The aviation industry data intelligence company reported that in week 30—July 22-28—bizjet activity in France was up 17 percent compared to the same time last year. Europe has seen a 4 percent increase overall. Paris saw a 58 percent jump in bizjet arrivals compared to last year. 

“As predicted, the Olympics venues have attracted business jet arrivals from all over the world as dignitaries, heads of corporations, and celebrities flocked to the opening ceremony and sporting events,” said WingX managing director Richard Koe in the announcement. “The Olympics appear to be very popular with U.S. visitors, many coming via the UK. The Olympics bounce is helping the market recover from a relatively weak H124, with year-to-date trends now flat compared to last year.”

• READ MORE: Canada’s Olympic Soccer Team Busted After Spying on Rivals With Drone 

Paris Le Bourget recorded 713 bizjet arrivals last week, up 53 percent over last year. New York saw a 200 percent increase in bizjet flights to Paris airports year over year. Vista Jet and NetJets lead flights from the United States to France, WingX found. 

On July 26, the day of the Olympics opening ceremony, 382 bizjet arrivals were recorded into French airports.

North America 

Florida, California, and Texas had the most bizjet departures in the U.S. Florida and California were each up 2 percent over last year, and Texas was up 1 percent. 

Bizjet departures were on par in week 30 compared to the same period last year in North America, with most activity originating in the U.S. 

Europe 

The United Kingdom saw a 10 percent increase in bizjet flights. 

Activity lags behind in popular European summer destinations. Bizjets to Mykonos, Greece, have fallen compared to five years ago, only ahead of 2020. Olbia, Italy, has been busier than any July in the last five years, while Ibiza and Mallorca, Spain, are behind the last three years.

Rest of World 

Bizjet activity declined outside of North America and Europe. Activity fell 16 percent in the Middle East in week 30 compared to last year, with notable declines in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Africa saw a 23 percent drop in bizjet activity, with declines in South Africa cities Johannesburg and Cape Town, and Lagos, Nigeria. 

The post WingX: Olympics Lead to Record Bizjet Arrivals in Paris appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For over 42 years, the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) has been quietly working in the background to make this happen for as many cancer patients as possible, regardless of their financial status.

The CAN nonprofit story is an important one to tell, and AVweb contributor Larry Anglisano does just that with a sit-down discussion with CAN president and CEO Bob Stangarone and other volunteers who help make it happen.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Nonprofit Turns to Jets to Fight Cancer appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The White House’s 2025 budget proposal would boost the current tax of 22 cents per gallon to $1.06 by 2030. It’s estimated it would raise $1.1 billion over the five years. The proposal also includes a major funding increase for the FAA, including money to hire 2,000 air traffic controllers.

• READ MORE: FAA Releases Final Rule on Aircraft Fuel Efficiency for Emissions

The fuel tax hike is being championed as a fairness issue by the administration. The background documents say business aircraft account for 7 percent of FAA airspace workload but the current tax only covers 1 percent of the revenue into the federal trust fund for aviation and airports. Airline passengers pay a flat $4.50 on each flight and 7.5 percent excise tax on the fare to pay for the other 99 percent.

The backgrounder on the State of the Union address said the administration wanted to make private jet operators “pay their fair share.” In the speech itself Biden send he wanted “end tax breaks for big pharma, big oil, private jets, massive executive pay.” 

Aviation groups responded quickly to the SOTU address and were ready with comments on the budget proposal. NBAA President Ed Bolen reiterated his stance that private aviation is an important business tool and that most of those flying on the jets are mid-level managers doing company business and not their ultra-rich employers. “The Biden administration’s sweeping plan would hurt business aviation and the jobs and communities that depend on it, and make it harder for U.S. companies to compete in a global economy,” Bolen said.

The National Air Transportation Association hit all of NBAA’s points and also alleged that much of the revenue raised by the aviation fund is diverted to a similar fund for highway projects. “We are concerned that the Biden Administration is failing to account for the billions of business aviation tax dollars that are diverted from the Airport and Airways Trust Fund (AATF) into the Highway Trust Fund (HTF),” said NATA President Curt Castagna. “Such diversion weakens the National Airspace System and could place the safety of the industry at risk.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Biden Administration Proposes Fivefold Jet Fuel Tax Hike for Bizjets appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

GAMA found that aircraft shipments rose across all segments compared to 2022, coming in at 3,050 airplanes and 962 helicopters delivered in 2023. The numbers represent year-on-year increases of 9 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. Overall airplane billings for last year rose 2.2 percent to $23.4 billion while total helicopter billings increased 11.2 percent to $4.4 billion.

