2025 in Review: Business and General Aviation

Certified in March, the single-turboprop Pilatus PC-12 Pro features a cockpit redesigned around the Garmin G3000 Prime integrated flight deck, including the Autoland autonomous emergency landing function and electronic stall and stability protection.

Gulfstream’s ultra-long-range G800 was certified in April with performance exceeding projections. The 8,200-nm range at Mach 0.85 beat expectations by 200 nm, maximum operating speed increased to Mach 0.935, and takeoff and landing distances decreased.

Epic Aircraft certified the E1000 AX in July, an upgrade of its high-performance turboprop single with increased full-fuel payload and a Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite including autothrottle and emergency autoland capability.

Certified in October, the Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 features Garmin’s G3000 touch-screen integrated flight deck with autothrottles and an optional enhanced vision system as well as more pilot legroom and a customizable cabin.

Bombardier’s ultra-long-range Global 8000 was certified in November with an increased maximum speed of Mach 0.95, a range of 8,000 nm at Mach 0.85 and a new benchmark for reduced cabin altitude in a business aircraft—2,691 ft. at 41,000 ft.

The latest iteration of Cessna’s 560XL series, the midsize Citation Ascend, was certified in November with Garmin’s G5000 flight deck including autothrottles, increased performance from uprated engines and upgraded flat-floor cabin.

Startup Otto Aerospace launched the Phantom 3500 in September with the promise of super-midsize comfort and performance at a midsize price, with a standup cabin and 3,500-nm range thanks to natural laminar flow aerodynamics. Certification is planned for 2030.

Fractional ownership operator Flexjet placed the industry’s largest order in February, signing a $7 billion purchase agreement with Embraer for a mix of Phenom 300Es and Praetor 500/600s—182 firm and 30 options. In September, the company launched Otto’s Phantom 3500 with an order for 300. Flexjet raised $800 million in equity in 2025 to fund growth, adding Gulfstream G700s to its fleet in September.

Gulfstream’s super-midsize G300 made its first flight Dec. 5 from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. Developed with Israel Aerospace Industries to replace the G280 in 2027, the G300 offers 3,600-nm range at Mach 0.80 with a longer cabin, trademark Gulfstream oval windows and a cabin altitude of 4,800 ft. at 41,000 ft.