to the full restoration of general aviation access to all airports,” said association president and CEO Ed Bolen. “We thank the nation’s air traffic controllers for their dedication to the safe operation of the National Airspace System under very challenging circumstances.

“Additionally, we urge Congress to protect the FAA from future lapses in federal funding by passing a full-year appropriations bill for the Department of Transportation, including the FAA. We also call on Congress to approve the Funding Stability Act of 2025, to allow the FAA to access the Airport and Airway Trust Fund to continue operating in the event of any future government closure.”

A standard operating procedures (SOPs) manual published today by NBAA marks the culmination of a long-standing effort aimed at helping business aircraft operators follow the same, proven standards. Developed jointly by the association and aviation training providers FlightSafety International and CAE, the new manual incorporates best practices developed with input from business aircraft operators of all sizes, manufacturers, and training experts.

“Widespread adoption and implementation of the SOPs will result in improved safety through standardization and ensure consistency among multi-fleet operators and dynamic crew and staffing situations,” NBAA said. The SOPs will also produce stronger data, enabling tailored and informed improvement to training programs, it added.

Crews can expect to see the SOPs during training events at FlightSafety International and CAE starting in mid-2026, giving operators time to become familiar with the new standards. Additionally, NBAA will offer opportunities for the industry to provide feedback on the manual as it continues to update the resource with best practices.

“We’re excited to introduce these SOPs with our partners after years of work with operators, aircraft manufacturers, and training experts,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “These SOPs will ensure everyone is following proven best practices—creating a more predictable safety environment for all.”

Business aircraft management and charter group Empire Aviation is building a new headquarters at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub in the Dubai South complex. The UAE-based group said the facility will be ready to open during the second half of 2026, with the investment being made to support its growing fleet of managed jets.

Empire Aviation now operates 25 privately-owned aircraft, about one-third of which are available for air charter. Its fleet includes Gulfstream G700s, G600s, and G280s; several classic Bombardier Globals; an Airbus ACJ; and an Embraer Legacy 650.

In addition to its UAE air operator certificate (AOC), the company also holds an AOC issued by the aviation regulator in San Marino, giving it access to provide flights beyond the Middle East—in Europe, the U.S., India, Africa and Indonesia. It also acts as authorized independent sales representative for Gulfstream Aerospace in India.

Along with to managing aircraft, Empire handles aircraft sales and charter bookings, as well as providing CAMO management services to other aircraft owners and operators. It has a team of 130 specialists on its payroll.

Signature Aviation has expanded its footprint at Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport (KPBI) with the opening of a second general-use terminal on the field. Known as Signature PBI North, the new 15,700-sq-ft facility includes multiple guest lounges, a dedicated family lounge, café, crew lounge with showers and amenities bar, and conference rooms. It also has its own fuel farm.

The FBO chain’s previously existing facility at KPBI, now called Signature South, offers hangar space and more than half a million sq ft of ramp. Signature’s Status and Tail Wins loyalty programs are available at both locations at the airport.

“Palm Beach is an essential part of the Signature Network, and we’re excited to expand our services for guests traveling to and from the Palm Beaches with a second location at the airport,” said company CEO Tony Lefebvre. “Our brand-new terminal at PBI underscores our continued investment in this key destination, and our commitment to elevating every moment of the guest journey.”

Signature also operates a dedicated NetJets terminal at KPBI.

CrewBlast has launched CrewBlast Connect, a geolocation platform that enables operators to locate and contract flight crews based on their live position rather than their listed home base. The system, which CrewBlast calls the first of its kind in aviation, aims to eliminate inefficiencies in sourcing available business aircraft crewmembers worldwide.

Operators using CrewBlast Connect can enter an airport location and aircraft type to view qualified crewmembers available in proximity to the airport. The company said the real-time feature “removes the guesswork from sourcing” and reduces costs tied to airline repositioning.

According to the company, industry observers have dubbed CrewBlast Connect the “TCAS” for staffing—an abbreviation for “Targeted Crew Acquisition System” and a reference to the collision avoidance technology pilots rely on for situational awareness.

During beta testing, CrewBlast Connect located a pilot in Singapore within five minutes, despite the pilot’s home base being listed as China. CrewBlast described the tool as a step forward for a global industry where precision and speed in staffing are critical. CrewBlast Connect is now live across all platforms for registered operators and contractors.

The FAA moved quickly to define “based aircraft” after exempting them in its order temporarily banning general aviation and nonscheduled commercial operations at 12 U.S. airports due to controller staffing issues. Based aircraft counts are also one of the data points used by the FAA to determine eligibility for inclusion in the National Plan of Integrated Airport System (NPIAS), which is a requirement to receive federal funds.

In a letter issued Tuesday, the FAA listed four criteria that must be met to be considered based: the aircraft is based at a specific airport with an agreement for storage, spends more than six months a year at a specific airport, must be operational and capable of performing takeoffs and landings, and has a current FAA airworthiness certificate.

Expressly excluded from the criteria are through-the-fence agreements, which allow people who own property with aircraft storage facilities near an airport to access the airport from off-airport property. Aircraft that are stored off airport but are allowed to access airfield facilities via through-the-fence should not be reported as “based" at the airport, the FAA said.

According to the agency, accurate based aircraft information will help it in planning and forecasting the growth in the general aviation community, especially for runway approaches and other system-wide improvements. While important, the FAA noted that aircraft counts are rarely the sole criterion in its decision-making.