Flexjet today opened its first private terminal outside North America—a $34 million facility at Farnborough Airport (EGLF) near London. Besides passenger lounges and amenities, the location also serves as Flexjet’s international training center for flight attendants and as an operational hub.

The 22,583-sq-ft Farnborough site is part of a growing network of private terminals that will extend to Scottsdale, Arizona, and Bozeman, Montana, next year. Flexjet’s network already includes dedicated facilities at White Plains and Teterboro in the New York area, as well as Miami, Naples, and West Palm Beach in Florida; Dallas; and Los Angeles-area Van Nuys Airport.

Its newest terminal provides discreet airside access to flights across the ramp from Farnborough’s main terminal, with security and immigration screening available onsite. The interior features a cabin mockup of the Gulfstream G700 alongside an owner’s bar and lounge and several private meeting rooms.

At today's terminal opening, Flexjet CEO Michael Silvestro said the group has grown its customer base and flight activity by more than 20% since the pandemic, well ahead of the industry average growth rate of 3% to 4%. This year, it expects to operate almost 1,300 transatlantic crossings, representing a threefold increase since 2023.

Bombardier’s Global 8000 notched approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to land at London City Airport (EGLC). The approval opens up the central London airport to direct connections with destinations such as Singapore, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Buenos Aires.

The Canadian manufacturer noted that passengers on larger aircraft such as the Global 8000 typically have needed to land at airports like Farnborough or Luton, which can tack on 60 minutes or more to transfer to the downtown area.

“UK CAA approval to access London City Airport ensures customers can save precious time when accessing one of the world’s most important finance hubs,” said Stephen McCullough, executive v-p of engineering, product development, and Bombardier Defense. “London City Airport’s steep approach requirement for noise-abatement laws and its very short runway makes it among one of the world’s most challenging airports. Access to this airfield is another testament to the Global 8000’s engineering excellence, where its advanced wing design, including leading-edge slats, and its robust braking systems deliver outstanding field performance.”

Bombardier previously completed London City steep approach trials with the Global 8000 predecessor, the 7500, in 2019.

AIN is commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11 this week with a series of stories that look back on the tragedy.

When the 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania devastated the world's economy and plunged the aviation industry into turmoil, NBAA staffers joined together to help tackle the unprecedented challenges faced by the business aviation industry, both in the immediate aftermath and for the longer term.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the attacks in 2021, AIN asked several NBAA staff members to highlight how they navigated through a devastating time and emerged with a stronger focus on advocacy. Those sharing their memories included then-NBAA president Jack Olcott, Jo Damato, and Doug Carr.

Damato was just two months into her role working the general aviation desk on behalf of NBAA at the FAA Command Center on 9/11. And then there was a “commotion” at the Northeast desk. “It got quiet and everybody was on alert very quickly…and then a gasp from the floor. It was clear that an airplane had made contact with the [World Trade Center],” she said.

When the second airplane went in, Damato said, “I was 20 feet maybe from the man who was in charge of the floor that day. And he said, ‘Shut it down…nothing in or out.’ And very quickly [the national airspace system] was shut off.”

FBO and maintenance services provider Aircraft Specialists has consolidated its operations at Georgia’s Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field (KLZU) by acquiring the Sheltair facility there. The transaction leaves Aircraft Specialists as the lone FBO at KLZU.

Sheltair won an RFP to take over the former Gwinnett Aero facility in 2023, and as part of the 40-year lease deal it had agreed to develop a new terminal/restaurant/office building. As it assumes the remainder of Sheltair’s lease at KLZU, Aircraft Specialists will build a 9,300-sq-ft FBO terminal, with groundbreaking slated for early next year. Situated on the north side of the field, it will include passenger and pilot lounges, snooze room, showers, conference room, management offices, catering kitchen, and employee training rooms.

That new facility will nearly triple the size of the existing Aircraft Specialists Jet Center terminal on the south side of the airport, which will be retained as a satellite facility while the existing 3,200-sq-ft Sheltair terminal on the north side will be rented out to tenants. As part of the purchase, Aircraft Specialists added 150,000 sq ft of hangar space capable of sheltering up to super-midsize jets to its existing 100,000 sq ft.

The CAA (Corporate Aircraft Association) Preferred FBO is open 24 hours a day seven days a week, with full-service jet-A and 100LL available. Its Part 145 aircraft maintenance facility is staffed 24 hours a day on weekdays.

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.