“For the first time in more than a decade, the general aviation manufacturing industry has eclipsed 4,000 aircraft delivered,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “In addition to this strong showing, there are robust and growing order backlogs for all segments of aircraft. This is a testament to the resilience of our industry and the integral role that general and business aviation plays in our communities.”

Breaking down the numbers, piston airplane deliveries were up 11.8 percent from 1,505 in 2022 to 1,682 in 2023. Turboprop shipments also surged, hitting 638 delivered last year and improving 9.6 percent over the previous year. While business jet deliveries saw the least change, the segment still increased 2.5 percent with 730 delivered.

On the rotorcraft side, 209 piston helicopters shipped last year, up from 194 in 2022. Turbine helicopter deliveries jumped 10.4 percent. GAMA noted that fourth-quarter data from Leonardo Helicopters was not available when the report was published, so it excluded Leonardo’s Q4 2022 data from its comparison.

• READ MORE: GAMA Reports Year-Over-Year Increase in Aircraft Shipments In a ‘Governed’ Recovery

“While the deliveries from 2023 are very encouraging, our industry faces headwinds from ongoing supply chain issues, workforce shortages, uncertainty and unpredictability from global regulators, and shortsighted efforts aimed at curbing business and general aviation, particularly in Europe,” said Bunce. “As civil aviation’s innovation incubator, our entire GA industry is focused on new aircraft and technologies that will lead the way in safety and sustainability for the entire aviation sector. This progress is dependent on having effective, predictable, and accountable regulatory processes, and a supportive business environment.

“Therefore, it is crucial that the U.S. Congress passes a long-term FAA reauthorization bill, a fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill for the FAA, and a tax measure, which is pending, that promotes research and development.”

GAMA’s full report is available on its website.

The post GAMA: 2023 Aircraft Shipments Up Across All Segments appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

IADA reported seeing “a subtle shift toward becoming a buyers’ market, with higher inventory and more reasonable prices.” The group expects a steady start to the new year but noted potential trouble spots, including a backlog carryover related to previous supply chain issues, disruptions because of global unrest, and uncertainties associated with a presidential election year in the U.S. The organization stated that the 2023 stabilization matched its previous predictions for the time period.

• RED MORE: IADA Predicts Larger BizAv Market Ahead

“IADA members have been predicting a more stable marketplace for over a year, and the 2023 market performed as expected,” said IADA chairman Phil Winters. “Our quantitative and proprietary sales data shows that buyers and sellers are coming together with regard to asking and offering prices, a positive change from the overheated conditions we’ve seen since the onset of the pandemic.”

IADA’s quarterly report data comes from a survey sent to more than 1,000 of its members, including association-accredited dealers and their certified brokers, OEMs, and IADA products and services members. Dealers and brokers surveyed reported completing 554 pre-owned aircraft transactions during the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to 470 in Q4 2022. Year-over-year numbers saw similar improvement.

“While annual business jet resale volume for IADA dealers was about one and a half percent higher in 2023, a more telling statistic showed an increase of 123 agreements to sell exclusively and 149 fewer new acquisition agreements, compared to 2022, reflecting more sellers than buyers,” said IADA executive director Wayne Starling. “Overall, our dealers closed 1,422 pre-owned biz aircraft transactions in 2023, compared to 1,399 in 2022.”

Of its survey respondents, IADA found that three-quarters are expecting midsize and larger jet pricing to fall and inventories to grow over the next six months. Eighty-five percent report believing that demand across aircraft size categories will remain stable or drop slightly over the first half of the year.

The post IADA Reports Pre-Owned Business Aircraft Market Stable in 2023 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Business jet traffic rose by 9 percent from the last week of 2023 to the first week of 2024, however, the recent results were 3 percent lower than in the same period a year ago. Turboprop traffic in the first week was slightly lower than a year earlier—about 0.1 percent. Combined Part 135 and Part 91 operations were 2 percent lower than a year ago. Meanwhile, scheduled airline traffic rose 12 percent from the first week of 2023, while cargo traffic decreased by 9 percent.

• READ MORE: WingX Reports Bizjet Activity Continues To Decline

“Global business aviation activity has started the new year slightly behind comparable 2023, which itself was a rebound on locked-down January 2022. The U.S. leisure market appears to be relatively weaker during the recent holiday period,” said Richard Koe, managing director at WingX. “In Europe, the U.K. and France markets were well back on last year, but this was offset overall by strong activity in Turkey and Spain.”

