AIN Media Group is launching an in-person FBO Awards Gala to celebrate the top performers of the 2025 AIN FBO Survey. The release of the FBO survey results traditionally comes on April 1 in its digital and print publications, but that will change next year when they will be announced at AIN's inaugural FBO awards ceremony on March 27, 2025, at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

Among the awards to be presented will be the top-rated FBOs in the Americas and the rest of the world, the top-tier FBOs, the most improved FBO, and the top scorers in each of the five categories that make up the AIN FBO Survey: line service, facilities, passenger amenities, crew amenities, and customer service. FBO employees present who received special recognition in the survey also will be acknowledged.

Several sponsorship levels are available for FBOs and those that serve this community. Tickets are now available by sponsorship. Individual tickets will be available starting Jan. 15, 2025.

Since 1981, AIN has conducted its annual FBO survey in which the publication's readers—the industry’s most knowledgeable users of FBO services—are asked to rate the facilities they visit. AIN then shares the results of the survey every year in its annual FBO report and acknowledges companies that rank in the top 5%, 10%, and 20% of all aviation service providers worldwide. The 2025 FBO Survey is currently open and will close on Jan. 17, 2025.

Jackson Jet Center is now an authorized service center for the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet after receiving approval from the aircraft’s engine maker Williams International to perform comprehensive maintenance on the aircraft's FJ33-5A turbofan.

"We are proud to enhance our service offerings with the ability to maintain and support SF50 Vision Jets," said Jeff Jackson, Jackson Jet Center CEO. "This certification allows us to deliver the specialized care and attention these unique aircraft require.”

Jackson’s maintenance solutions include airframe, avionics installations, and interior refurbishments. It has locations in Boise, Idaho, and Phoenix, Arizona, with more than 100,000 sq ft of hangar space. It is a member of the Air Elite Network and offers FBO, fractional ownership, charter, and aircraft management services.

Cirrus has delivered more than 560 single-engine Vision Jets since receiving FAA certification in 2016. The aircraft has been the best-selling light jet since 2018. It features the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System and Garmin’s Safe Return emergency Autoland system.

FlyExclusive inked a deal to take over the management services for Volato’s fleet, as well as much of the fractional ownership and charter provider’s business. Under the agreement, FlyExclusive will manage flight operations, sales, and expenses of Volato’s 13 fractional aircraft, eight leased aircraft, and four managed aircraft.

Volato has operated the largest HondaJet fleet in the U.S. and recently added the Gulfstream G280 to its fractional fleet, logging some 1,000 hours per month and more than 12,000 total flight hours in 2023. The agreement comes as Volato recently cut five aircraft from its fleet in a move the company has characterized as part of “ongoing efforts to enhance operational efficiency and profitability.”

Over the next several months, FlyExclusive plans to transfer Volato aircraft to its operating certificate and in the interim will execute flights for Volato’s base of about 184 fractional owners and 265 block-charter customers, along with servicing the retail and wholesale business.

The agreement also provides FlyExclusive with access to Volato’s technology through a software license agreement. This includes providing Volato’s Vaunt software subscription customers with access to a large portion of FlyExclusive’s empty-leg flights.

FlyExclusive said the agreement will significantly increase its direct-to-customer facing operations and immediately be accretive to both its top and bottom lines. Excluding aircraft sales, Volato’s revenues are approximately $75 million, FlyExclusive noted.

Bristow Ireland, Bristow Group’s Irish subsidiary, has received Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) Part 145 maintenance station approval for its base at Weston Airport. The approval clears the way for Bristow to perform MRO services on Leonardo AW189 helicopters planned for use in support of Bristow Ireland’s search-and-rescue (SAR) contract with the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG).

“I’m immensely proud of everyone who has worked so hard to get to this stage and make Part 145 approval in Ireland a reality,” said John Keane, Part 145 maintenance manager for Bristow Ireland.

Bristow won the $748 million, 10-year contract last year and will provide six SAR-configured AW189 helicopters from bases in Sligo, Shannon, Waterford, and Dublin Weston with the capability to dispatch 24/7/365. The contract is being phased in through July 2025 and contains an option for a three-year extension and the addition of fixed-wing assets. Bristow successfully negotiated agreements with unions representing the 150 personnel required to support the contract earlier this year.

The contract was previously held by CHC Ireland, which supported it with Sikorsky S-92As. CHC unsuccessfully challenged the award. CHC’s contract performance had been under scrutiny following the fatal crash of one of its IRCG-dedicated S-92As in 2017.