An FAA-approved supplemental type certificate now clears operators of Gulfstream IV, G450, V, and G550 jets to swap out legacy main ship batteries for True Blue Power lithium-ion units, under a project led by 101 Aviation in partnership with True Blue and Aloft AeroArchitects.

According to 101 Aviation president Mike McClain, the STC covers two True Blue Gen5 TB50 lithium-ion batteries per aircraft, each rated at 50 amp-hours and weighing 44.3 pounds—50% lighter than the lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries they replace. Unlike those legacy batteries, the TB50 is maintained on condition, removing the need for scheduled deep cycling or capacity testing, and includes a built-in battery management system and heater for cold-weather use.

“Our objective is to deliver the simplest battery upgrade possible while providing Gulfstream IV, G450, V, and G550 operators with a solution that eliminates maintenance, reduces weight, and offers a service life that far exceeds what they are accustomed to,” McClain said. “The first Gulfstream TB50 battery installation is scheduled for the end of this month, and the upgrade can be completed in as little as half a day.”

That installation, which carries a four-year warranty, will be on a G450. True Blue’s lithium-ion batteries are currently installed on more than 5,000 aircraft.

Corporate flight and security departments need to communicate better to ensure that their mutual goals are met, industry experts concluded during a recent NBAA webinar, “Flight Operations, Company Security and Protection of Key Employees: A Unified Approach,” featuring members of the association’s Security Council.

Regulatory Toolbox CEO and session moderator Adam Hartley opened the webinar by saying company security, executive protection, flight operations, and third-party providers share the same goal but approach it from different perspectives. “They often start from very different playbooks.”

Robert Pocica of Corporate Security Advisors said he has found in the past that “there was a total lack of communication between the departments. There was also a lack of understanding of the missions.” He worked to formalize processes, including establishing common terminology. “A risk to a pilot is something different than risk to a security professional.”

GGT Worldwise sales v-p Tracie Carwile added that she sees disconnects with timing and priorities: “Neither perspective is wrong,” but it comes down to communicating frequently. Greg Kulis, founder of Business Aviation Safety and Security, stressed that the flight department should be integrated within the organizational structure and recognized by all involved in security.

Meanwhile, sharing intelligence matters during both the planning phase and the trip, “so everybody is receiving the same information from the start,” said GGT Worldwise global intelligence and compliance director Matt Burdette.

Boutique charter firms can provide quicker responses for both geopolitical trends and customer interaction, a panel of smaller for-hire business aircraft operators told attendees at the Air Charter Association’s annual Air Charter Expo (ACE) on Tuesday at London Biggin Hill Airport. They also emphasized the need for a considered approach to growth, including the introduction of additional aircraft or fleet types that panelists said can often complicate a smaller charter provider’s operations.

“Big isn’t always better,” suggested Vince Essex, CEO of Birmingham-based Above Aero. The company launched fixed-price city-pair air charter operations last month with an Embraer Phenom 100 in what he calls a “modern achiever market.” While Above has already identified a second Phenom to adopt into its very light jet operation, Essex believes that “the main thing for us is that we grow stronger, not that we grow bigger.” 

Vladimir Bogaychuk, aircraft charter specialist at the Czech Republic’s CTR Atmospherica Aviation, agreed that this type specialization is beneficial for smaller operators. The company operates an owned fleet of eight Embraer Phenom 300Es and Praetor 600s. It is a similar situation for Luminair: the Hamburg-based operator recently signed for nine Cessna Citation Latitudes, representing the fourth type to join its existing 13-aircraft fleet.

Classic Lear Jet Foundation, the group working to restore the first production Learjet back to airworthy status, continues to make progress on the project, although not without encountering hurdles.

As the group continues to dismantle the fuselage to conduct structural inspections on the 62-year-old Learjet 23, the team reached a roadblock when it attempted to remove the baggage area floor. It had removed all of the fasteners and a large volume of aged sealant to free the panel, yet was still unable to solve the puzzle of removing it from S/N 23-003’s fuselage.

After a call for help to the Wichita aerospace community, a former Learjet employee from the early days of production arrived to assess the situation and told the team it would first have to remove some additional assemblies to rotate and remove the baggage panel. Once that is accomplished, the group will be able to access and remove the fiberglass ducts beneath it to reach the foam insulation on the fuselage skin. A volunteer company will then use dry-ice blasting to remove that insulation, exposing the bare metal for the first time in more than six decades.

Other ongoing tasks include the cataloging, tagging, and storage of every part removed from the vintage twinjet ahead of its condition assessment. Those found to be unserviceable will be replaced with modern or reconditioned components.

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.