Business Aviation

Dassault Aviation has completed the Critical Design Review for its new Falcon 6X, freezing the detailed design of the new ultra widebody twinjet, and begun manufacturing major parts as the program tracks to assembly of the first aircraft by early 2020.

Gulfstream Aerospace has said its all-new, award-winning Gulfstream G600 is nearing the end of function and reliability (F&R) testing, the final stage of flying required for aircraft type certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Comlux has announced the delivery of its first VIP Wide body cabin completion on an Airbus ACJ330.

Embraer’s new Praetor 600 super-midsize business jet has completed its first transatlantic crossing, powered by Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel (SAJF).

An African company has targeted Antarctica as a tourist destination. Dave Calderwood reports.

Bombardier Aerospace has unveiled the new Nuage chaise lounge at its exhibit at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva.

Autonomy in an F-16; urban air traffic management; eVTOLs in Paris; Perlan aims for 90,000 ft.; personnel-rescue eVTOLs.

Deliveries of general aviation aircraft rose an average of 14.5% in the first quarter of 2019 with the largest increase coming in the piston market.

First flight of the Airbus E-Fan X hybrid-electric hybrid-regional aircraft demonstrator has slipped into 2021, from 2020.

In Europe, manufacturers of business aircraft have to be creative to thrive in an often uncertain market.

RATP Group, the company running Paris’ public transport system, has signed agreements with Airbus to study the use of urban air mobility systems in the city.

The FAA on May 16 announced changes to operating rules for recreational drones.

Aircraft manufacturer Pilatus posted 2018 sales revenue of 1.092 billion Swiss francs ($1.08 billion).

ASL-JetNetherlands has announced the signing of a contract with Liège Airport in Belgium for construction and operation of a hangar and bizav terminal.

An urban air traffic management (UATM) system is needed to bridge the gap between conventional air traffic control and future autonomous ATM, EmbraerX says.

The CEO of urban mobility startup Volocopter will join UK Parliament member Grant Shapps to open the 2019 European Business Aviation Association Conference & Exhibition.

Assembly of the first production AW609 civil tiltrotor has begun at Leonardo Helicopters’ plant here, but certification could slip into 2020.

Dassault Falcon Service’s Fixed-Base Operator (FBO) at Paris-Le Bourget airport has been awarded an International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) Stage 1 certificate, a key milestone in its commitment to guarantee the safest and most reliable handling services in the industry.

With a focus on range and speed, Lilium’s eVTOL concept targets metro and intercity markets.

Jet Linx Aviation, a private jet management company, continued its expansion efforts with the acquisition of Elliott Aviation’s private jet management business.

DOT plans to distribute $779 million in supplemental funding for infrastructure grants to 127 airports across all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Brazilian jet maker Embraer, which is spinning off most of its commercial aircraft business to Boeing, missed Wall Street’s expectations for the first quarter of 2019.

Stephen Dickson, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for FAA administrator, defended the FAA’s practice of delegating certain safety and certification functions to manufacturers, telling lawmakers the agency’s Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program has “allowed regulators to get much more efficiency and add more safety value than just throwing extra resources at it.”

Over the next 10 years, Europe’s business aviation fleet is expected to grow from 3,725 aircraft today to nearly 5,020, a compound annual growth rate of 3.4%.

The Dassault Training Academy recently graduated the 1,000th trainee from its Falcon Practical Training Course.