In this week’s VIP Seat podcast, we talk about:

The Drone Situation

While those of us in business aviation have been panicking about how to track drones for years, particularly in the helicopter world, civilians have finally realized there are over 800,000 registered drones in the US and countless unregistered flying overhead. While drones are required to have a remote ID, it doesn’t help law enforcement track them or air traffic control identify hazards to aircraft. Recent FAA regulations have created authorized areas for recreational drone operations, and when mapped, they look pretty similar to areas with the most recently reported drone sightings.

Emissions reporting moves forward in California

Federal regulations to require emissions reporting have stalled, but California is moving forward. While the law will be enacted in 2026, companies are expected to report on emissions beginning in 2025. The measures require public companies and large private companies to submit reports on greenhouse gas emissions, including private jet fuel burn. “The law also provides for the state to engage an ‘emissions reporting organization’ to develop a reporting program, which program will publicly post covered entities’ Scope 1, 2, and 3 emission disclosures on a digital platform. SB 251 also creates a Climate Accountability and Emissions Disclosure Fund, funded and maintained by an annual fee that CARB will impose on each disclosing company.” (Morgan Lewis).

FAA Administrator Steps Down

Michael Whitaker is stepping down after barely a year on the job, likely to make room for Trump’s next political appointee; before Whitaker, the role was unfilled for 19 months. In addition to the Administrator role, lead roles like the heads of Aviation Safety and Aircraft Certification are open and many other key positions (The Air Current). The consistent lack of leadership has already been concerning to many in the industry and will impact emerging industries like eVTOL and commercial space operations as well.

The big boom for private aircraft in the UAE

Over 6,700 millionaires are expected to move to the UAE in 2024, and the number of centi-millionaires in Dubai is projected to increase by 150% by 2040 (CNN), creating a boom in growth expectations for private jets in the region. The Middle Eastern Business Aviation Association hosted its annual event in Dubai last week. The private aviation market is expected to rise from $566 million to almost a billion by 2029 but is still dwarfed by the US $24 billion market.

Jet-A prices declined in 2024… what’s expected in 2025?

Jet A's price declined by 2.7% in November (Aviation Week), and the price has been consistently declining throughout this year. Analysts at Deloitte expect consistency over the next year: “Analysts project oil prices to hover between US$70/bbl and US$80/bbl in 2025, with a potential uplift of US$10/bbl if geopolitical tensions escalate.” Our guest this week, Jon Boyle of AvFuel, cautions that if Trump tariffs on Canada and Mexico materialize, this could significantly impact costs as the US imports over 20% of its crude oil from Canada.

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