Rolling Business Aviation Daily Briefs (May 2026)

May 20, 2026

Joby Aviation to Establish Rooftop Vertiport at Century City Development

Real estate developer Reuben Brothers and Joby Aviation plan to establish a rooftop vertiport and air taxi service at Park Elm residences at Century Plaza, South Tower in Century City, Los Angeles. Joby will be responsible for build-out and operation.

Port Authority Seeks Bids for LaGuardia Airport Rooftop Vertiport

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is seeking bidders interested in building, financing and operating a common-use eVTOL vertiport facility at LaGuardia Airport. The proposed vertiport would be located on the rooftop of the Terminal C Parking Garage.

May 19, 2026

Tampa International Airport Plans eVTOL Service To Downtown

Tampa International Airport plans to launch eVTOL operations to Peter O. Knight Airport on the Davis Islands, close to downtown and the port. Florida’s governor on April 20 signed legislation to allow the Florida Department of Transportation to fund public vertiports.

United Airlines Ventures Invests In Airhart Aeronautics

United Airlines Ventures has made an investment in Airhart Aeronautics, which is developing an integrated avionics system for light aircraft. Airhart conducted the first test flight of its avionics suite from Long Beach, California, on April 12 in a Sling TSI kitplane.

May 18, 2026

Nav Canada Forecasts Drone Fleet To Reach 507,000 Yy 2045

Air navigation service provider Nav Canada forecasts drones operating in Canada will rise from 24,000 in 2024 to 507,000 by 2045, led by health care deliveries. By 2045, uncrewed traffic management is projected to handle more than 50,000 operations daily.

Unsafe Drone Encounters With Crop-Spraying Aircraft Rise To 20% In 2025

According to a survey by the U.S. National Agricultural Aviation Association, 20% of crewed aerial application operators reported an unsafe encounter with a drone while operating a crop-spraying aircraft in 2025, compared to 16% in 2024 and 11% in 2023.

May 15, 2026

Dronamics Secures Strategic Investment From Japan's Air Asia Survey

Bulgarian uncrewed cargo startup Dronamics has secured a strategic investment in Japan, from publicly listed remote-sensing company Air Asia Survey, opening up potential cargo, disaster relief and civil protection markets for its Black Swan long-range multi-role drone.

Telefónica Authorized For BVLOS Drone Operations In Spain

Supported by Murzilli Consulting, Spanish telecoms company Telefonica been authorized by Spain’s civil aviation authority AESA to conduct remote drone-in-a-box beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations for wildfire monitoring and industrial perimeter surveillance.

May 14, 2026

Catheter Precision Acquires Air Taxi Operator Fly Flyte

U.S. medical device company Catheter Precision has acquired Fly Flyte, which offers its Flyte Hops air taxi service in the Northeast U.S. and Florida, flying high-frequency, short-haul routes with Cirrus Vision light jets operated by Part 135 subsidiary Ponderosa Air.

FedEx and IIT Madras Complete India's First Intracity Drone Delivery Trials

Federal Express and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras have conducted India’s first intracity drone delivery trials in Bengaluru, validating a 40-km middle-mile logistics service connecting the Electronic City industrial hub with the international airport.

May 13, 2026

AutoFlight Completes 75-Mile Autonomous eVTOL Cargo Flight In China

China’s AutoFlight conducted an operational transport flight with its V2000CG CarryAll autonomous eVTOL cargo aircraft on April 17, flying a payload of fresh spring tea 75 mi. over mountains from Anshun to Guiyang, in Guizhou, for transfer to high-speed rail.

Surf Air Mobility Cuts $100M Electrification Budget, Shifts To Beta Technologies Partnership

Surf Air Mobility has eliminated $100 million budgeted to electrify its Cessna Caravan fleet and will rely on its partnership with Beta Technologies, which plans to operate its Alia electric aircraft on cargo demonstration routes in Hawaii this year with Surf Air’s Mokulele Airlines.

May 12, 2026

Yingling Aviation Finalizes STC For Gogo AVANCE Systems On Hawker Aircraft

Yingling Aviation is finalizing Supplemental Type Certificate development for the installation of Gogo AVANCE L3, L5, and provisions for LX5 inflight connectivity systems on Hawker 750, 800, 800XP, 850XP, and 900XP aircraft, further expanding its capabilities in advanced cabin connectivity solutions.

