ICCS, one of Mexico’s largest private aviation services providers, is proceeding with a major expansion of its Toluca International Airport FBO, less than half an hour from Mexico City. The company purchased an existing facility on the field that it has completely gutted and will rebuild.

ICCS' nearby facility includes a 4,200-sq-ft terminal and nearly 60,000 sq ft of hangars capable of sheltering aircraft up to a Bombardier Challenger 604. Meant to enhance rather than replace its existing facility, the addition will include a 17,000-sq-ft, two-story terminal with VIP lounges, conference rooms, a bar, kitchen, crew lounge, onsite customs and immigration clearance, kids' entertainment zone, and pet-friendly spaces. It will also be home to the country’s largest business aviation catering operation, providing gourmet meals from leading chefs.

Additionally, the company will add a 27,000-sq-ft hangar that will handle the latest ultra-long-range corporate jets, bringing the location to nearly 100,000 sq ft of hangar space and 2 acres of ramp when it is completed by next November.

“As we celebrate 30 years of excellence, the new FBO facility at Toluca represents our ongoing commitment to innovation and exceptional service,” said ICCS CEO Nelson Dumas. “This expansion will set new standards for luxury and efficiency, enhancing the travel experience and reinforcing our leadership in the aviation industry.”

Textron Aviation received FAA approval for its safety management system (SMS) implementation plan covering the design and manufacturing of Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft. Approval of the implementation plan will build on its SMS program, which has already been accepted for maintenance and support of Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft. This FAA nod comes in advance of deadlines established under new regulations that require SMS for manufacturers, which have until November 28 to submit their SMS plan and until May 2027 to implement it.

Textron Aviation’s program includes a voluntary reporting tool for employees, customers, or suppliers to anonymously report quality risks or hazards to the company’s SMS Committee. The committee will evaluate the risk, investigate the cause, and plan a response, the Wichita airframer noted, adding that this ensures continuous improvements in safety and quality standards.

“By integrating the insights and expertise of our employees, customers, and suppliers into our SMS, we not only enhance our ability to identify and mitigate risks but also strengthen the collaborative continuous improvement of our products and services,” said Chris Hearne, senior v-p of engineering. “This collaborative approach is in line with our mission to empower our collective talent to design and deliver the best aviation experience for customers.”

Gogo Business Aviation and Airshare have entered a multi-year in-flight connectivity agreement that provides Airshare aircraft management clients an option to install Gogo Avance, Gogo 5G, and Gogo Galileo, the company’s low-earth-orbit (LEO) broadband satellite service.

“We are focused on delivering a best-in-class experience for everyone who flies with us, whether it be for business or leisure,” said John Owen, president and CEO of Airshare. “Secure, dependable connectivity has never been more essential for those flying private with us. We continuously explore opportunities to enhance Wi-Fi performance for both our managed and fractional fleets, and we’re excited to be offering these new upgrade options from Gogo.”

Owen added that Airshare has a long-standing partnership with Gogo. Sixty-five percent of Airshare’s Phenom 300s have already been upgraded to Gogo Avance, with plans to upgrade the remaining fleet in the next 12 months. "We’re extremely confident in their technology and customer support," he said.

Business aviation software provider Stack Aero has partnered with sustainability solutions company Azzera to integrate carbon emissions management into Stack’s business operations system (BOS) platform.

BOS users will have direct access to Azzera’s Celeste B2B system to calculate aircraft and journey GHG emissions, assess and manage sustainable aviation fuel uplift (including book-and-claim options), and purchase carbon offset credits through the Azzera marketplace—which hosts more than 12 million offset projects authenticated through its impact scoring system.

Through a single interface, they will be able to manage the commercial process and carbon management pieces at the same time, giving brokers and operators the ability to offset emissions at the start of the trip request process.

“By adding Azzera’s technology into the Stack Aero platform, we will make it simpler for brokers, operators, and flight operations teams to offer immediate solutions and pricing to mitigate the climate impact of flight operations,” said Azzera founder and CEO Puja Mahajan. “The integration will increase Azzera’s exposure to a sector seeking reliable, trustworthy solutions supporting the credible management of their carbon emissions, a crucial and necessary step in driving the aviation industry towards a net-zero future.”

The Million Air aircraft maintenance team has meticulously restored a historic Douglas A-26 Invader bomber aircraft. This twin-engine light bomber, which played a crucial role during the later stages of World War II and in the post-war years, then flew transatlantic for the anniversary of D-Day, piloted by Million Air's CEO.

