Your essential weekly digest of International Business and Private Aviation Industry news
 New York:Vista’s XO introduces corporate membership to meet rising demand for flexible business travelXO, part of private aviation leader Vista, has launched XO Corporate, a new membership tier created for companies and executives seeking faster, more flexible travel solutions. The offering expands Vista’s mission to tailor private aviation for every type of traveler. While VistaJet provides consistent, ownership-level service through its Program subscription, XO focuses on global, on-demand access. XO Corporate now gives businesses a streamlined way to tap into these benefits without signing long-term agreements. The new membership responds to growing dissatisfaction with commercial air travel, where delays, layovers, and inflexible schedules often disrupt high-stakes business needs. XO Corporate aims to give members immediate access to more than 2,000 aircraft worldwide, along with loyalty rewards and executive-focused perks.
Dubai Airshow:Action Aviation confirmed as first Gogo Galileo FDX customer in the Middle EastGogo announced at the Dubai Airshow that Action Aviation is equipping its Boeing Business Jet BBJ 737 with the Gogo Galileo FDX connectivity terminal. The deal, ratified at the Show, confirms Action Aviation as the first Middle Eastern operator to sign for the larger of Gogo’s two fuselage-mount, electronically steered antenna (ESA) variants, and makes Action Aviation BBJ passengers the first in the region to experience the consistent, global connectivity powered by the Eutelsat OneWeb satellite constellation. The larger Gogo Galileo FDX is a full-duplex antenna with two arrays: one for data transmission and one for receiving, enabling high-speed, low-latency connectivity for the cabin. Optimized for large cabin aircraft the bandwidth seamlessly supports multiple passengers using multiple digital devices for extremely data-intensive operations. |
The recent AI selloff has coincided with declines in corporate jet usage among major tech companies.After reviewing corporate flight patterns for the "Mag 7" companies (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla), WINGX data reveals a drop-off in activity compared to the year-to-date period for 2024 (1 Jan-16 Nov). In the year-to-date 2025 period, these tech giants recorded more than 1,100 flights in their wholly owned business jets, which represents a 6% decline compared to last year.
Aircraft types flown by Mag 7 companies year-to-date (1 Jan-16 Nov). While the overall trend is negative, regional patterns among these corporations reveal significant variations. Traditional tech hubs San Francisco and Los Angeles bucked the broader trend, recording a combined 335 flights, 4% more activity compared to last year.
Dubai Airshow:JEKTA and Tahseen sign LOI to explore amphibious aviation opportunities in the GCCSwitzerland-based developer of the zero-emissions PHA-ZE 100 amphibious aircraft, JEKTA, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Tahseen Aviation Services, a full-service air charter innovator in the UAE, to collaborate on ascertaining the future potential of multi-purpose amphibious aviation operations across the GCC, and further into Africa and Asia.
The intent is for both parties to jointly identify, assess, and consider the potential benefits and opportunities of introducing amphibious operations across various routes with a particular focus on serving the needs of business aviation, cargo and logistics, and oil field services (OFS) customers in the region.
World Quality Month:How a broken piece of spruce set Boeing on its quality journeyWhen Bill Boeing visited his factory on Seattle’s Duwamish River in 1916, he noticed a set of structural wing ribs, made from spruce, had been cut poorly. He knocked them to the floor, snapped one in half and told the team, “I, for one, will close up shop rather than send out work of this kind.”
A Boeing inspector examines the interior structure of a 747 fuselage in 1968. More than a century later, as the company he founded joins manufacturers around the globe in marking World Quality Month, leaders say Bill Boeing’s principles still define how the company should operate: If it’s built here, it’s built right. Quality gets personal
Waco, Texas:Freeman Holdings acquires Waco, Texas, FBOFreeman Holdings Group has announced the acquisition of Texas Aero at Waco Regional Airport (KACT), marking another strategic expansion of its growing national network of premium fixed-base operator facilities.
The purchase, effective October 30th, includes Texas Aero’s full-service FBO - to be rebranded as Freeman Jet Center-Waco - while Texas Aero Jet Sales will continue to operate independently under existing ownership. With this acquisition, Freeman Holdings Group’s FBO portfolio expands to 24 locations, enhancing its footprint across the state of Texas following additions in Lubbock and Abilene in early 2025.
Dubai Airshow:Morocco orders ten Airbus H225M helicoptersThe Kingdom of Morocco has signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters for ten H225M helicopters. The H225Ms will be equipped for combat search and rescue operations and will be operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force (Forces royales air). They will replace the current Pumas which have been in service for more than 40 years.
