French Flight Tax Hits Country’s Charter Operators Hard, Rolls-Royce Tops in AIN's Annual Engine Support Survey, AIN Buys Air Charter... ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ | October 1, 2026 Thursday French Flight Tax Hits Country’s Charter Operators Hard A new report from the French parliament’s general rapporteur of the finance committee has revealed a steep decline in activity by French-registered business jets in the wake of the so-called “solidarity tax” applied to charter flights. According to Philippe Juvin, who leads oversight of government finances for the National Assembly, French aircraft movements in the sector since last October have dipped by between 11% and 20% in each three-month period, while flights by foreign aircraft into French airports increased by between 3% and 4%. The statistics lend weight to arguments made by the French chapter of the European Business Aviation Association. It has protested that French officials have focused on applying the tax, which can amount to up to €2,100 (about $2,400) per passenger, to French charter operators, while international competitors can easily avoid payment. Juvin concluded that business aviation has suffered a disproportionately negative impact from the tax versus the airlines. He also said foreign-registered charter aircraft had increased their market share in France from 86% in early 2025 to 91% by mid-2026, resulting in a decline in overall tax revenues from French companies. The report concluded that the solidarity tax has adversely impacted employment and transport connections in France. EBAA France said it will continue to campaign for reforms to the French government’s draft finance law for 2027 “to reverse this punitive tax.” Read more Rolls-Royce Tops in AIN’s Annual Engine Support Survey Rolls-Royce rose to the top of the turbofan manufacturers in the 2026 AIN Product Support Survey for Engines, released today, with an average rating of 8.54, on a scale of one to 10. Meanwhile, GE Aerospace, which had held that spot for the past few years, moved to third place with an 8.39 score. Splitting that narrow gap was Williams International, which drew a rating of 8.41, while Pratt & Whitney Canada (7.91) and Honeywell Aerospace (7.90) filled out the remainder of the roster. Among those that garnered enough ratings to meet the reportable threshold, the top three ranked jet engine models in this year’s survey were Rolls-Royce’s BR700 series (8.61), followed by the GE Passport (8.54) and CF34 (8.40). In the turboprop segment, Honeywell’s TPE331 earned the overall highest average score at 8.71 among all engine models in this year’s survey, leapfrogging Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT6A, which earned an 8.23 overall rating. One of the perpetual gripes among AIN’s survey respondents is the cost of parts, and that held true this year. In fact, the category once again recorded the lowest scores among all 10 of the survey categories. Read more AIN Buys Air Charter, Frax Buyer’s Guide SherpaReport SherpaReport, an independent research and marketing services company for the private aviation and luxury travel sectors, is now part of AIN Media Group. This acquisition, completed yesterday, will enhance AIN Media’s connection with consumers, brokers, and service providers in the fractional ownership and jet card markets. Since 2006, SherpaReport has provided news, analysis, data, and exclusive insights into two of the fastest-growing private aviation options. According to AIN Media, the platform will complement the group’s extensive coverage of the business aviation industry, including its consumer-facing Business Jet Traveler publication. “We’ve built AIN Media over decades into a trusted source for all segments of the business aviation industry,” said company founder and chairman emeritus Wilson Leach. “Adding SherpaReport places us at the heart of fractional and jet card ownership, where buyers need exactly this kind of data and information.” SherpaReport, which also provides guidance on luxury vacation home alternatives, was founded by Nick Copley, who will continue contributing to its content. “After two decades of building this business with passion and dedication, it’s an honor to see it enter a new chapter with a company that shares our values and vision,” he said. “This acquisition represents a milestone in our ongoing commitment to being the first word and the last word in aviation,” said AIN Media Group president Ruben Kempeneer. Read more Phoenix Airports Studying Surface Alert Technology Honeywell Aerospace and the Phoenix