Germany-based aircraft management and charter group DC Aviation has ordered a Gulfstream Aerospace G400. Company executives signed contracts during a ceremony today at the manufacturer’s customer support facility at Farnborough Airport in the UK.

The G400 is not the first example of the type ordered by a European owner, but it will be the first to enter a dedicated charter fleet. It will be the fifth company-owned jet for DC Aviation, which currently operates a 34-aircraft fleet that ranges in size from a Cessna Citation XLS+ to bizliners. The operator already has a G280, a G550, and a pair of G650s, with another G650 to be delivered.

Gulfstream started flight testing the G400 on August 15, marking a key stage in its efforts to secure FAA type certification. Powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW812GA engines, it will fly at speeds of Mach 0.85 with a range of 4,200 nm that will allow nonstop flights such as Munich to Mumbai, Zurich to New York, and Geneva to Dubai.

DC Aviation managing director Svenja Wortmann told AIN that demand for charter flights has continued to be strong since the Covid pandemic. In addition to its main bases at Stuttgart and Munich in Germany, the operator also has aircraft based in Malta, Dubai, and Nice, France.

Skyservice Business Aviation held the grand opening of its new Seattle FBO on Tuesday. Skyservice—known then in the U.S. as Leading Edge Jet Center—acquired an FBO at King County International Airport (KBFI) in 2020 and rebranded it the following year, introducing the Skyservice brand to the U.S.

Nearly a year and a half ago, it broke ground on the new facility—the company’s second location at KBFI, which is also known as Boeing Field. The 21,000-sq-ft terminal features a passenger lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ramp and a large fireplace, pilot lounge with snooze rooms, refreshment bar, onsite car rental, and a 12-seat conference room with access to a 1,600-sq-ft terrace offering views of Mount Rainier.

The complex includes a 50,000-sq-ft hangar capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets, which brings Skyservice’s aircraft storage at KBFI to 110,000 sq ft. The new project also added seven acres of ramp.

“Our business jet center brings a new level of ease, sophistication, and luxury to the region’s business aviation FBO offerings,” said company president and CEO Benjamin Murray, adding that the area is a thriving economic center. “We are thrilled to welcome commuters, tenants, and visitors to Seattle with outstanding service and personalization that has earned Skyservice its reputation for excellence in the industry.”

Rolland Vincent Associates (RVA) has named business aviation expert Dean Roberts as v-p of strategy, sustainability, and development, effective immediately.

Roberts formerly worked at Rolls-Royce for more than four decades, with expertise in strategy, industry analysis, market forecasting, and analytics. He played a pivotal role in developing business aviation strategies and market forecasts for the company’s engine programs, including the Rolls-Royce Pearl family.

"We are thrilled to have Dean join our team," said RVA president Rollie Vincent. "It is rare to find someone who has his many and diverse skill sets. He is a recognized industry guru with expertise forged in the real world of civil aero-engine development and product strategy. His deep expertise and broad-based experiences are superb complements to what we do—he will be especially instrumental as we broaden our capabilities and focus on the nascent field of aviation sustainability.”

Roberts is also the chair of the business aviation subcommittee of the U.S. Transportation Research Board (TRB), where he leads 10-year market consensus forecasts and surveys with fellow industry experts.

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has renewed its alliance with Carbon Trade eXchange (CTX) to provide a platform for business aviation companies to voluntarily purchase carbon credits to offset their CO2 emissions. According to IBAC, this platform provides a quicker, easier path for smaller purchases of carbon credits, with CTX providing a pre-selected registry of high-quality offsets starting at 100 tonnes of emitted CO2.

Business aviation organizations can choose from a wide range of offset projects certified by the world’s leading carbon credit standards, including The Gold Standard, UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism, and Verra Verified Carbon Standard. Under the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change, high-quality offsets are part of several measures that can be employed to help the industry achieve carbon-neutral growth, as well as reach the net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2050. Carbon credits can be used in the near term as a supplement to other decarbonization actions, such as operational improvements, use of sustainable aviation fuel, and replacing fleets with more efficient aircraft.

“While the industry strives to meet its decarbonization goals directly, offsetting is a supplemental tool that allows operators to take mitigation action by financing carbon reductions achieved in projects outside the sector,” said IBAC director general Kurt Edwards. “With this new retail platform, we are pleased to see our partnership with CTX further evolve.”

