Bombardier outlined plans today to hire 800 more people and invest $270 million in infrastructure growth in the U.S.—including new projects in Texas and Connecticut—as President Donald Trump walked back his announced intention to ban the sale of the Canadian manufacturer’s business jets there.

During a rally for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) on Monday, Trump told the audience that he used to view Bombardier as a Canadian company, but “now I find out they have a presence here and we’re not hurting them if they’re in Kansas.”

He later told Wichita CBS affiliate KWCH: “We’re going to take care of Bombardier," and then yesterday followed with a posting on the Truth Social platform that, “Because of [Marshall], working together with the Trump Administration, Bombardier is investing $270 million, creating thousands of American Jobs in Kansas, Texas, and Indiana.”

Bombardier is not yet detailing its newest expansion plans in Dallas and Connecticut, but both will increase its service network capacity. The company is actively recruiting for 500 positions and will hire 300 additional people in the future for its expansion projects. Dallas will account for 150 of those future jobs. In addition to Connecticut, where the company already has a service center, hiring plans include its U.S. headquarters in Wichita, as well as in Indiana, where it is soon opening an MRO facility.

An independent analysis of NTSB accident records has cast new light on the most pressing issue affecting business aviation safety: loss of control inflight (LOC-I). Results of the new study identified LOC-I as a leading killer in every operational segment. Runway safety remains a persistent problem, but it is harder to quantify because this data spans multiple NTSB accident classifications.

The study—“U.S. NTSB Accident Data 2016-2025-Fixed-Wing and Rotary-Wing Defining Events, 1st Edition”—examined the latest annual NTSB datasets, covering 2016 to 2025, and focused on airplanes and rotorcraft used in general aviation business, executive/corporate, and Part 135 on-demand operations. The study analyzed 644 accident records.

Industry safety experts Dr. Janeen Kochan, Stuart “Kipp” Lau [Ed. note: the author of this AINsight blog], and Paul “BJ” Ransbury coauthored the independent study, which aimed to validate the data and provide context.

“We analyzed 10 years of NTSB-supplied accident records, from 2016 through 2025, examining airplanes and helicopters separately across general aviation business, executive/corporate, and Part 135 on-demand operations,” Ransbury said. “Rather than produce a single accident ranking, we ranked the defining events three ways—by lives lost, fatal accidents, and total accidents—to show frequency and human consequence side by side.”

He added, “The result is a traceable picture of where those outcomes concentrated, using a documented method designed for annual updates and ready adaptation to other aviation datasets from official sources.”

Stellar Aviation, one of two FBOs at Reno-Tahoe International Airport (KRNO), has broken ground on a 35,000-sq-ft hangar and office complex. Slated for completion in July 2027, it will offer 30,000 sq ft of aircraft shelter and 5,000 sq ft of office and shop space, as well as covered vehicle parking for tenants and crew. 

The $9 million project is Stellar’s latest investment in a northern Nevada network that now spans two airports, three terminals at KRNO, and more than a quarter-million square feet of hangar space. It joins an identical sister hangar next to Stellar’s recently completed FBO executive terminal.

Stellar’s development is part of a building boom at KRNO. The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority has more than $1 billion in infrastructure improvements under construction.

“The airport authority is making a major investment in commercial and cargo infrastructure, and Stellar is committed to matching that on the general aviation side,” said Stellar COO Brad Kost. “This hangar is about making sure our FBO facilities keep pace with demand and deliver an exceptional experience to every guest and business at Reno-Tahoe.”

Next year, Stellar will expand further, with construction starting on a $50 million, 10-acre general aviation development just south of its existing facility that will add another 100,000 sq ft of hangar space.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has issued a Part 145 repair station certificate to business jet support specialist Greenpoint Technologies. The Safran group subsidiary announced the approval on Tuesday following an audit of its modifications facility in Moses Lake, Washington. 

Greenpoint already holds regulatory Part 145 maintenance approvals from FAA and EASA. Under bilateral agreements, these are also accepted by Transport Canada and aviation regulators in Aruba and the UAE. The company also has an FAA Part 21 certificate covering manufacturing work.

The company conducts completions projects for business aircraft cabin interiors, as well as handling modifications and maintenance tasks. Clients include high-net-worth individuals, governments, and heads of state, with Greenpoint specializing in airliner-size private jets like the Boeing BBJ.

“We are delighted to achieve this important milestone with GACA,” Greenpoint Technologies CEO Klaus Koester commented. “Regulatory approvals are an important way to support our clients and their aircraft. This achievement reflects the preparation and coordination across our teams and strengthens our ability to support clients with maintenance services in accordance with the requirements of the applicable authorities.”