Aviation Department have signed an agreement to study adding Surface Alert (SURF-A) to ground vehicles at Phoenix Sky Harbor International (KPHX), Goodyear (KGYR), and Deer Valley (KDVT) airports. With the ability to send real-time aural and visual alerts to pilots when their aircraft is on a trajectory to collide with another aircraft on the same runway, SURF-A, combined with a digital airport map, will “bolster operators’ real-time situational awareness,” according to Honeywell. This will be the first time airports use this collision-avoidance technology on ground vehicles, and it uses GPS, ADS-B, and software analytics “to pinpoint the exact location of traffic hazards up to 30 seconds before impact.” Ground vehicle operators will get the same aural alerts and “traffic on runway” alerts that pilots receive in SURF-A-equipped aircraft. Testing is set to begin this month and be completed by year-end. “This is a new frontier in runway safety,” said Honeywell Aerospace president and CEO of electronic solutions Bob Buddecke. “Pilots need direct alerts of potential runway collisions, but so do fire truck, ambulance, and other drivers that can be at risk of a high-speed collision on a runway. Airport vehicle operators have been asking for this technology because an early alert can mean the difference between a safe pass and a major collision.” Sponsor Content: Stevens Aerospace And Defense Systems From Prevention to Resolution: A Smarter Approach to AOG Events The best time to find a problem isn't before departure. It's after the last flight. Discover how post-flight inspections and proactive maintenance practices help operators reduce downtime, improve reliability, and better manage unexpected AOG events. Read more Piaggio Organizes Inaugural Avanti Owners’ Meet in U.S. Piaggio Aerospace has announced the inaugural Piaggio Owners and Pilots Association (PAPA) meetup, set to take place October 8 to 10 at Grand Galvez Resort in Galveston, Texas. The newly formed PAPA group—which the Italian OEM notes “is independent of Piaggio Aerospace and serves as the collective voice of its members”—has been specifically set up as a U.S.-based community. Piaggio promises that the three-day event next week will provide P.180 Avanti and Evo owners and pilots “an opportunity to meet fellow members, exchange experiences and operational knowledge, share ideas, and strengthen connections.” This includes presentations, technical discussions, and talks from parts suppliers and service organizations. Representatives from Piaggio will include the chairman, CEO, head of after-sales support, and a company test pilot. However, Piaggio stresses that the event is designed to be “deliberately small,” looking to cultivate a more intimate environment of owner-operators rather than a “trade show floor.” It also coincides with the Avanti’s 40th anniversary year. Delegates wishing to fly in should use the nearby Scholes International Airport (KGLS), with support from the Island Jet Center FBO there. Evo customer demonstration flights will also take place at the airport on the conference’s last day. KanRus Owner Sentenced for Avionics Export Violations Former Kansas avionics company owner Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiring to sell controlled avionics to customers in Russia without required export licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas. Buyanovsky, of Lawrence, Kansas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges in 2023. Buyanovsky was president and owner of KanRus Trading, a Kansas-based avionics business that bought, sold, and shipped export-controlled avionics equipment to customers in Russia. Prosecutors said Buyanovsky and KanRus v-p Douglas Edward Robertson, of Olathe, Kansas, sold and shipped controlled avionics equipment to Russian customers without the required licenses, after the U.S. government tightened export restrictions following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. According to the indictment, KanRus supplied avionics equipment, including U.S.