Q1 Bizjet Market Stays Strong

Welcome back to the Aviation Newsletter, your go-to podcast for the pulse of everything that flies. I'm Luna, and this podcast is powered by the team at Starrime. Whether you're a lifelong aviation enthusiast, a frequent flyer or simply curious about the world above the clouds, we're truly grateful to have you with us. This year, we'll continue to bring you deeper insights, compelling stories from the industry and updates on the technology shaping the future of flight.We always welcome your thoughts and feedback in the comments. The podcast remains available in both English and Chinese.Thank you for being on this journey with us. Now, let's explore what's making news in aviation today.1. FAA Dashboard Provides View into ATC ModernizationBy KERRY LYNCH • Editor, AIN monthly magazineJune 1, 2026The FAA has rolled out a dashboard detailing more than 10,000 air traffic control projects ongoing throughout the National Airspace System (NAS). To be updated monthly, the dashboard provides descriptions of each project and how those efforts will improve the NAS. Also, the website includes an interactive map, a progress tracker, and a local impact search engine by location.“The FAA is undertaking the most significant transformation of America’s air traffic control system in generations, and we are committed to being transparent and accountable every step of the way,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “The American people deserve a clear view of how these investments are being executed and the progress being made to modernize our skies.”Among the projects are the replacement of core infrastructure, radar, software, hardware, and telecommunications at 4,600 sites nationwide. This involves new radars, radios, surface surveillance systems, electronic flight strips, and voice switches. Alongside this, the FAA is replacing old copper telecommunications lines with fiber optic cable, wireless, and satellite technologies.“One of the reasons past air traffic control modernization efforts failed was a lack of transparency,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who added that surging demand underscores the importance of the work.NBAA praised the effort. “We are pleased to see the administration continuing to make progress on the most significant transformation of our National Airspace System (NAS) since the dawn of the jet age,” said the industry group’s president and CEO, Ed Bolen. “This project is a national imperative, and the new, user-friendly dashboard is a helpful tool to monitor and measure the work being done to enhance the safety and efficiency of the NAS for all stakeholders and ensure that America remains the world’s aviation leader for decades to come.”FAA Dashboard Provides View into ATC Modernization | Aviation International News2. Defeating Spies in the SkyBy DALE SMITH • Contributor - Business AviationJune 1, 2026While it might sound like the plot of a Cold War-era spy novel, the reality is that electronic trackers, listening devices, micro-cameras, bribes, and even—metaphorically speaking—shady characters in long trench coats have become major problems within the business aviation world.“With business aviation, we are typically dealing with high-net-worth individuals or high-value/high-stakes information, so espionage has become a bigger problem than most people think,” said J.D. LeaSure, president and CEO of counter-espionage company ComSec. “Within the aircraft’s cabin, you have a great concentration of sensitive data, intellectual property, and very personal information. And it’s all very valuable to someone.”“The most sensitive decisions start as a simple conversation,” added Dean Cvetkoski, COO and director of activation for Activion Defence Systems, a technical surveillance counter-measure (TSCM) workplace awareness and training provider. “If an adversary can capture those discussions through human sources or covert surveillance devices, they gain intelligence without ever touching the network.”Flight departments may have solid cybersecurity protocols in place, and believe their aircraft and passengers are safe from any cyber-eavesdropping or hacking. But experts say that’s the first mistake that too many business aircraft operators make.Cybercrime and espionage can be linked, but they are not the same thing. And because of that, cyber-hacking into a passenger’s phone or email is way down the list of how today’s espionage adversaries will try to swipe the information they want.“Espionage is the unlawful and unethical acquisition of a person’s or company’s data, trade secret, or proprietary information,” LeaSure said, “anything adversaries can get that will give them an advantage or competitive edge.”For a variety of reasons, data stolen from a company doesn’t get big headlines. As an example, such an event can undermine investor confidence in the company’s future business plans. However, the FBI has highlighted estimates from the Commission on the Theft of Intellectual Property that consistently place the annual losses driven by counterfeiting, piracy, and theft of trade secrets between $225 billion and $600 billion in the U.S. alone.