The business aviation market “truly came of age” six years ago during the Covid pandemic but faces increasing pressures around aircraft supply, maintenance, and crews, according to McKinsey & Company.

Releasing its inaugural report on the market in concert with NBAA-BACE last week, McKinsey found the market resilient as demand for private aviation services continues to grow. At the same time, the global management advisory firm warned of strained supply chains and infrastructure as a result, and added that market leaders will be the ones responding to these challenges quickly.

“The defining question is no longer who can provide an aircraft, but who can secure and coordinate the capacity around it, from delivery slots, crews, hangars, and maintenance to a seamless passenger experience?” the firm asked.

While recognizing that private aviation has been around for more than six decades, McKinsey believes the pandemic propelled the market in an unprecedented fashion. During Covid, airline traffic took nearly four years to reach pre-pandemic levels; business aircraft flight hours reached that level within a year.

That return wasn’t a temporary rebound but the start of sustained growth. Business aircraft departures have increased 4.9% annually since 2019 and reached a record 3.9 million last year.

AIN Media Group today rolled out a membership program that ties together AIN’s journalism, proprietary data resources, and other information. Paid subscribers will have access to current and archived AINonline stories, Aviation International News magazine archives, on-demand AIN FBO Survey ratings, and searchable global business aviation airworthiness directive and accident and incident databases.

In addition, the program will have a searchable Business Aircraft Directory powered by AIN Media’s AircraftPost and include AIN’s Compliance Countdown compilation of relevant rules, regulations, and other upcoming mandates.

These changes will not affect the daily AINalerts newsletter—it will remain available to subscribers for free. Also unaffected are the weekly FutureFlight and Business Jet Traveler Waypoints newsletters. The AIN monthly magazine will also remain free to qualified subscribers. Archived AINonline stories—those older than seven days—will be accessible only to subscribers.

“AIN Membership brings together original, independent reporting with comprehensive, actionable databases. It is designed specifically to help operators and flight departments mitigate risk, understand shifting global regulations, and stay informed with news and information they can trust,” said AIN Media Group president Ruben Kempeneer.

AIN Membership is priced at $299 per year for individuals, $696 for up to three users, or $1,080 for up to five users. Enterprise packages are available for larger teams. For early registrants, AIN Media Group is offering a 20% discount on individual memberships (using code AINNOV) through November 30.

Viasat has enhanced its JetXP business aviation connectivity product line to make it easier for customers to choose the right service level. The simplified service plans—effective Jan. 1, 2027—include suggested retail pricing for the first time. Part of the impetus for the revamped plans is Viasat’s addition of two satellites in geostationary orbit, ViaSat-3 F2 over the Americas and F3 over Asia-Pacific, which joined F1 to complete the ViaSat-3 constellation and triple the bandwidth.

“That brings a tremendous amount of capability and capacity to our ecosystem,” said Claudio D’Amico, v-p for OEMs, partners, and fleets for business aviation.

In the revamped portfolio, Viasat is offering three global service tiers, from light to medium to unlimited, available for Honeywell JetWave and JetWave X systems and Gogo’s Plane Simple Ka satcom. Viasat has published suggested retail prices for all plans using JetWave X and Plane Simple Ka terminals, starting at less than $11,000 per month for unlimited service, with fixed pricing for the term of the service agreement, either one or three years.

“All of these plans have priority in terms of network,” D’Amico said, “as well as uncapped speeds.”

Viasat isn’t offering regional coverage plans because these wouldn’t meet customers’ needs for simplicity. “That’s our message: simplify the pricing, simplify the experience, and predictable budgets,” said Adam Sheppard, Honeywell’s general manager for in-flight connectivity.

Goodwin Company, a charter aviation financial technology specialist, has acquired StackAero and its aviation operations management platform.

According to Goodwin, the acquisition combines its AI-based workflows with StackAero’s aviation-specific operational technology, industry ties, and global reach. As one brand, Goodwin is aiming to complete the “charter life cycle” from start to finish.

“Goodwin was built on a simple belief: the charter broker isn’t going anywhere,” said Goodwin Company co-founder Tolga Demirel. “The relationships and trust behind this industry are irreplaceable. StackAero shares that belief, and by combining our technologies with Goodwin’s banking-service integrations, we have an opportunity to make the entire journey, from the first conversation to final reconciliation, simpler and more connected.”

Moving forward, the StackAero brand will continue within the Goodwin ecosystem, with existing StackAero employees continuing their work under the leadership of CEO Greg Jarrett. According to Goodwin, the StackAero experience will not change for its current customers.

“StackAero was built by aviation veterans who understood that brokers and operators needed more than generic software,” said StackAero founder and CEO Greg Jarrett. “They needed technology purpose-built for the way this industry actually operates. Goodwin shares that understanding and brings complementary financial technology and payment capabilities to the table. Together, we have an exciting opportunity to connect more of the charter business while keeping the relationships and people behind it at the center.”

West Star Aviation is helping operators of legacy aircraft gain a new option for managing LASEREF IV repair and exchange costs. Through Honeywell’s new Otto LASEREF IV Third-Party Support Program, qualifying components can now be added to MSP-Avionics coverage. West Star’s avionics team can help verify eligibility, review coverage options and guide operators through enrollment before an unexpected component failure becomes a costly surprise.

