Your essential weekly digest of International Business and Private Aviation Industry news
 Washington, DC:NBAA commends Administration’s return to zero-for-zero US-UK aerospace tariff policyThe National Business Aviation Association applauds the Trump Administration’s return to zero-for-zero tariffs on aerospace products from the United Kingdom as part of a June 16th Executive Order (EO), Implementing the General Terms of the United States of America - United Kingdom Economic Prosperity Deal. Under the EO, the 10% tariffs on aircraft and parts imports imposed on the UK through previous Trump-initiated presidential actions will no longer apply to these products.
The EO points to the 1979 Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, which applies to over 30 countries and creates a zero-for-zero fair and reciprocal trade agreement in civil aviation. Under that agreement, no tariffs or duties are imposed on civil aircraft, engines or related parts. Participating countries also commit to maintaining a safety standard equal to the FAA’s certification and manufacturing standards.
Broomfield, Colorado:Gogo successfully completes first 5G end-to-end call5G end-to-end connection marks a significant step towards delivery of next-generation air-to-ground connectivity.Gogo confirms that GCT Semiconductor has successfully completed the very first end-to-end call using its next-generation 5G technology. The call, which took place on June 16th, 2025, confirms the Gogo 5G chip is fully functional and ready to move through the final phases of integration. The technology milestone represents a critical stage in Gogo’s journey towards delivering 5G air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity to North American operators.
Gogo moves one step closer to next generation 5G ATG connectivity. GCT Semiconductor Holding, Inc. delivered the new 5G chipset to Airspan, a provider of network deployment solutions and Gogo’s 5G partner, in May. The successful integration of the microchip, which is smaller than a thumbnail, into hardware and software allowed Airspan to configure and support the end-to-end call. The connection, set-up in the lab, confirms the 5G technology is ready to transition to the next phase of integration testing and performance optimization.
Rome and Orlando:UrbanV and Signature Aviation sign JV agreement to develop networks of Vertiports in the USUrbanV, a global leader in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure, and Signature Aviation, the world’s largest network of private aviation terminals, have signed a Joint Venture agreement to accelerate the development of vertiport networks across the US, with an initial focus on Florida, New York, California, and Texas The partnership unlocks strong synergies in the development of Advanced Air Mobility infrastructure in the United States and beyond. Studies will assess network planning, demand potential, infrastructure feasibility, operational integration and financial modeling to support vertiport site selection and deployment strategies. Signature Aviation will integrate vertiports within its network of private aviation terminals and drive regulatory discussions. The JV will engage with potential vertiport sites and AAM operators, leveraging both companies’ industry connections to form strategic partnerships aimed at accelerating AAM adoption.
Washington, DC:NBAA welcomes five-country partnership to collaborate on global AAM growthThe National Business Aviation Association has welcomed a new, US-led partnership with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK to coordinate as the countries take steps to integrate advanced air mobility (AAM) into their aviation systems.Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau joined other government and industry leaders in signing a declaration at the Paris Air Show committing to implement the Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification. The roadmap aims to align on the countries’ AAM airworthiness and certification standards by sharing data, research and safety information, with the aim of harmonizing and streamlining the certification and safe deployment of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Paris Air Show:Gulfstream G700 sets multiple city-pair records en route to Paris Air ShowThe Gulfstream G700 set two new city-pair speed records en route to the International Paris Air Show at Paris-Le Bourget airport.The aircraft flew the record flights on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and will receive Sustainable Wings accreditation from the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) for each flight.