Engine Assurance Program (EAP) knows maintaining engines is critical to maintaining the value of an aircraft. But with aircraft utilization at close to record levels, there’s increased competition for the already limited resources needed to keep engines in peak condition. That's why EAP has amassed a large pool of rental engines, maintains a multi-million-dollar inventory of spare parts and has assembled a highly-skilled technical team including AOG support.

Commercial rotorcraft shipments were down overall in the first half of the year, declining by 5.1%, with billings dropping by 10.2%, according to GAMA's second-quarter and first-half industry shipping and billings report. GAMA reported mixed results in the rotorcraft segment, with turbine deliveries down and piston shipments slightly up.

Turbine helicopter deliveries fell from 339 in the first half of 2023 to 313 this year. That drove down billings by $200 million in the first half, to $1.7 billion for the sector overall. However, piston helicopter deliveries ticked up by 2.7%, to 115. In all, rotorcraft OEMs handed over 428 helicopters in the first half.

Airbus Helicopters saw its deliveries dip by 19 units, to 119, in the first half. Bell further reported a seven-unit drop in deliveries to 50, and Leonardo also saw its deliveries fall in the first half by five units, to 74, in the first six months.

Robinson shipments, however, improved by nine units in the first half for a total of 170, largely thanks to the seven-unit increase in deliveries of its R66 single-turbine to 69. Neither MD Helicopters nor Sikorsky reported any helicopter deliveries in the first half.

GE Aerospace has become a member of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC), joining a group of 280 government and industry organizations that will recommend guidelines and policies on the use of artificial intelligence. Formed earlier this year, AISIC comprises AI developers, government, academia, and other organizations that are collectively hoping to promote the safe and responsible use of AI.

Over the past decade, GE Aerospace has more than doubled its investment in AI technology, the company said, making it one of the top patent holders of the technology in the industry. It uses AI in a range of applications from engine monitoring and part inspections to delivering insights to customers on predictive maintenance, fuel efficiency, and safety optimization.

Participation in the consortium is aligned with GE Aerospace’s governance practices around AI use, according to Paul Ardis, the technology manager for AI and computer vision technologies for GE Aerospace's Research Center who is also leading the company's participation in the consortium. “We have a robust AI board in place that already is thinking through and has established guiding principles around how we develop and deploy AI in the safest, most responsible ways.”

Ardis added that participation in AISIC will enable the company to share its lessons learned and perspectives from its AI board.

NBAA has given a Silk Scarf Award to John Hoover, an aviation tax attorney and former chair of the NBAA Tax Committee. This award recognizes Hoover’s significant contributions to the business aviation industry, particularly in providing expert guidance on aviation finance and taxation.

Since joining Holland & Knight as a partner in 2018, Hoover has become a leading authority on structuring business aircraft transactions and navigating federal and state tax issues. His expertise has been invaluable in helping companies understand and comply with evolving tax regulations that affect the aviation industry. Hoover has also been a key figure in addressing tax controversies on behalf of his clients and the broader business aviation community.

Additionally, Hoover has played a crucial role in NBAA’s efforts to clarify complex tax policies and advocate for the industry. As an active member of the NBAA Tax Committee, he has provided input on several regulatory initiatives. He is also a frequent speaker at NBAA's Tax, Regulatory & Risk Management Conference.

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen praised Hoover’s contributions, stating, “Our entire industry has benefitted from John’s extensive knowledge of IRS tax codes and their impacts on our industry.”

Among Hoover’s notable achievements is his testimony in 2018 on behalf of NBAA regarding bonus depreciation regulations under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Additionally, in 2023 he helped clarify entertainment disallowance rules for employer-provided aircraft.

Senior Embraer executives have been in India this week, evaluating options to expand the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer’s supply chain. On Thursday, the company said it wants to make agreements with suppliers to provide aerostructures, machining, sheet metal, composites, forgings, wire harnesses, and other hardware for its military, commercial, and business aircraft.

The prospect of supplying the C-390 Millenium aircraft for the Indian Air Force’s Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) is a key driver behind moves to establish a local supply base in line with the government’s “Make in India” policy. In February, Embraer announced a partnership with Indian industrial group Mahindra to cooperate on the MTA bid.

According to Embraer, it now has more than 44 of its aircraft based in India. These include a fleet of five business jets operated by the government and the air force and three of ERJ-145-based airborne early warning military aircraft.

“India has a robust aviation and defense industry, and we see strong viability for manufacturers and systems developers in India to be key suppliers to Embraer,” said Roberto Chaves, the company’s executive v-p of global procurement and supply chain. “We are driven by a common vision, which is to drive the aviation capabilities of Brazil and India to greater heights, and to deliver value to our customers around the world.”

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