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Farnborough continues to evolve as the preeminent dedicated business aviation airport in the UK. May 17, 2023, 12:01 AM For decades, Farnborough Airport (Booth Q89) was universally recognized as the birthplace of British aviation—Samuel Cody flew the first powered aircraft from the site in 1908, for example—and as the location for the eponymous, biennial international air show.  Today, the facility, located 55 kilometers (35 miles) southwest of London, is globally regarded as the leading dedicated business aviation airport in the UK and one of the world’s preeminent gateways for executive aircraft. It has topped the ranking in AIN’s annual survey for best FBO outside…

The new facility will largely benefit the MRO group’s sister company Flexjet Europe and is the 11th business aviation hangar at the Italian airport. May 16, 2023, 12:29 PM Aircraft management and maintenance group Sirio today opened a new hangar at Milan Linate Airport that will provide support for sister company Flexjet Europe. The new facility is the 11th hangar in the Italian airport’s business aviation complex, almost doubling the size of Sirio’s infrastructure there to 10,625 square meters (114,000 sq ft). The Hangar X facility will provide covered parking for Flexjet aircraft and also line maintenance. It features underfloor heating and…

UAS has expanded into the Balkans through a partnership with Flystar, which provides ground handling for scheduled and non-scheduled flights. May 15, 2023, 1:10 PM UAS International Trip Support (UAS) has expanded into the Balkans with the launch of a partnership with flight-support provider Flystar. Founded in Montenegro in 2011, Flystar provides ground-handling services for scheduled and nonscheduled flights, charter, private and cargo flights, diplomatic, military, and ambulance. It operates at 23 international airports across the Balkans. “We intend to continue to grow our global network organically and by entering strategic partnerships such as this to provide our clients with the…

Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., has embarked on a two-year runway rehabilitation program. May 10, 2023, 11:10 AM Washington Reagan National Airport (KDCA) has embarked on a two-year, $94.4 million runway rehabilitation program funded by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) capitol construction program budget and federal grants. It will focus on 7,170-foot Runway 1/19 and 5,200-foot Runway 15/33 and will involve replacing the asphalt and base down to eight inches on both and changing all runway lighting to energy-efficient LED systems. According to the project engineers, the work will require 123,000 tons of asphalt on Runway 1/19 and 54,000 tons…

Philippine authorities called for a probe on Tuesday to investigate Manila’s May 1 Terminal 3 power outage a day before air traffic system upgrades begin. May 5, 2023, 9:24 AM The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is embarking on phase two of a highly anticipated and long overdue upgrade of its Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) and Air Traffic Management (ATM) system. Work began on May 3 to replace the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and perform maintenance on the automatic voltage regulator—two components behind a larger system failure that led to Manila’s January 1 power outage. CNS-ATM upgrades will recommence…

A remote tower project at Northern Colorado Regional Airport is in limbo after the FAA changed the process to certify the equipment. April 11, 2023, 10:48 AM The Colorado Department of Transportation aims to keep a remote tower operating at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL) if a path to FAA certification surfaces. Searidge Technologies is supplying the remote tower equipment at KFNL and also at London Heathrow (EGLL), Hong Kong International (HKIA), and Singapore Changi (WSSS) airports. The FAA said the Searidge system at KFNL is “under evaluation.” “We will be able to save it if Searidge can provide the required…

With the concession to operate the FBO at Al Bateen Executive, Jetex now has the chance to operate at three key facilities in the UAE’s two main cities. April 11, 2023, 11:13 AM Abu Dhabi Airports has awarded Jetex a concession to manage and operate the VIP Terminals at Al Bateen Executive Airport (OMAD) in the UAE capital. Since 2008, the airport has operated as an executive jet facility, focusing on fast and efficient turnarounds, no holding patterns or slot restrictions, and short taxi times, Jetex said. Located in the heart of the city, OMAD provides convenient access to Abu Dhabi’s financial,…

Aviation leaders say there needs to be a strategic policy for small airport infrastructure in the UK. April 10, 2023, 12:10 PM A session at the recent British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) annual conference sought to address how to support small airports in the UK and develop a strategic policy to maintain this infrastructure.  At the session, John Gilder, co-chair of the General Aviation Awareness Council and the Airports Working Group of the All Party Parliamentary Group for General Aviation, advocated for a strategic airfield network review on how these airfields are used. “We would like to examine…

A Dutch court overruled a government plan to cut Amsterdam Schiphol airport’s annual flight limit to 460,000 from November. April 5, 2023, 9:55 AM Airlines have welcomed the ruling by a Dutch court on Wednesday that the government cannot impose a stricter cap on the number of flights at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport with the start of next winter’s schedule. The major Northern European hub now may handle 500,000 flights annually, but authorities in the Netherlands in February decided to curtail its capacity to 440,000 annual movements to reduce noise levels in two steps. In the first step, the government sought to introduce…

As African airlines lose a projected $213 million this year, efforts to liberalize go unfulfilled. April 3, 2023, 12:30 PM A huge untapped potential for air transport development in Africa continues to go unrealized as infrastructure constraints, high costs, lack of connectivity, regulatory impediments, slow adoption of global standards, and skills shortages affect African airlines’ viability. As a result, from 2020 to 2022, the continent’s carriers suffered cumulative losses of $3.5 billion and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects losses of $213 million this year. Solutions remain difficult to implement given the failure of governments to sufficiently collaborate on…