Rolling Business Aviation Daily Briefs (July 2026)

July 22, 2026

AOPA Foundation To Add Manufacturing Pathway To STEM Curriculum

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Foundation (AOPA) will add a maintenance and manufacturing pathway to its High School Aviation STEM Curriculum, a free, nationally recognized program that has reached more than 130,000 students since it launched in 2016. The new curriculum will complement existing pilot, drone and career preparation courses.

Beta Enters Fly-By-Wire Supplier Business

Canadian startup Horizon Aircraft has selected Beta Technologies to supply fly-by-wire flight control computers for the Cavorite X7 hybrid eVTOL aircraft. Horizon will use the same hardware as Beta’s Alia eVTOL, with customized software.

July 21, 2026

Alps To Arctic Tour Showcases Elektra’s Electric Trainer

Finland’s Oulu University of Applied Sciences has launched the 5,200-km North Circuit tour, flying from South Germany to Northern Finland and back with a battery-powered Elektra Trainer produced by Germany’s Elektra Solar and its Chinese subsidiary Jiangsu Shengyi Aviation Technology.

AMAC Aerospace Launches Training Academy

AMAC Aerospace announced the launch of AMAC Academy, a new aircraft maintenance training program designed to develop highly skilled aircraft maintenance professionals through an industry-focused, hands-on learning environment at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg. The first intake will begin in January 2027.

July 20, 2026

Tecnam Selects Oriens Aviation As Dealer For The Netherlands

Tecnam announced the expansion of its partnership with Oriens Aviation. Building on a relationship established in 2021 when Oriens became the authorized sales and service center for the British Isles, the company is now establishing a dedicated subsidiary to serve as the exclusive Tecnam dealer for the Netherlands.

Tuvoli, NATA To Host AI Symposium For Bizav

Tuvoli announced the launch of the first annual AI Symposium for Business Aviation (AISBA), cofounded with the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s O’Maley College of Business. AISBA takes place September 15–16 at Embry-Riddle’s residential campus in Daytona Beach, Florida, with an opening reception on September 14.

U.S. startup V-Space Aero plans to debut its VS-210 personal eVTOL aircraft at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh show on July 20-26. The VS-210 is a single-seat multicopter with eight coaxial propellers. No performance figures are given.

July 17, 2026

PrivatPort Increases FBO Network

PrivatPort, the dedicated executive aviation brand of Swissport, has announced the next phase of its global expansion, increasing its dedicated FBO network from seven to nine locations and establishing a centralized, 24/7 operations control center in Dubai. The network expansion includes two additional FBO locations in Mexico.

SkyDrive Reaches 300 eVTOL Flights Mark

Japan’s SkyDrive has completed 300 test flights of the full-scale demonstrator for its SD-05 eVTOL air taxi. The total includes 48 flights outside the startup’s test centers with demonstration flights at the Osaka Expo and in Tokyo.

July 16, 2026

South Korean Lessor Signs For Electric Aircraft

Germany’s MD Aircraft has signed a letter of intent with South Korea-based lessor Solyu for 20 MDA1 eViator nine-passenger electric aircraft, with an option for an additional 20, to support regional aviation operations in South Korea and the Asia-Pacific region.

Oman To Develop AAM Strategy

Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology has selected consulting firm GUAMobility to develop a national advanced air mobility strategy for the Sultanate in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority and Oman Logistics Center.

July 15, 2026

Joby And Toyota Establish Manufacturing Alliance

Joby and its largest investor Toyota have formed an air mobility joint venture as the first phase of their planned strategic manufacturing alliance to establish the groundwork for commercial production and go on to support expansion of Joby’s production capacity.

French Riviera Preps For eVTOL Flights

Nice Cote d’Azur Airport on the French Riviera has formed an alliance with Blade, Heli Securite and Monacair to prepare for Joby’s first commercial eVTOL flights in Europe. The airport currently provides helicopter connections to Cannes, Monaco and Saint-Tropez.

July 14, 2026

Gulfstream’s G800 Sets Company’s 800th City-Pair Speed Record

Gulfstream today announced two major milestones: The next-generation G800 achieved the Gulfstream fleet’s 800th city-pair speed record and then traveled 2,973 nm in 5 hr. and 52 min. at an average cruise speed of Mach 0.91, completing the farthest and fastest flight in business aviation history, it says. The G800 secured the 800th city pair speed record earlier in June with a flight from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Savannah, Georgia. To date, Gulfstream aircraft have achieved 815 speed records across the fleet, including 15 set by the G800 since it entered service in August 2025.

India’s Cligent Tests Subscale eSTOL

Indian startup Cligent Aerospace has conducted flight tests of a subscale demonstrator for its planned CL1000 electric short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, taking off within 70 ft. from an unprepared airstrip. The hybrid-electric CL1000 is designed to carry nine passengers or 3,000 lb. of cargo 620 mi. with a 500 ft. ground run.