On Friday, June 13th, the G700 flew from Teterboro, New Jersey, to San Francisco, traveling 2,272 nautical miles/4,208 kilometers in 4 hours and 57 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.91. It then flew from San Francisco to Paris, traveling 4,947 nm/9,162 km in 9 hours and 26 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.91. “Recognition from our partners at the NAA and these latest record-breaking flights further demonstrate Gulfstream’s industry-leading commitment to sustainability,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “We are excited for the G700 and our award-winning Gulfstream G600 to return to the International Paris Air Show this year and look forward to showcasing the compelling combination of advanced technology, performance and comfort as increased demand for our next-generation aircraft continues in Europe.” The G700 features the most spacious cabin in the industry and the Gulfstream Cabin Experience with 100% fresh air, natural light from 20 Gulfstream Panoramic Oval Windows and the industry’s lowest cabin altitude. With a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.935 and a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90, the ultralong-range G700 has more than 80 city-pair speed records to date.
Wheels UpWheels Up Experience Inc. has announced key executive leadership appointments, effective immediately, that align the company's go-to-market growth strategy with the evolving needs of its customers. Mark Briffa, currently CEO of Air Partner and EVP, Charter, will become Chief Sales Officer, unifying global sales across our Membership and Charter offerings under one leader.  Meaghan Wells, EVP of Enterprise Planning and Strategy, has been appointed Chief Growth Officer, a new role that unifies key growth functions. In this position, she will oversee the newly formed commercial strategy group, integrating revenue management, product strategy, and competitive analysis, to drive more coordinated, data-driven decisions that are expected to enhance our customer offering. She will also continue to lead fleet and corporate strategy, partnerships, and enterprise planning.  Kristen Lauria, currently Chief Marketing Officer, will expand her role to include customer experience, driving deeper integration across brand, communications, and customer engagement. As Wheels Up progresses its previously announced fleet modernization plan, investing in and enhancing all aspects of the customer experience will be a key strategic focus area for the company. As part of the leadership realignment, Dave Harvey, Chief Commercial Officer, will step into a senior advisor role to the company through August 2025 to help ensure a smooth and effective transition.
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In the last week, Week 24 (9th-15th June), global bizjet activity grew 2% compared to Week 24 last year, marking the 8th consecutive week of year-on-year growth.According to WINGX`s weekly Global Market Tracker published today, Global Part135 & 91K activity grew 3% compared to Week 24 last year, the last four-week trend now 7% ahead of comparable last year.
Year to date (1st January-15th June), over 1.7 million bizjet sectors have been flown globally, 3% more than the comparable period of 2024, flying hours also up 3% compared to last year.
Paris Air Show:Aura Aero passes 650 pre-orders for ERA hybrid-electric regional aircraft, valued at over $10.5bnAura Aero announced at the Paris Air Show that it has secured more than 650 pre-orders for ERA, its hybrid 19-seater, scheduled for entry into service by 2030.
Five new customers signed Letters of Intent with the French manufacturer, to add ERA to their fleet by the start of the new decade: Marathon Airlines, a Greek ACMI airline (20 firm and 20 options), Solyu, a South Korean low-carbon aircraft lessor (20 firm and 20 options), JumpAir Airlines, a lithuanian ACMI and charter airline (10 firm and 10 options), Safarilink, a Kenyan regional airline (4 firm and 2 options), and an undisclosed customer from Europe (3 firm and 3 options).
Paris Air Show:Luminair adds three new falcon 900LXs to growing charter fleetGerman operator Luminair has announced a fleet expansion at the Paris Air Show. It will add three brand new Falcon 900LX aircraft to be delivered before the end of the year.
The charter company, which obtained its AOC in November 2024, currently operates three Citation XLS aircraft dedicated to full charter, with brokerfocused operations. In addition to the Citations and the three Falcon 900LX aircraft, Luminair is committed to a fleet-growth strategy involving multiple aircraft types in the medium and long term.
Paris Air Show:Algeria's Tassili Travail Aérien orders two aero-medical SkyCouriers, launching new era of medevac servicesTextron Aviation announced today at the Paris Air Show that Tassili Travail Aérien (TTA) has signed a purchase agreement for two new Cessna SkyCourier aircraft, marking the first order of an aero-medical equipped SkyCourier and the first SkyCourier order in Africa.