The FBI is soliciting bids for a contract valued at up to $100 million to provide aviation maintenance support for its aircraft fleet. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract initially would cover a year with four additional 12-month options with bids due by October 1, according to GovCon Wire. According to the solicitation, “contractor personnel shall provide complete maintenance, backshop, special mission equipment, operational, training, and administrative support to meet the FBI mission requirements,” at various locations. This also includes developing maintenance plans, collecting data, and recordkeeping. The FBI is requiring the provider to have a safety management system.

Under the bid, the provider would ensure the mission-readiness of its fleet of more than 100 special mission aircraft, which include the Bell 429, Sikorsky UH60M, Cessna 182T, 206H, Cessna Caravan 208, Pilatus PC-12 NGX, Beechcraft King Air 350, and Gulfstream G550. Larger aircraft and helicopters are in the Northern Virginia area, but others are scattered throughout 13 air bases across the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

Acknowledging Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, two corporate aviators helped launch an effort to raise $1 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, inspired by the child of one of the pilots, Rob Switz. The effort has garnered support from the Atlantic Aviation FBO chain as well as FlightAware. Switz's daughter Libby, age nine, is now cancer-free after being diagnosed with brain cancer at 11 months old, thanks to her treatment at St. Jude.

According to the FBO company, “Atlantic Aviation is excited and proud to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. We recognize the vital role St. Jude plays in pioneering research and providing life-saving treatments and are committed to raising awareness to support children and families battling cancer.”

Urban air mobility infrastructure specialist eVertiSky has acquired Volatus Infrastructure & Energy Solutions (VI&E), a Wisconsin-based company that since 2021 has been developing vertiports and charging stations for eVTOL aircraft.

Chicago-based eVertiSky will integrate its software-defined airspace platform with VI&E’s universal charging stations and modular vertiport architecture to offer a comprehensive suite of infrastructure solutions for urban air mobility (UAM) operations in densely populated areas.

Under the new name “Volatus Powered by eSkyBridge,” the combined entity will develop urban vertiports where eVTOL aircraft can take off and land. Charging stations at the vertiports will support aircraft and ground vehicles alike.

Although eVertiSky would not disclose the terms of the VI&E acquisition, it said the combined valuation of the two companies post-merge is $262 million.

“Integrating Volatus into our eSkyBridge UAM platform is a strategic milestone,” said eVertiSky CEO Sandra Formenton. “Their dual-use charging technology complements our existing solutions, allowing us to offer a more robust platform to our clients. This acquisition expands our offerings and reinforces our commitment to leading the UAM industry with sustainable infrastructure solutions.”

The FAA has issued a supplemental type certificate (STC) to Thomas Global Systems for the replacement of Collins Pro Line 4 EFD-4077 CRT displays with modern LCDs, eliminating the need for a full avionics retrofit and shortening downtime for upgrading.

Aircraft covered by the STC include the Bombardier Challenger 604, Gulfstream G100/G200, Dassault Falcon 2000/2000EX/50EX, and Saab 2000. Thomas Global has also received an STC for a similar replacement program for the CRJ 1000, which follows an earlier STC for the CRJ 200, 700, and 900-model regional twinjets.

Aircraft operators don’t have to swap out all of their EFD-4077 CRTs and can intermix the TFD-4100 “without impacting OEM display software service bulletins,” according to Thomas Global Systems. The TFD 4100 integrates “seamlessly into the existing Pro Line 4 architecture and built-in test equipment.”

“FAA certification of the TFD-4100 display solution is a key advance in Thomas Global Systems’ commitment to the long-term support of Pro Line 4 flight decks,” said David Barnes, senior v-p and general manager of avionics and mission electronics at Thomas Global Systems. “With EFD-4077 production and OEM support coming to an end, business jet and regional customers with the TFD-4100 display solution can continue operating their current Pro Line 4 configuration with improved reliability and efficiency, and without impacting flight crew operations.”

With upcoming mandates for Part 135 operators, now is the time to think about your safety management system. Join us tomorrow, September 17 at noon ET to learn how you can go beyond compliance to drive true ROI with easy-to-implement SMS software. We'll also discuss how paper-based approaches to SMS can leave you with blind spots and how an integrated approach to SMS, QMS, and Risk can deliver outsized ROI. Sponsored by TrustFlight.