Dovetail Electric Aviation Appoints Michele D'Ercole As CTO

Dovetail Electric Aviation announced the appointment of Michele D’Ercole as chief technology officer and head of engineering. Michele brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across aerospace, turbomachinery, and advanced propulsion technologies.

May 11, 2026

STACK.aero And Leon Software Launch Integration For Seamless Flight Management

Aviation streamlining platform STACK.aero announced a new integration with Leon Software, enabling mutual customers to manage the full lifecycle of a flight seamlessly across both platforms through a single, connected workflow.

Continental Aerospace Technologies Reports Progress On Engine Certifications And Programs

Continental Aerospace Technologies announced continued progress on the Supplemental Type Certificate effort for the CD-300 engine installation on the Cessna 206; ongoing efforts to expand the global availability of its IO-370 engine; European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification for rotorcraft applications of its CD-170R Jet-A piston engine; and a new initiative to enhance customer support through its FastTrack engines program.

May 8, 2026

L2 Aviation Acquires Advance Aero Precision Machining

L2 Aviation announced the acquisition of Advance Aero, a precision machining and sheet metal fabrication company based in Mooresville, Indiana, representing a strategic step in its long-term plan to expand vertical integration capabilities and strengthen support for aircraft installation and kitting operations.

Bell Secures Orders For Three Bell 429s In UK And Estonia

Bell Textron announced that it has signed purchase agreements for three Bell 429s for VIP operators in the UK and Estonia.

May 7, 2026

Desert Jet Launches Sustainability Partnership With 4AIR

Desert Jet announced a sustainability partnership with 4AIR. Through the partnership, Desert Jet has offset 43 metric tons of CO₂ via verified carbon offset projects tied to operations at Desert Jet Center, its flagship FBO at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (KTRM).

Straight Flight Joins GE Honda's HF120 Engine Service Network

GE Honda Aero Engines announced that Straight Flight has been added to its global network of Authorized Service Providers for the HF120 engine, expanding maintenance and support capabilities for HF120 operators.

May 6, 2026

Embraer Adds Execaire Aviation To Canadian Service Network

Embraer has added Execaire Aviation to its Authorized Service Center Network to support executive jet customers in Canada. Execaire Aviation will provide line maintenance for the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 series, Praetor 500 Praetor 600 series, and Legacy 450 and 500 aircraft in its base in Toronto. This becomes the third Embraer Authorized Service Center in Canada.

Vista Secures Cost-Per-Flight-Hour Parts Deal With Bombardier

Bombardier and Vista announced a long-term services agreement focused on Bombardier’s Smart Parts programs for Vista’s recent order of Challenger 3500 aircraft and a large portion of its existing fleet. The bespoke agreement will provide Vista with an essential cost-per-flight hour framework to maximize convenience and cost protection for parts.

May 5, 2026

Qatar Executive Takes Delivery of 10th G700

Qatar Executive, the private jet charter division of Qatar Airways Group, has taken delivery of its 10th Gulfstream G700 business jet. The order was announced in October 2019 and marks Qatar Executive’s 25th Gulfstream business jet delivery since 2015, when the partnership commenced, the company says. Qatar was the international launch customer of the G700 in April 2024. The G700 has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.935 and a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90. Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines power it and includes winglets and other features. According to Aviation Week data, the 10th G700 was registered to Qatar on March 17, 2026.

May 1, 2026

MD Aircraft Signs LoI For Electric Regional

German startup MD Aircraft has signed a letter of intent for 20 MDA1 eViator nine-passenger electric aircraft with Aerova, a Canadian company founded in 2025 to enable autonomous air logistics by developing AAM corridors using uncrewed aircraft traffic management.

Rosen Aviation Completes VVIP Installation Of IFE Products

Rosen Aviation, based in Eugene, Oregon, is supporting VVIP widebody fleet aircraft with an array of 4K In-flight Entertainment displays and custom-developed products. The company completed hardware and software support for a widebody fleet aircraft for an undisclosed customer. It did not identify the aircraft. The massive home cinema display was a “ground-up design” but came in certified 100 lb. below the specified weight budget, it said. It also integrated an assortment of 4K OLED displays in various sizes into the aircraft. Rosen Aviation has experienced rapid growth in the VVIP segment, officials say.