Week 39 - Business Aviation Review

Last week underscored how business aviation is expanding on the ground as well as in the air. Operators, OEMs and airports all posted moves that matter for dispatchers, flight departments and trip planners heading into the autumn peak.

Flexjet opened its first dedicated luxury terminal in Europe at Farnborough, a 2,098-square-metre facility with owner lounges, dedicated security and immigration, and the company’s European operations headquarters. The same week Embraer delivered the first Praetor 600E to Flexjet, 19 months after the programme launch, giving the fractional operator a new super-midsize workhorse.

Infrastructure followed the aircraft. Sky Harbour and Chicago Executive Airport broke ground on a private-aviation campus built around a “home basing” model—hangars, offices and support services clustered so owners can keep aircraft where they actually fly. Vista also reinforced Singapore as a regional hub ahead of Formula 1 traffic, after strong first-half growth in hours and movements.

Technology kept pace. Textron Aviation and Merlin unveiled the Cessna SkyCourier UX concept, pairing a certified cargo turboprop with autonomy for contested logistics. Joby said its autonomous Cessna Caravan completed a 3,199-mile U.S. crossing with no control inputs from the safety pilot. At ACE, panels stressed that AI and eVTOLs should serve crews and passengers, not replace them.

The association side was quieter but significant: NBAA named Dan Hubbard interim chief operating officer while President and CEO Ed Bolen takes medical leave, with NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas only weeks away. Market data published around the same period showed H1 business-jet deliveries up about 8 percent and OEM backlogs still climbing, even as newer used aircraft remain scarce.

For flight-prep teams, the message is practical: more purpose-built FBOs, more capable midsize metal, and more autonomous cargo concepts to watch—while leadership and insurance headlines still deserve a line on the briefing sheet