Thornton Aviation has been the backbone of their maintenance and operational support for both the GIV and Hawker 800XP.

CAE has added four more full-flight simulators across the Americas region to boost training capacity for several business jet types. The Canada-based group announced the investment on Tuesday at NBAA-BACE, saying its worldwide network of simulators for business aviation flight crews now exceeds 130 devices.

The four new simulators will provide training for the Bombardier Global 6500, Embraer Praetor 600, Pilatus PC-24, and Cessna Citation CJ4. CAE, which did not specify precisely where these units will be installed, has business aviation training centers in the Americas in Dallas; Las Vegas; Morristown, New Jersey; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix; Toronto; Montreal; and São Paulo.

Within the business aviation segment, CAE estimates it delivers more than 300,000 hours of pilot and maintenance technician training annually, led by around 1,000 instructors.

According to the company’s 2025 Aviation Talent Forecast, the industry will require 102,000 new business aviation professionals worldwide by 2034, including 33,000 pilots and 69,000 maintenance technicians.

North America will account for the lion’s share of new pilots needed, at 19,000, followed by Europe at 7,000. In addition, it foresees a need for some 44,000 additional maintenance personnel, supporting a worldwide fleet set to grow from 23,000 aircraft in 2025 to 27,000 in 2034.

Aviation Personnel International (API) sees an evolving industry trying to keep on top of compensation and recruitment pressures within business aviation. In its latest survey of 200 Part 91 flight department leaders, API said compensation and benefits led the list of concerns.

While 45% of flight department leaders pointed to those issues, 39% cited the ability to recruit qualified aviation professionals; work-life balance, 39%; developing future leaders, 38%; and retention, 36%.

On the factors having the greatest impact on retention, 74% selected compensation and benefits, 54% said schedule predictability and time off, and 44% identified department culture.

“Compensation is clearly top of mind, but a raise isn’t always the answer,” said API CEO Sheryl Barden. “Aviation leaders want to know what the market is paying and whether their people are being paid fairly. If not, they need help making the case to HR. And sometimes the job has changed so much that the title and salary haven’t kept up.”

Beyond staffing services, API has found that flight department leaders have increasingly turned to the company for guidance on workforce issues. “Sometimes a leader calls and says, ‘Can I run something by you?’” said API president Jennifer Pickerel. “They might be worried about upcoming retirements, wondering what their employees really think, or dealing with a situation they haven’t faced before.”

Purchases of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by companies seeking to meet Scope 3 emissions objectives for business travel could drive a threefold to sixfold increase in output. In a study entitled SAF Environmental Attribute Certificate Market (EAc) published last week, IATA—along with Airbus and technology consultants Accenture—estimated that corporate purchases on this basis could support between 1 million and 1.9 million metric tons of SAF by 2030.

However, although this is significantly higher than the estimated 323,000 tons of SAF produced in 2024 for the EAc market, the study cautioned that “factors limiting corporate participation,” such as unclear accounting rules, high prices, and purchasing complexity, must be addressed to enable full demand. This year, all SAF production is expected to total 2.4 million tons, which is just 0.8% of all jet fuel.

Specifically, IATA believes that companies would benefit from being able to offset SAF purchases against their Scope 3 emissions. Although these lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions are not directly produced by the company itself, an organization is still indirectly responsible for their climate impact. Presently, there is no definitive method for SAF book-and-claim methods to offset a company’s Scope 3 emissions.

Archer Aviation plans to launch eVTOL air taxi services around the busiest metropolitan areas in Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin. The start-up said today it will operate 10- to 20-minute flights in its four-passenger piloted eVTOL aircraft, which has yet to complete FAA type certification.

The planned Texas Triangle operations are expected to connect the cities’ main airports with business centers and popular destinations. This weekend, Archer is displaying its Midnight prototype to crowds attending the U.S. Formula 1 Grand Prix race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

The network map for the Dallas-Fort Worth area is centered on Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (KDFW), with downtown flight connections from local airports including Perot Field (KAFW), Addison Field (KADS), Love Field (KDAL), Fort Worth Meacham (KFTW), and Arlington Municipal (KGKY), as well as the Frisco Station neighborhood.

The Houston area operations will connect the city center Thompson Hotel helipad with George Bush Intercontinental Airport (KIAH), as well as Sugar Land Regional Airport (KSGR), and William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU). Flights will also go to and from the Island Jet Center at the Gulf of Mexico resort, Galveston.

In addition to the helipad at the Circuit of the Americas, Austin-area services will also use the city’s international (KAUS) and executive (KEDC) airports. As well as Signature Aviation, local FBO partners in Austin will include Henrikson Jet Center.

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