-origin parts and repair services, to operators of Russian-built aircraft in Russia and other countries. Prosecutors allege that the company’s illegal exports included specific controlled components such as traffic alert and collision avoidance system processors, transponders, navigation receivers, and antennas. Robertson was sentenced to 32 months in prison after pleading guilty to export control and money laundering violations. A third defendant, Oleg Chistyakov, of Latvia, who acted as a broker for KanRus, was sentenced to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty to his part in the conspiracy. Read more ExecuJet Earns First FBO IS-BAH Nod in New Zealand ExecuJet’s FBO at Auckland Airport (NZAA) in New Zealand is now the first in the country to achieve IS-BAH registration. The facility earned Stage I status in the voluntary safety management system-based program following a successful audit. Introduced in 2014, IS-BAH is a globally recognized safety standard specifically for FBOs, developed by the International Business Aviation Council in partnership with the National Air Transportation Association. The standard focuses on risk management, safety culture, and the ongoing development of operational best practices, and the first service providers achieved Stage I registration a year later. The Auckland accreditation comes as ExecuJet continues to strengthen its FBO presence across Asia-Pacific. Its Sydney and Melbourne locations achieved IS-BAH Stage III accreditation—the top tier in the program—in 2022. Earlier this year, ExecuJet was also appointed the sole FBO at Sydney International Airport. “Achieving IS-BAH Stage I accreditation in Auckland as the first FBO in New Zealand to do so is a recognition of the standards we apply across ExecuJet,” said Patrick Hansen, CEO of parent company Luxaviation Group. “Safety remains fundamental to how we operate, and standards such as IS-BAH are key to maintaining consistency across our global FBO network.” Bop Aero Taps Elite for SF50 Vision Jet Owner Training Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet shared-ownership program operator Bop Aero Services has designated the aircraft sales, management, and training provider Elite Aircraft Services as the exclusive provider of initial and recurrent SF50 type training for its owners. Elite is based at Raleigh Executive Jetport (KTTA) in Sanford, North Carolina. Elite has designed an initial operating experience curriculum in which an instructor pilot accompanies owners on day trips to accumulate 25 hours of flight experience, including stops at Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL) and Teterboro Airport (KTEB), and an international leg to Nassau, Bahamas. The curriculum, approved by Elite’s insurance underwriter, pairs one-on-one ground instruction with simulator sessions in RealSimGear’s Sfx device, followed by hands-on training in Elite’s SF50 Gen 1. Raymond Chase, president and CEO of Bop Aero, said the training arrangement gives owner-pilots the flexibility to use their aircraft as part of the training, which he said offers familiarization with the aircraft they own, as well as cost savings. Matt Walsh, CEO of Elite Aircraft Services, said the program offers “existing Elite customers a path to Vision Jet ownership that, through Bop Aero, doesn't require the outright purchase of an entire aircraft.” Elite Aircraft Services has also entered into an options agreement for one or more shares in Bop Aero’s program to support long-term aircraft availability for training clients as the program expands. Read more SUSTAINABILITY QUESTION OF THE WEEK Under the UK SAF mandate, what percentage of the UK’s total jet fuel supply is required to meet the main SAF obligation in 2026? A. 2% B. 3.6% C. 5% D. 10% Take The Quiz Early-bird Tickets Now Available for 2027 AIN FBO Awards Gala Discounted early-bird tickets are now on sale for the 2027 AIN FBO Dinner & Awards Gala, to be held Feb. 24, 2027, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Join the industry’s top FBOs as we celebrate the award winners. Save $100 on tickets when you buy today; prices go up on November 1. To reserve a table, please contact sales@ainonline.com. AW139 Helicopter Tracks Nuclear Threats from the Sky The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration operates Leonardo AW139 helicopters equipped with airborne sensors to detect and map nuclear isotopes as part of its emergency response and preparedness missions. AIN’s video team explains how. Watch video UPCOMING EVENTS NATIONAL ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY INDUSTRY FORUM SPRINGFIELD, OHIO October 15, 2026 NBAA BUSINESS AVIATION CONVENTION & EXHIBITION (NBAA-BACE) LAS VEGAS, NEVADA October 20 - 22, 2026 INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY SUMMIT (IASS) MONTREAL, CANADA November 10 - 12, 2026 AIN CORPORATE AVIATION LEADERSHIP SUMMIT (CALS) MX SAVANNAH, GEORGIA November 16 - 17, 2026 EBAA WEEK BRUSSELS AIRPORT, BELGIUM November 16 - 18, 2026 View calendar AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). 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