The art of the pre-buy inspection: An expert pre-buy spares new owners many headaches, and potentially high post-sale costs. Sales go more smoothly, with discrepancies resolved to buyer and seller satisfaction. PremierMRO has been conducting win-win pre-buys for decades. It’s a full-service center with expertise on most popular models.

KCAC Aviation has broken ground on a maintenance hangar at its Johnson County Executive Airport (KOJC) facility in Olathe, Kansas. The 30,000-sq-ft facility—expected to be completed by mid-2025—will double the company’s Part 145 maintenance capacity, which includes services ranging from routine inspections to major overhaul repairs.

KCAC is the factory-authorized sales and service center for Pilatus and Piper in the Midwest, and the additional space will allow it to maintain the growing number of those aircraft in its sales region.

“Our maintenance team has grown by 50% since 2021,” said Bill Lento, the company’s director of maintenance. “With this expansion, our maintenance and avionics teams will be able to work on more projects at once, which in turn will mean better service for our customers and better opportunities for our employees to grow.”

In addition to aircraft sales and maintenance, KCAC—which is approaching its sixth decade in operation—also provides aircraft charter and FBO services at KOJC.

The FAA has issued a supplemental type certificate (STC) for installation of a Garmin G700 TXi flight display system in the Learjet 35/35A and 36/36A equipped with JET FC-530/535 autopilots.

The 10.6-inch TXi displays feature touchscreen interfaces and replace the Learjets’ original mechanical instruments, including the airspeed indicator, altimeter, attitude director indicator, horizontal situation indicator, vertical speed indicator, and other instruments. Supporting the TXi displays are associated attitude, heading, and air data sensors, along with a GI 275 standby instrument and dual GTN 750Xi touchscreen navigators. The company will make the STC available to Garmin dealers and plans next to certify the TXi package in Learjet 35/36 models with JET FC-200 autopilots.

"The displays offer tremendously enhanced pilot situational awareness,” said Christopher Reedy, president and CEO of Butler National. “The autopilot interface for RNAV operations is seamless, intuitive, and decreases the traditional avionics workload and improves the pilot interface. Most of all, as a pilot, I greatly appreciate the well-organized and clear presentation of information on the Garmin G700TXi displays.”

“Part 25 certifications are no simple task,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin v-p of aviation sales and marketing, “and the efforts to achieve supplemental type certification and provide this upgrade to our mutual customers are appreciated by the entire Garmin team.”

Around one in five customers of Victor's private jet charter booking platform pay extra to reduce carbon emissions through its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) direct-to-consumer option. On Monday, the company and its partner Neste announced they have logged more than 500 SAF bookings since launching the program in June 2022.

The average cost of a "pay here, use there" purchase through Neste’s My SAF offering is £950 ($1,235). The option is available for all flights regardless of whether SAF is available at departure airports.

The average reduction in emissions based on 30% replacement of jet-A is 1.5 tonnes of carbon. Customers purchasing 100% SAF replacement would reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by 80%.

The cost of SAF replacement is on top of the charter price charged by each operator booked through Victor. As a matter of policy, operators are not directly involved in the transaction. “We deliberately did this as we didn’t want our direct-to-consumer SAF offering to involve any additional workload or complication for the operator,” a company spokesperson explained to AIN.

“By voluntarily choosing to buy SAF, our customers are helping to establish a critical new sustainable aviation fuel supply chain,” said Victor’s co-CEO Toby Edwards. “We think the direct-to-consumer voluntary SAF market could raise billions if a similar proportion of all flyers were able to pay relatively more when they book their commercial flight.”

Sheltair has broken ground on another hangar at its Tampa International Airport (KTPA) FBO in Florida. Slated for completion by the end of 2025, the hangar is specifically designed to accommodate single-aisle bizliners such as the Boeing BBJ and Airbus ACJ320.

Last year, the company completed a 77,000-sq-ft expansion to the facility, bringing it to 283,884 sq ft of hangar space. The latest $15 million Hangar 9 project will add 50,880 sq of hangar space and 8,344 sq ft of office and shop space, along with 50,000 sq ft of ramp area.

“At Sheltair, we constantly strive to enhance our facilities and services to better serve our customers,” said company president and CEO Lisa Holland. “This new hangar at KTPA represents our ongoing commitment to excellence and our confidence in the growth of Tampa’s aviation sector.”

Sheltair acquired the Tampa facility in 2016. It has consistently ranked in the top tier of worldwide FBOs in the annual AIN FBO Survey.