More than 1,500 Bombardier business aircraft are now supported by the manufacturer’s Smart Services program, which launched 40 years ago. Marking the anniversary at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, Bombardier said these jets have collectively logged more than 11 million flight hours.

Three years ago, Bombardier introduced the Smart Services Elite option, which provides expanded coverage for component exchanges, avionics, tires, brakes, and corrosion protection. The same scheduled and unscheduled support is available to military operators through the Smart Services Defense offering.

For three successive years, Bombardier has held the top ranking in the annual AIN aircraft Product Support Survey. Smart Services was launched in 1986 under the name Smart Parts as one of the business aviation sector’s first cost-per-hour maintenance programs.

“For 40 years, Smart Services has helped redefine what customers expect from aircraft support by delivering predictable maintenance costs and a premium ownership experience,” commented Bill Molloy, Bombardier’s vice president for aftermarket sales, defense, and parts. “As we celebrate this milestone, we are not only reflecting on four decades of innovation and customer collaboration; we are looking ahead to the next 40 years of support excellence. Our customers’ needs continue to evolve, and we remain committed to expanding our capabilities and delivering increasingly comprehensive support solutions that provide confidence for years to come.”

FBO group Signature Aviation and vertiport developer UrbanV have launched a joint venture to support advanced air mobility operations in the U.S. The companies announced the Signature UrbanV Alliance (SUVA) business on October 21 at NBAA-BACE, building on an agreement signed last year.

The SUVA team is set to begin developing support infrastructure to connect airports with urban and regional communities. The new company will start operating from Signature’s network of private aviation terminals and later include purpose-built vertiports and other facilities as demand for flights grows.

Operations supported are expected to include eVTOL aircraft, but also new fixed-wing models, such as Electra’s EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft. SUVA will provide aircraft handling services, including recharging and passenger support, working with airport owners, city governments, real estate firms, manufacturers, and operators.

“Advanced air mobility will not be enabled by individual sites alone,” UrbanV executive director Massimiliano Pane commented. “It will require connected infrastructure that is ready ahead of large-scale commercial operations and links airports with places people want to reach. SUVA enables us to turn that vision into a scalable network, combining existing aviation assets with dedicated vertiports as the market develops.”

Signature operates private aviation terminals at over 200 locations across 27 countries. Rome-based UrbanV also has plans to develop vertiports in Europe and South America.

Aviation organizations have dedicated support available through a Member Assistance Program (MAP) launched by The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF). The monthly-billed program, Safety Lift, includes access to an ACSF safety professional, a coordinated safety work plan, and an ongoing support schedule.

“Not every organization has the resources or need for a full-time safety professional, but we believe every operator should have access to the expertise needed to build and maintain a strong safety program,” said ACSF president Debi Carpenter. “Safety Lift is our answer to fractional safety office arrangements. It is designed to give our members another way to bring experienced safety guidance into their organization, with support tailored to their operation, their people, and their priorities.”

According to the organization, Safety Lift differs from traditional MAP assistance by providing a dedicated ACSF officer and an agreed scope of work to account for an organization’s unique needs.

“One of the things we heard consistently is that organizations don’t necessarily need another consultant who comes in, completes a project, and leaves,” said ACSF v-p of operations Larry Soles. “They need someone who understands their operation, knows and understands what the safety needs are, and can work with their team on a consistent cadence and basis. Safety Lift is designed to provide that continuity while keeping operational decisions and ownership where they belong, with the member.”

ACSF’s Safety Lift is available for member organizations operating under Part 91 or 135, as well as charter brokers.

Elliott Aviation has completed its 100th Garmin G5000 flight deck retrofit installation with the delivery of a Cessna Citation XLS operated by Centennial Jets. The G5000 avionics include three large landscape displays, two touchscreen controllers, dual GI 275 standby instruments, Garmin’s automatic flight control system, synthetic vision with 3D taxi and taxiway routing, runway occupancy awareness, and controller-pilot data link communications.

“When evaluating avionics upgrade options for our Citation XLS, we wanted a partner with extensive experience and a proven track record,” said Centennial Jets CEO Rohan Bhatia. “Being Elliott Aviation’s 100th Garmin G5000 installation speaks volumes about their expertise and leadership in this space. The quality of the installation, professionalism of the team, and overall experience exceeded our expectations.”

Elliott Aviation has installed more G5000 and G1000/G1000 NXi retrofits than any other Garmin dealer. “Earning the trust of 100 aircraft owners and operators for Garmin G5000 retrofits is an incredible milestone and a reflection of the expertise, dedication, and craftsmanship of our avionics teams,” said Bill Forbes, senior v-p of sales and avionics programs. “We were proud to be the first organization to complete a Garmin G5000 installation in a Citation Excel, and reaching our 100th installation demonstrates the confidence the industry continues to place in Elliott Aviation. This accomplishment is the result of years of investment in our people, processes, and capabilities, as well as a strong partnership with Garmin.”

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.