Based in Algeria, TTA is a subsidiary of Sonatrach, the national state-owned oil and gas company. TTA provides passenger transportation, aero-medical evacuation, and other special mission services to the energy sector across Algeria.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida:VIP Completions and YODEZEEN complete transformative G550 interior refurbishmentVIP Completions, providers of custom aircraft completions and refurbishment services, and YODEZEEN, an award-winning multifunctional architecture studio, have unveiled a spectacular Gulfstream G550 interior refurbishment project.
Acquisition of this aircraft was brokered by VIP Completions’ sister company SmartJets, a leading turnkey aircraft dealer-broker. This project redefines the boundaries of aircraft interior design. For example, custom dynamic fiber optic accent lights seamlessly integrated into the headliner in a “starlight” pattern, real carbon fiber accents throughout the cabin, new mid-cabin bulkhead with pocket door and all-wood eucalyptus paneling. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery in eight weeks.
Paris Air Show:New multi-mission Beechcraft King Air demonstrator unveiled at Paris Air ShowTextron Aviation's new multi-mission Beechcraft King Air demonstration aircraft made its show and European debut at the 2025 Paris Air Show.
“The King Air’s acquisition and operation cost, combined with excellent speed, range and payload capacity make it an excellent value for a wide range of special missions,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, Special Missions Sales. “The best-selling turboprop serves as an ideal platform for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, utility transport, training and more. Over the last few years, we have seen solid European demand of our Cargo Door King Air 360C for essential air ambulance services.”
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 Paris Air Show:CAE forecasts 1.5 million civil aviation professionals needed over next 10 yearsAdditional 33,000 bizav pilots and 69,000 technicians.An estimated 1.5 million civil aviation professionals will be needed worldwide by 2034, according to CAE’s biennial Aviation Talent Forecast, released this week at the Paris International Air Show. The comprehensive 2025 edition of the forecast analyzes the need for pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, cabin crew, and, for the first time, air traffic controllers, predicting that 71,000 controllers will be needed globally over the next 10 years. The 2025 CAE Aviation Talent Forecast reports that 1,292,000 commercial aviation professionals will be needed - 267,000 pilots, 347,000 aviation maintenance technicians, and 678,000 cabin crew - with the largest percentage required to meet rapidly rising demand in the Asia Pacific region.
Marie-Christine Cloutier In addition, 102,000 business aviation professionals are expected to be needed worldwide over the next 10 years, including 33,000 pilots and 69,000 aircraft maintenance technicians. “The need for 1.5 million new aviation professionals by 2034 is being driven by record demand for air travel and a significant wave of retirements that is expected across all categories," explains Marie-Christine Cloutier, Vice-President - Strategy, Performance, Air Traffic Services & Marketing at CAE.
Paris Air Show:ZeroAvia awarded UK Government grant for development and flight test of liquid hydrogen fuel systemLH-SIFT project supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute, Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK.The UK Government has awarded ZeroAvia and consortium partners a grant towards a £10.8m project to develop a novel liquid hydrogen management system.The project, co-funded through the ATI Programme, will culminate in integration of the lightweight fuel system into a Dornier 228 before a series of flight tests. The Liquid Hydrogen System Integration & Flight Test (LH-SIFT) project will rapidly develop a Liquid Hydrogen Management System (LHMS) and create an adaptable flight testbed capability. The testbed capability will benefit UK and global LH2 supply chains in maturing liquid hydrogen technologies faster.
The LH2 management system developed as part of LH-SIFT is comprised of a novel lightweight metallic tank design and supporting systems for filling and managing storage and distribution. Consortium partners Green Resource Engineering and Gas & Liquid Controls will collaborate with ZeroAvia on fill, feed, vent and vaporiser systems.
United Kingdom:Britten-Norman marks 60 years of the Islander and looks ahead to a bold new futureBritten-Norman is celebrating a major milestone this week, 60 years since the maiden flight of the first variant of the iconic Islander aircraft.First flown on 13th June 1965 from Bembridge Airport, the Islander was the result of a bold vision by John Britten and Desmond Norman to create a reliable, rugged aircraft that could go where others couldn’t. That same pioneering spirit is alive in the company today.