July 13, 2026

EHang Tests Tourist eVTOL In Switzerland

China’s EHang has conducted the first flights of its EH216-S pilotless eVTOL in Switzerland, in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation, the municipality of Quinto and project partner DroneVia. EHang conducted EH216 flights in Austria in 2019.

Garmin Introduces Updates For Garmin Pilot App

Garmin announced multiple updates for the Garmin Pilot mobile app for Apple devices, including flight planning enhancements with the redesigned Flights page, SmartCharts expansion to Canada and Mexico, as well as enhancements to the SmartCharts and database product for the Oshkosh Fisk Arrival.

July 10, 2026

Vertical Picks Astronics For Low-Voltage System

Vertical Aerospace has selected Astronics to supply the low-voltage power distribution system for its Valo eVTOL air taxi. The system converts high-voltage propulsion electrical to low-voltage power used by avionics, flight controls and onboard systems.

July 9, 2026

Sion Lithium-Metal Batteries Double Drone Endurance

Sion Power has flight-tested its Licerion Strike lithium-metal battery pack in an Astro Max multicopter drone. With 140% higher pack-level energy density than conventional lithium-ion, the batteries provided 1 hr. flight endurance versus 33 min. with baseline batteries.

Avora Aviation Becomes Tecnam Dealer for Balkans

Tecnam announced that Avora Aviation has been appointed as the official Tecnam dealer for the Balkan region, representing the brand in Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro. Under this new agreement, Avora Aviation will offer an extensive lineup of Tecnam aircraft, including the P92 Echo MKII, P2002 Sierra MKII, P2008JC NG, P-Mentor, P2010 series and the twin-engine P2006T NG.

July 8, 2026

Jet Aviation To Operate FBO At Rocky Mountain Airport

Jet Aviation has signed a 30-year lease with SR Aviation Infrastructure and Business Aviation Group to operate an FBO at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. The FBO is part of a newly developed aviation campus at the airport and is scheduled to launch operations in 2028.

Levo Introduces Flight Leads

Levo is launching Flight Leads, an AI-powered charter sales dashboard that pulls wholesale aggregator demand, retail inbox leads and marketplace requests into one live screen. The product targets the gap between an inbound request landing and an operator winning the trip.

July 7, 2026

Honeywell Aerospace Goes Public After Spinoff

Honeywell Aerospace became an independent, publicly traded company following the completion of its spinoff from Honeywell International Inc. Shares of Honeywell Aerospace began trading June 29 at market open on Nasdaq under the ticker HONA. The company launches with more than 36,000 employees and over 10,000 global customers.

Hyundai/KAI Set 2034 For eVTOL Commercialization

Hyundai Motor Group and Korea Aerospace Industries are targeting 2034 for certification of a dual use eVTOL for urban air mobility, cargo transport, emergency response and military resupply and reconnaissance, according to Korea Economic Daily.

July 6, 2026

Delta State University To Separate Colleges of Business And Aviation

The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees has approved Delta State University’s proposal to separate its current College of Business and Aviation into two distinct academic units: the College of Business and the College of Aviation. The move reflects significant growth and increasing complexity within both disciplines and is designed to position each area for continued innovation, strategic planning and workforce development.

Helix and Zoerkler Develop Geared EPU

UK motor developer Helix and Austrian transmission specialist Zoerkler have developed a geared electric propulsion unit providing 100 kW lift power, 250 kW continuous cruise power and 400kW peak power in a 32.2 kg package half the diameter of an equivalent direct drive unit.

July 2, 2026

Air Charter Service Upgrades London Headquarters

Leading aircraft charter specialist Air Charter Service has recently completed the first phase of upgrades to its £18 million ($22.68 million), 47,000 ft.2 London headquarters, which included an upgraded staff restaurant and gym.

Bombardier Delivers First Global 8000 To Asia

Bombardier delivered the first Global 8000 aircraft in Asia to an undisclosed customer based in Shanghai, marking an important step in the expansion of ultra-long-range business aviation across the region. The Global 8000 enables nonstop city pairs such as Shanghai to New York, Shanghai to Dublin and Shanghai to Sydney, helping customers travel farther and faster while staying productive in flight.  

July 1, 2026

Rider Jet Center To Host Career Expo

Rider Jet Center, a full-service Fixed Base Operator, will host the 20th Annual Aviation Education & Career Expo on Friday, Nov. 6 at Hagerstown Regional Airport. As the largest aviation career expo in the Mid-Atlantic region, the Expo continues to ignite passion for aviation and aerospace careers among students from throughout the nation.

Tecnam Selects Altair Solutions For Maintenance

Tecnam announced the appointment of Altair Solutions as its Official Maintenance, Training and Certified Pre-Owned Partner, reinforcing its longstanding commitment to customer excellence and comprehensive support throughout the entire aircraft ownership lifecycle.