The Royal Moroccan Air Force H225Ms will be equipped with a double hoist installation, a searchlight and a Safran Euroflir 410 electro-optical system. They will be able to carry machine guns and an electronic warfare system for self-protection.
Women in Aviation International:WAI announces the 2026 Pioneer Hall of Fame inducteesWomen in Aviation International (WAI) has selected the 2026 inductees for its international Pioneer Hall of Fame.
The three female trailblazers, Olga Custodio, Joan Sullivan Garrett and Nadine Berniece Ramsey, will be honored at the 37th Annual Women in Aviation International Conference during a ceremony and celebration dinner at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, March 20th. The Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame was established in 1992 to honor women who have made significant contributions as record setters, pioneers, or innovators.
Santa Fe, New Mexico:Atlantic Aviation strengthens Southwest footprint with Santa Fe Jet Center acquisitionAtlantic Aviation has acquired Jet Center at Santa Fe, located at Santa Fe Regional Airport (SAF), and will bring their exceptional reputation for service and safety to the community already recognized for its spectacular landscapes, unique historic architecture, and a vibrant arts culture.
The acquisition marks their third location in New Mexico and includes 16.5 acres of ramp space, a recently constructed full-service executive FBO terminal, and around 50,000 square feet of recently constructed, heated hangar space.
Worldwide:Air Charter Service passes a ton of ten-year tenuresEarlier this year, leading aircraft charter specialist, Air Charter Service, passed a very significant landmark, when its 100th employee celebrated 10 years’ service with the company. Chris Leach, ACS Chairman and Founder, commented on the achievement: “We started out as a small family business with me working out of my basement. It wasn’t until the late ‘90s that we had more than a handful of employees. " We then grew at a steady pace in the 2000s, but in 2009 we had 100 employees in total for the first time - which puts this latest milestone into perspective.
ACS Chairman and Founder Chris Leach. " In 2010 we made staff retention a core metric for the group, which we believe is key to the sustainable growth of our business. 10 years ago, in 2015, we had a little over 200 people in the company - we have grown significantly over the past ten years, but half of those that were with us then, are still here." |
 Dubai Airshow:Dubai air taxi network takes flight: Joby completes landmark flight and announces next vertiport locationsThree new vertiports confirmed for Dubai Mall, Atlantis the Royal and American University of Dubai.Joby Aviation has announced the next three vertiports to be added to Dubai's electric air taxi network, alongside Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) and Skyports Infrastructure, who will be responsible for building the vertiports. The sites, at the American University of Dubai, Atlantis the Royal and the Dubai Mall, will enable Joby to deliver high-speed, emissions-free connections between some of Dubai’s most high-profile destinations, as part of its six-year exclusive agreement with the RTA to establish air taxi services in the Emirate. The news comes as Joby successfully completed a landmark flight test, becoming the first electric air taxi company to conduct a point-to-point flight in the UAE.
On Sunday 9th November, Joby landed its aircraft at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) following a 17-minute piloted flight from its test facility in Margham, underscoring Joby’s commercial market readiness and ability to operate in shared airspace. |
Airbus to support entire French Sécurité Civile and Gendarmerie H145 fleet
Airbus Helicopters will now support the entire H145 family fleet operated by the French Sécurité Civile and Gendarmerie Nationale under a new long-term contract with France’s Aeronautical Maintenance Directorate (DMAé).
The agreement covers 46 H145s - 40 for the Sécurité Civile and six for the Gendarmerie - for up to ten years, delivered in partnership with Babcock.
Together with a previous support contract signed in May 2024 for the agencies’ EC145 fleet, also with Babcock, this deal gives Airbus full responsibility for supporting all H145-family helicopters used by France’s key public safety operators. The unified framework is designed to maximise availability and boost efficiency for their lifesaving missions.
Captain Jean-Baptiste Fortin of the DMAé said the agreement ensures the long-term visibility and industrial backing needed to maintain high fleet readiness. Airbus Executive Vice President Romain Trapp noted that the contract reflects the DMAé’s confidence in Airbus and enables more streamlined, effective support across the entire H145 fleet.
The programme includes training, technical assistance, spare parts supply, logistics, data and software support, and full MRO services. These capabilities will help keep the Sécurité Civile and Gendarmerie’s H145s mission-ready for search and rescue, medical evacuations, firefighting and law-enforcement operations.
Airbus is also supporting the fleet renewal effort. The Sécurité Civile already operates 13 new H145s, and the Gendarmerie has received its first new aircraft following orders placed by the Ministry of the Interior in 2021 and 2024.
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