In North America, business jet traffic rose by 7 percent compared with the final week of 2023 but declined by 5 percent year on year. Over the last four weeks, business jet activity is trending 3 percent lower than a year ago. Among the jet categories, super midsize and ultralong-range jets began the year 2 percent ahead year on year while super light and very light jets declined more than 10 percent, WingX said.

Looking at the U.S. business jet market reveals a clear spike in demand on January 2 due to travelers returning from holiday destinations. Traffic at the top airports reflected this notable increase with second-ranked Palm Beach (KPBI) in Florida handling just seven fewer flights than top-ranked Teterboro (KTEB) in Jersey. Miami-Opa Locka (KOPF) and Naples (KPAF) in Florida, and Van Nuys (KVNY) in California round out the top five U.S. business jet airports.

WingX said Florida is “easily the busiest U.S. bizjet state so far this month,” and New York is the top destination for those flying from Florida airports. The Embraer Phenom 300 logged the most flights out of Florida airports, while the Challenger 300 and 350 series flew the most hours.

In Europe, business jet activity increased 3 percent year on year. France surpassed 1,000 business jet flights in the first week of 2024, making it the top market, though activity was 3 percent below last year. The second-ranked U.K.’s activity fell 6 percent year on year, while business jet activity in Spain rose 26 percent.

In Asia, business jet activity declined 2 percent from a year ago, while activity rose 2 percent in the Middle East year on year. Demand for business jets has been strong in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar at the start of the year, with an increase in traffic from a year ago, while activity in Israel in the first quarter is down 32 percent year on year.

The post Global Business Aviation Starts 2024 with Year-on-Year Drop in Activity appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Falcon 6X received its type certifications from the FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on August 22. Dassault noted that the model has since received some post-certification upgrades that required EASA approval.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Dassault Falcon 6X

“Dassault Aviation shares this remarkable occasion with its customers, who are sure to receive an exceptional aircraft,” said Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Éric Trappier.

The Falcon 6X flew for the first time in March 2021 and went on to log around 1,500 flight hours over the course of a two-year flight test campaign that wrapped up in May 2022. The company also readied a 6X full-flight simulator for pilots seeking a type rating in the jet, the first of whom began training in September.

The Pratt & Whitney PW812D-powered 6X offers a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.9, 5,500 nm range, and maximum takeoff weight of 77,500 pounds. The largest and most powerful aircraft in Dassault’s lineup, it measures 84 feet, 3 inches long and 24 feet 6 inches high with a wingspan of 85 feet, 1 inch. With a maximum cabin width of 102 inches and cabin height of 78 inches, the aircraft can be configured to carry up to 12-16 passengers.

The Falcon 6X comes equipped with the company’s digital flight control system (DFCS) and Honeywell Primus Epic-based EASy IV avionics suite. Other features include Dassault’s FalconEye heads-up display/combined vision system and FalconScan advanced diagnostics system, which the company says monitors and reports on 100,000 maintenance parameters.

The post Dassault Falcon 6X Enters Service appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The association stated in its recently released third-quarter 2023 market report that many of its members did not experience the typical sales slowdown over the summer, with some noting strong transactions and activity. Overall, according to IADA, its members are anticipating a strong fourth quarter.

“The good news is that inventories are expanding, price inflation has slowed if not slightly slipped, and supply chain quirks and bottlenecks are being ironed out industrywide,” said IADA executive director Wayne Starling. “Additionally, MROs and FBOs are expanding to meet the needs of aging fleets. Those factors, coupled with massive new options from fleet buyers, could be signals that supply and demand are rebalancing for a larger post-pandemic marketplace.”

• READ MORE: IADA Reports Shift in Business Aircraft Market in Buyers’ Favor

According to IADA, the six-month outlook for the preowned business aircraft market has slipped in the face of “higher interest rates, somewhat softer pricing, and lingering concerns about the potential for an economic recession in the U.S.” The Q3 report found that there were 309 used aircraft deals closed in the quarter with 257 aircraft sales under contract. Of those, IADA reported that 66 were sold below asking price.

For year-to-date numbers, IADA dealers closed 853 transactions through September. In 2022, 929 transactions were completed over the same time period. As for new acquisition agreements, 410 were signed through Q3 compared to 519 through the third quarter of 2022. So far this year, 191 aircraft have been sold below asking price compared to more than 59 in the first nine months last year.

