Top News in Business Aviation: Sep. 12th, 2024

Atlantic Aviation’s fight to keep Aspen Gets Expensive

Since acquiring Trajan Flight Support in 2006, Atlantic Aviation has been the only FBO (fixed-based operator) at KASE, Aspen/Pitkin County Airport. The FBO operator has over 100 locations in North America that often rely on long-term lease agreements with airports owned by local governments. At Aspen, Atlantic is entering the final stretch as it awaits county commissioners’ approval of the new 30-year agreement, which intends to 10X revenues to the county and requires a $150 million investment in the leasehold.

Critical Missions in Private Aviation are…💩 ?

While private aircraft typically get more attention for carrying celebrities, politicians, and high-powered executives, this week, a helicopter in Scotland made headlines for its critical flight, removing over 500 pounds of human waste from a nature reserve. The mission highlights how business and private aircraft can fulfill certain…needs… that other vehicles can’t. In remote areas of Scotland, there are many free cottages called ‘bothies’ where hikers are welcome to stay overnight; the 57,000-acre reserve in Corrour uses a helicopter to keep the reserve clean of waste, as well as in peatland restoration projects.

US & European Charter Activity Still Down

ARGUS released its monthly business aviation activity report for August; while global traffic is increasing activity overall, charter flights in the US and Europe are down year over year in every aircraft type. Large cabin jets saw the biggest decline of 9.3%. According to ARGUS data, the last time Part 135 charter activity increased year over year was in May of 2022; conversely, fractional flying has been growing over the last year in the double digits.

While Canadian Pilots Prepare to Strike, US Pilot Availability Increases for BizAv

Air Canada is preparing for a shutdown starting this coming Sunday as pilots are demanding pay parity with their US counterparts. Airline hiring in the United States has been pulled back significantly compared to the previous year - in many cases due to air carrier’s inability to get aircraft from Boeing. This, in addition to Wheels Up pilot workforce reduction and the closure of Volato, could lead to a larger pool of pilot candidates for business aviation, at least in the short term.

Delta Taxiway Incursion Causes Severe Damage to Smaller Aircraft

Two Delta aircraft were damaged in Atlanta when an Airbus 350 sliced the tail of a CRJ-900 almost completely off. Fortunately, no one was injured; this incident is one of thousands that occur each year, and has been a primary focus of the FAA since an uptick in runway incursions post-COVID. Taxiway and runway incursions cost the global aviation industry $500 million a month, while incidents in business aviation like “hangar rash” (bumping a plane into a hangar surface) cost the US bizav market an estimated $150 million a year.

Bonus: Flying Boat Gets Coastguard Nod

Hoping to start service from Rhode Island in 2025, Regent’s Viceroy Seagilder was approved by the US Coast Guard to conduct certification test flights. While the craft uses wing-in-ground-effect technology to hover 30 feet above the sea, it’s technically a boat, and certification will fall under the purview of the Coast Guard, not the FAA. While new to the US, water-hovering technology has been used, most notably by Russia. The 12-passenger electric craft is expected to have a range of 160 nautical miles with existing battery technology and hopes to expand to 400 in the future while cruising at 160 knots, allowing the craft to compete with island-hopping aircraft.