AINalerts

EBACE 2012 Shows Its Strength in Challenging Times
May 17, 2012 - 2:09pm

Despite a “challenging” European economy, the 12th annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, which concluded yesterday in Geneva, “was one of the strongest EBACE shows yet, demonstrating its value,” organizers NBAA and EBAA said.

The show attracted 12,638 attendees from 99 countries–both numbers on par with last year’s show. Some 491 exhibitors occupied a record-breaking 2,280 booth spaces at the Geneva Palexpo convention center. The show’s static display area, which was 10 percent larger than last year’s, presented a record-setting 60 aircraft.
FAA Outlines Formal Procedures for Barr
May 17, 2012 - 2:05pm

Last week the FAA issued a notice of a proposed permanent process for limiting aircraft data displayed via its Access to Aircraft Situation Display (ASDI) and National Airspace System Status Information (NASSI), known in the vernacular as the block aircraft registration requests (Barr) program.
GAMA Hails Passage of Ex-Im Reauthorization
May 17, 2012 - 2:03pm

The U.S. Senate approved legislation yesterday to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, bringing to conclusion a dispute in Congress driven by the airline industry’s opposition to export financing of Boeing long-range aircraft purchased by competing foreign carriers. The Export-Import Act of 2012 (H.R.2072) was approved a week earlier by the House and is expected to be signed by President Obama. The bill extends the bank’s charter through 2014 and increases its lending authority by $40 billion, to $140 billion.
LightSquared Files for Bankruptcy
May 17, 2012 - 2:01pm

LightSquared filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, explaining that it needs “breathing room” to resolve regulatory issues that have prevented it from building its planned 4G broadband wireless network.
Honda Reveals More HondaJet Details at EBACE
May 17, 2012 - 1:59pm
Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino

The HondaJet fuselage displayed this week at EBACE was a production article with the production interior and cockpit. Some changes are evident in the fuselage, notably the removal of flip-down displays above each passenger seat.
FlightSafety Gulfstream G650 Sim Gets EASA Nod
May 17, 2012 - 1:57pm

FlightSafety International’s first Gulfstream G650 flight simulator, which is based at the company’s learning center in Savannah, has been qualified by the EASA. Evaluation and qualification of the G650 simulator by the FAA is scheduled to take place later this month and be completed before the start of customer training. A second G650 simulator will be installed in Savannah in a few weeks, and a third device will be added next year at a yet-to-be-determined location.
Jet Aviation Launches Fuel Sales Services in EMEA
May 17, 2012 - 1:55pm

Jet Aviation launched a new fuel sales service for its FBOs in the European, Middle Eastern and Asian regions this week at EBACE. Using its global purchasing power to negotiate a better fuel price with supplier World Fuel Services, Jet Aviation’s new fuel sales service can pass cost savings on to FBO and MRO customers visiting these facilities. It will be offered in tandem with the company’s existing fuel program, which is exclusive to aircraft management clients.

Flexjet To Offer First Learjet 70/75 Frax
May 17, 2012 - 1:51pm

Flexjet will be the first fractional provider to offer access to the new Bombardier Learjet 70 and Learjet 75, derivatives of the 40-series Learjets that were announced earlier this week at EBACE. Though a Flexjet spokeswoman said the number of Learjet 70/75s the frax company has on order is not yet determined, deliveries of the new twinjets are still scheduled to begin next year.
FAA Serious about Prosecuting Laser Pointers
May 17, 2012 - 1:48pm

The FAA has directed its investigators and staff to pursue stiffer penalties for people who purposefully point laser devices at aircraft. Shining a laser at an airplane can temporarily blind the pilots, resulting in a safety issue. The number of reported laser incidents nationwide rose to 3,592 last year from 2,836 in 2010.
Avantair Revenues Climb by Nearly 10 Percent
May 17, 2012 - 1:43pm

Fractional-share provider Avantair’s revenues grew by 9.9 percent, to $40.1 million, in its Fiscal Year 2012 third quarter, compared with the same period last year. Revenue-generating flight hours climbed 6.1 percent, to 11,327. Net loss attributable to shareholders was $1.1 million, down from $1.3 million during the same quarter last year. Non-Gaap adjusted Ebidta grew 81 percent to $1.7 million, up from $940,000.

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