Building off expansion into business aviation at Aero Friedrichshafen 2025, show organizers are making provisions to accommodate much more of the market sector for their next event, to be held April 22 to 25, 2026. 

Speaking last week at the Irish Business and General Aviation Association’s fourth annual International Business Aviation Conference, Dennis Schulz—Aero Friedrichshafen’s project manager of international sales in EMEA, North America, and China—gave a glimpse of the plans for the 2026 show. He noted that organizers are paving the way to accommodate substantially more exhibitors and aircraft on static display next year.

The 2025 show featured the opening of a 2,000-sq-m (21,500-sq-ft) business aviation dome to extend the reach into the full scope of the sector. But organizers quickly discovered that there was not enough space, so they are doubling the dome size. In addition, organizers are opening up Hall A1 to business aviation and are further shifting the dome to accommodate a larger static display alongside Halls A1, A2, and A3. 

Business aviation exhibitors are already lining up for the space, with many returning from the 2025 show. They include most of the major business aircraft OEMs, as well as a gamut of service businesses, he said.

Addressing feedback about logistics concerns, show organizers have entered into an agreement with Hotel Management International (HMI) for assistance with housing accommodations.

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority has issued a design organization approval to Dubai-based Falcon Technic. According to the company, it is the first local organization to receive this approval without already holding the equivalent authorization from a foreign regulator, such as EASA.

This approval means Falcon Technic’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility is authorized to design and approve minor modifications and repairs for both airplanes and helicopters. This could include refurbishments to cabin interiors, including furnishings, as well as some exterior upgrades such as new paint schemes.

According to Falcon Technic, it is now in the process of earning a production organization approval that would allow it to both design and manufacture parts under the GCAA’s supervision. It also intends to seek similar approvals from EASA.

This week, GCAA officials issued a UAE air operator certificate to Falcon sister company Alex Jet Aviation Services. Thus, the company can now provide charter flights on behalf of the business aviation services group’s Falcon Luxe brand from its main base at Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport (OMDW).

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC), which owns and operates seven airports in the Minneapolis area, announced that construction has begun on a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility at St. Paul Downtown Airport (KSTP). Budgeted at nearly $20 million, the 4,800-sq-ft standalone facility will be located on the north end of the field and replace the existing smaller CBP office in the administration building.

Developed in accordance with both CBP and MAC standards to accommodate current and future operational needs, it will include pre- and post-processing waiting rooms, passenger processing area, office space, utility rooms, and restrooms. It is anticipated to handle more than 100 international flights a year.

With sustainability features such as geothermal heat pumps, air handlers, and solar panels baked into its design, the building is designed to produce more energy than it uses. MAC will pursue LEED Gold certification on the project, which is expected to be completed late next year.

KSTP—which sees more than 40,000 operations a year—is a reliever airport for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (KMSP), and features a 6,491-foot main runway.

Viasat is enhancing its JetXP broadband satcom service with the integration of Telesat’s Lightspeed low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellation network, the company announced on Monday at the Dubai Airshow.

Viasat will make its multi-orbit capabilities available as a single offering on JetXP plans, which the company said eliminates the need for multiple subscriptions. To access it, JetXP customers will need to obtain a new electronically-steered flat-panel antenna that Viasat plans to reveal in 2026. 

Telesat’s LEO satellite constellation will work in tandem with Viasat’s geostationary capabilities, which will also include ViaSat-3 satellites. The second of three ViaSat-3 satellites launched into space on Thusday, and the third is expected to launch in 2026, completing the constellation. 

Integration of LEO and geostationary options represents a key step in Viasat’s multi-orbit strategy, which aims to improve the performance and reliability of its in-flight connectivity services—especially for high-demand applications that are sensitive to latency and jitter, such as videoconferencing or gaming on multiple devices.

“When we incorporate a multi-orbit component to our offering, we feel that we can bring a lot more consistency and a lot more reliability to operators in business aviation,” Claudio D’Amico, v-p of business aviation at Viasat, told AIN.

Daher Aircraft sent an 11-member delegation to Savannah, Georgia, for the 2025 TBM Owners and Pilots Association Annual Convention (TBMOPA). More than 80 TBM aircraft arrived for this year’s event, where Daher shined a spotlight on its flight safety initiatives and customer support for the worldwide TBM fleet. The company’s delegation included executives and representatives from the Daher Care support team, sales, and communications.

Centered in the spotlight was the company’s Safe Horizons program, which complements TBMOPA’s pilot safety outreach. The initiative is intended to strengthen safety culture across the community by applying resources such as e-learning and the Me & My TBM app. It also includes coordination with factory-approved training partners, with courses ranging from simulator and in-aircraft training to recurrent and multi-mission sessions.

During the Daher Care roundtable, company personnel described the six pillars guiding TBM customer service: responsiveness, resource optimization, collaboration within the authorized service center network, supply-chain engagement, owner and operator communication, and continual improvement. The team also outlined new data-driven processes for remote troubleshooting.

Daher Aircraft CEO Nicolas Chabbert noted that TBM owners and operators are recognizing and showing appreciation for these efforts, recently giving the company top ratings in product support surveys by AIN and other industry publications.

The event attracted 82 TBM aircraft and 320 participants, and this year’s auction raised a record $319,000 for the TBMOPA Foundation.

Airbus Helicopters received an order for 10 H125s from Østnes Helicopters, the airframer’s distributor in the Nordic region, this week at European Rotors in Cologne, Germany. This is in addition to Østnes’ order placed earlier this year for four of the light single helicopters, bringing the total to 14 anticipated H125 deliveries.

“Our customers require a rotorcraft that is not just reliable, but truly versatile, capable of performing everything from long-line utility work to passenger transport,” said Stine Østnes, the dealer’s chief sales officer. “The H125 delivers on all fronts, and we see a continuous strong demand for the helicopter on the Nordic market. This strategic procurement ensures we can maintain short delivery times and offer our customers the best availability for the world’s most successful single-engine helicopter.”

More than 130 of the global fleet of more than 4,300 H125-family helicopters are in operation across the Nordic region, employed primarily in utility and aerial work missions.

A strong presence in the Scandinavian rotorcraft market, Østnes has facilitated the sale of more than 400 new and used helicopters. Its maintenance operation is approved to deliver comprehensive MRO services for Airbus H120s, H125s, and H130s.

The FAA has approved Outerlink Global Solutions’ supplemental type certificate for installation of its Air IP broadband communications system on the Bell 407 helicopter. Air IP’s secure communications capability is designed for public safety, emergency medical, corporate, and utility operators.

With Air IP, Bell 407 operators get real-time HD video streaming, flight data transfer, and an onboard Wi-Fi network. Connectivity is via bonded cellular networks and includes enterprise-grade encryption, according to Outerlink. This includes end-to-end encrypted virtual private network architecture.

Outerlink is developing a fourth node in its patented bonding architecture by integrating Starlink low-earth-orbit satcom. This will create “a ‘super signal’ that combines satellite and cellular networks into an optimized stream for global, uninterrupted coverage,” the company said.

Examples of Air IP users include the Westchester County Police Department in New York and Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, both of which are using Air IP to replace legacy microwave systems. This enables “real-time video transmission and enhanced situational awareness, all while avoiding the infrastructure limitations and high costs of traditional systems,” Outerlink said. In an example of a corporate operation, “a customer conducted a live videoconference call from Hartford to Boston at 2,500 feet and 145 knots, with no interruptions in service.”