For 60 years, the Britten-Norman Islander has proven its strength and versatility in every corner of globe - from the Ecuadorian Amazon to remote Scottish islands, and from daily passenger routes to disaster relief and frontline operations.
Luxembourg:Luxaviation secures EASA first direct approval of Electronic Tech Log for business aviationLuxaviation Group has announced a key milestone in its digital transformation journey, with the successful approval of its Electronic Technical Log (ETL) system by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).The certification, achieved through Luxaviation Portugal, marks the first instance of such approval granted to a business This achievement positions Luxaviation as the only single business aviation EASA AOCapproved Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO) in Europe under direct EASA oversight, reinforcing the Group’s commitment to unified compliance and operational excellence across Europe.
London:UK-first: Green light for long-range drones to fly across UK’s Critical National InfrastructureCAA approves milestone Operational Authority marking massive breakthrough in the drone industry.The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has approved Operational Authority for leading independent drone advisors, Drone Major, to conduct the UK’s first beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights over the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure marking a major breakthrough in the drone industry. This is the first time long-distance approved BVLOS drones in non-segregated airspace have been given the green light to fly over the UK’s critical national infrastructure and places the UK at the forefront of drone innovation. This development will initially enable long-range drones to patrol over the UK’s rail networks. It marks an important step towards enabling more complex BVLOS operations across other areas of Critical National Infrastructure, with potential applications in sectors such as energy, utilities, defence, border management, and sensitive national infrastructure surveillance. The approval was possible as a result of Network Rail enabling and funding this groundbreaking work, and now paves the way for possible imminent trials of the technology on a critical 12km route between Wolverhampton and Sandwell & Dudley Station in partnership with Network Rail. The trials have the potential to vastly improve the safety, speed, and efficiency of the UK railway service, while also delivering many millions a year in savings.
London Southend Jet Centre held its annual open day last week - with 300 attendees, old and new aircraft and a fantastic panel on air charter.
Here are a few highlights of what makes it such a great day out. |
London Biggin Hill Airport leads UK-first trial of alternative taxiway material
London Biggin Hill Airport is the first airport in the UK to trial a non-crude oil-based asphalt binder - and the world’s first to do so on an operational taxiway.
Known as Bio-Bitumen, the asphalt binder is made from renewable resources, specifically a combination of naturally occurring hydrocarbon resin and an organic extract. The material was installed during a live demonstration, conducted by Associated Asphalt Contracting Ltd, together with their partners B2SQUARE - Bitumen Beyond Oil, attended by aviation and paving experts at London Biggin Hill Airport in May.
Tony Embling, Head of Technical Services, London Biggin Hill Airport, says: “As we work towards our goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2029, we're committed to driving meaningful progress towards more sustainable initiatives. This project reflects London Biggin Hill Airport’s proud history of innovation, from pioneering air-to-air communications during the First World War, to today’s trials of new taxiway materials under live operational conditions. It’s a significant milestone for the industry as we work to develop more resilient, lower-impact infrastructure.”
Derek Lock, Business Development Consultant, Associated Asphalt Contracting Ltd, says: “This is a unique opportunity to test durability, flexibility and surface performance in conditions far more demanding than traditional road surfaces. Through this project, we’ll be gathering valuable data from a real-world setting to support the use of more sustainable materials that meet the standards of aviation environments.”
| Frank Albrecht, CEO, B2SQUARE - Bitumen Beyond Oil, adds: “We’re presented with a great opportunity to demonstrate the viability of bitumen alternatives and highlight their commercial and environmental potential across the sector. By working in partnership with Associated Asphalt, and their client London Biggin Hill Airport, we’ve been able to progress beyond controlled testing to an operational taxiway, used daily by business aircraft. We look forward to seeing how this project accelerates the conversation around more scalable, sustainable infrastructure solutions.” |  |
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