“Generally, pricing is expected to reflect slight decreases, and supply for sale is predicted to be slightly increased across all categories,” IADA said. “Demand projections are expected to be stable for turboprops and light jets, with stable to slightly decreased demand for mid- and larger-size jets.”

IADA gathers data for its quarterly reports via a survey sent to more than 1,000 members, including association-accredited dealers and their certified brokers, OEMs, and IADA products and services members. IADA reports that its dealers handle an estimated 50 percent of used business aircraft sales and average more than 1,300 transactions and $11.8 billion in volume annually.

The post IADA Predicts Larger BizAv Market Ahead appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1973 Dassault Falcon 20F-5.

The Dassault Falcon 20 helped form a wave of speedy early business jets that included the Lear 23, North American Sabreliner, and Lockheed JetStar. The Falcon 20, whose design was based on the company’s Mystère fighter, sought to combine the power and performance of military jets with the luxurious accommodations that appealed to business travelers.

The aircraft’s big break came in the early 1970s when parcel delivery company Federal Express, now FedEx Corp., purchased a fleet of the jets to help start its then-new air express package operation. Company executives picked the Falcon over competing models because of its combination of speed and adaptability to the specialized mission. The jet also was a hit with business customers who appreciated its performance and style.

This 1973 Dassault Falcon 20F-5 has 16,545 hours on the airframe, 2,510 hours on the engines, and has recorded 13,197 landings. The panel includes dual Collins VHF-22D radios, Collins VIR-32 navigation radios, FMS with GPS, Fairchild cockpit voice and flight data recorders, a Collins AP-105 autopilot, dual Collins DME-42s, and a Collins ALT-55B radar altimeter.

The aircraft’s air-conditioned cabin seats nine passengers and two crew, was refurbished in 2020, the same year the exterior was repainted. The cabin includes a galley, sound system, and aft lavatory.

Pilots looking for a jet with high performance, vintage European style, and a roomy cabin should consider this 1973 Dassault Falcon 20F-5, which is available on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

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• Plane & Pilot: French Aviation Industrialist Serge Dassault Dies

The post 1973 Dassault Falcon 20F-5 Is a Fast, Stylish ‘Aircraft For Sale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Ultralong-range, large-cabin aircraft run a close second in delivery quantities, but score more than 60 percent of the sales revenue. The five largest purpose-built business jet manufacturers now have 18 to 24 month backlogs, says Vincent. Gulfstream, Bombardier, and Dassault have $40 billion in total orders, 80 percent of the first half of 2023 market. 

Textron Aviation comes in fourth with a $6.8-billion backlog. Embraer trails in fifth place, but Vincent notes his data does not include NetJet’s order for up to 250 3,200 nm range Praetor 500 jets worth more than $5 billion. NetJets says that the Embraer Phenom 300 is its top requested light jet, helping to bolster Embraer’s order backlog. 

Vincent says that iQ produces “independent, quarterly” research. Four to five hundred owner-operators are contacted four times per year to ask about operations, mood, and purchase intentions. Currently, 55.9 percent of those surveyed believe the market has passed its low point, clearly reflected in the “white hot” demand for business aircraft in 2021 and 2022. 

A soft market correction is in progress. Used aircraft retail transactions have declined to about 2,500, and there are nearly 1,500 pre-owned aircraft on the market in 2023. Aircraft inventories are beginning to correct to historically normal 6.6 percent of the fleet for sale on the used market. But pricing remains strong, notes Paul Carderelli, Jetnet iQ’s sales vice president. 

Vincent believes that taxes, regulation, risk, and border violence in Ukraine, Israel, and possibly Taiwan could be major factors in the future health of the business aviation industry. Operators gradually are becoming more optimistic, and the outlook for 2023 and 2024 is positive. He’s ruled out the risk of a major recession in the U.S. because of strong employment numbers and other indicators, but says that Europe, owing mainly to the economic downturn in Germany, is in a slight recession. 

Business aviation’s main challenges are to create a “sustainable future,” reconstruct “talent pipelines,” improve the “industry’s image,” and adapt to requirements of younger buyers who like the mobility provided by business aircraft but don’t necessarily want to own and operate them. 

A large majority of Jetnet iQ respondents believe that the benefits of business aviation are not well understood by the general public and new entrants into the market will have different requirements and priorities than those over 45 years of age.

The post $270 Billion Jet Deliveries Anticipated in Next Decade appeared first on FLYING Magazine.