Business & Commercial Aviation

The first production Citation Longitude rolled off the Textron Aviation line in Wichita in mid-June. The super-midsize, $24 million jet is to join the company's demonstration fleet this summer and travel the world to showcase the clean-sheet design.

Innovative Solutions & Support has received the FAA’s Supplemental Type Certification for its non-FADEC turboprop autothrottle for retrofit in the Pilatus PC-12.

Gulfstream Aerospace has added a Field and Airborne Support Team at Paris-Le Bourget Airport. The unit includes European Aviation Safety Agency -trained technicians and a custom truck outfitted with specialty equipment.

Bombardier is now offering Ka-band high-speed internet on new Challenger 650s and as a retrofit on in-service Challenger 604, 605 and 650 jets through its service network.

Citing the economic downturn and the inflexibility of the regulatory environment there, TAG Aviation is exiting the Spanish market after doing business there for many years and consolidating its several air operator certificates.

Helicopter maker Leonardo says it has entered exploratory discussions with the U.S. Army to investigate potential missions for its AW609 commercial tiltrotor.

FlightSafety International has added master-level advanced training courses for the Dassault Falcon 2000EX EASy and 900EX EASy series aircraft.

The Russian business aviation charter market grew 7% in the first five months of 2017 compared to a year ago and is expected to continue to expand during the summer, said analysts with the Aim of Emperor, which operates a group of Russian business aviation companies.

The world's most printed engine, GE's new Advanced Turboprop, in which additive manufacturing replaces 855 normally made parts with just 12 printed components, is on track to run for the first time this year. It will power Cessna's new Denali aircraft.

The diesel-powered Cessna 172 Turbo Skyhawk JT-A is now certificated by both the FAA and EASA, clearing the way for customer deliveries.

Honda Aircraft has received type certification for its HA-420 HondaJet from Transport Canada, clearing the way for deliveries to Canadian customers.

FlairJet, a division of Flexjet, has signed a contract to manage the first Phenom 300 aircraft for Surf Air Europe as it grows its operations.

Dassault Falcon Jet is cutting its U.S. workforce by less than 6% because of challenging business aviation conditions, the company said in a statement. The cuts come after adjustments at its Little Rock, Arkansas, Completion Center.

Business flight activity in May rose 6.5% overall, with increases in all operational and aircraft categories. Activity by large and midsize jets posted the biggest gains in May compared to a year ago,with large jet activity up 9.3% and midsize jet activity up 9.2%.

Using data from its proprietary customer database, the FAA and other industry sources, Duncan Aviation reports that as of March 31, roughly 10,000 U.S. registered business jets—73% of the fleet—have not yet been made compliant with the FAA's ADS-B Out mandate.

The Triumph Group and Bombardier appear to have entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement that concludes all pending litigation related to the design, manufacture and supply of wing components for the Global 7000 business jet.

West Star Aviation has received FAA Part 145 repair station certification for its Denver satellite location at Centennial Airport, which opened in 2014.

Embraer Executive Jets is expanding its customer support network in Europe with the appointment of JF Service as its authorized service center for Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 business jets in Moscow.

Jet Aviation will operate a fixed base operation at Al Maktoum International Airport within Dubai World Central. The new facility will open in the third quarter of 2017. The project is a joint venture between Jet Aviation and Al Mulla Business Group.

Airbus Helicopters reports construction is underway for its H135 Final Assembly Line in Qingdao, China. The work is expected to be completed by 2018.

More than ever, business jet customers are choosing which jet to buy based on criteria beyond how far the aircraft flies, said David Coleal, Bombardier Business Aircraft president.

Bombardier said it used biofuels supplied by AEG Fuels to fly its Learjet 75, Challenger 350 and 650, and Global 6000 jets to the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Geneva.

Compare Jet-A and avgas fuel prices by U.S. region based on a survey conducted in June 2017 by Aviation Research Group/U.S. Inc. and an analysis of the lowest fuel prices reported by FBOs on acukwik.com

Germany-based charter operator Air Hamburg is the launch customer for Embraer's Legacy 650E large business jet, and will expand its fleet with an additional order for three new Legacy 650Es.

Czech Republic-based airline Travel Service has become Textron Aviation's first European customer for the Citation Longitude super-midsize business jet, the company said. The aircraft will be used for business-aircraft charter services.