“Unlike traditional theft, espionage is designed to remain invisible. The attacker does not want the victim to know their information has been taken. They want to listen, observe, and collect intelligence over time quietly,” Cvetkoski said. “Boardroom discussions, aircraft cabin conversations, and executive travel plans can reveal insights that are far more valuable than any database.”Defeating Spies in the Sky | Aviation International News3. GJC: Q1 Bizjet Market Stays Strong Despite Iran ConflictBy KERRY LYNCH • Editor, AIN monthly magazineMay 27, 2026Despite the geopolitical uncertainties, business jet market fundamentals remained healthy and demand strong with an increase in aircraft departures, growth in OEM backlogs, and stable preowned available inventory in the first quarter, according to Global Jet Capital’s (GJC) latest market brief.In addition, the business jet financier is optimistic that the strong underpinnings of the economy is setting the industry up for continued health throughout the year. GJC noted that even with the conflict in the Middle East, the global economy sustained steady GDP growth of 2.7% in the first quarter.This served as a backdrop for broad-based growth in the business jet departures, which were up 3.8% year over year (YOY) in the first three months of the year.  Meanwhile, business jet OEM backlogs jumped 19.3% YOY in the first quarter, with the four manufacturers that reported results reaching $57.1 billion.Available preowned inventory was down to 6.7% of the overall fleet, from 7.2% a year ago. And, bluebook values strengthened by 1.1%. However, GJC also reported potential headwinds in combined new and preowned jet transactions, with dollar volume off by 27.3%, but said this may reflect the timing of data reporting.GJC pointed out the economic roils stemming from the Middle East conflict as Brent crude oil prices skyrocketed 106.5%, and the U.S. Volatility Index (VIX) increased 68.9%. Even so, it added, “The broader economic foundation remained firm,” as global GDP increased. “Going forward, analysts expect the global economy to remain resilient so long as there is no material change in the status of the Middle East conflict or its impact on energy markets. With steady economic growth and the wealth creation that accompanies it, the business jet market should be well supported in 2026.”North America led global growth of business jet departures with a 4.3% YOY increase, while the rest of the world combined for a 2.5% increase. Fractional operations drove this growth, GJC noted. “This strong performance reflects the consistent expansion of the business aviation user base over the past five years,” it said. “Supported by the industry’s core value propositions—personal safety, flexibility, productivity, and comfort—flight operations are expected to remain steady in 2026.”As for OEM backlogs, orders came from private users in addition to fleet operators. The nearly 20% increase came even as the four manufacturers that report first-quarter results also reported an increase in deliveries. This kept book-to-bill above 1:1. Lead times for aircraft remain in the 18-to-24-month range.Pointing to the nearly 30% decline YOY in transaction dollar volume across the new and preowned business jet markets, GJC said the downturn followed an active end of 2025, when dollar volume surged by 19.3%.  As for the first quarter results, “This decline reflects real trends in the market, including continued supply chain and labor constraints,” GJC said. However, it also cautioned that “a significant proportion of the decline may be attributable to delays in official data reporting. As additional transactions are reported, we expect Q1 2026 results to fall more in line with historical trends.”GJC: Business Jet Market Stays Strong in Q1 Despite Middle East Conflict | Aviation International News4. NTSB Shines Spotlight on Wet Runway SafetyBy AMY WILDER • WriterMay 27, 2026Three new NTSB safety recommendations call for the FAA to make changes to how runway conditions are assessed during heavy rainfall, warning that pilots face a greater risk for overruns under the current assessment system.These recommendations follow NTSB investigations of 11 runway overrun accidents and incidents from 2008 through 2022 that occurred after landings on wet runways. In nine of these overruns, a shortfall in the measure of the runway’s slipperiness—the wheel braking friction coefficient—most likely resulted from moderate to heavy rainfall intensities and the associated increased water depths on the runways. Low runway friction was cited as a causal or contributing factor in eight of the 11 overruns, the report says.The NTSB recommended that the FAA update its runway condition assessment matrix (RCAM) to account for the progressive decrease in the wheel braking friction coefficient associated with increasing rainfall intensity. Pilots and dispatchers rely on the matrix to determine how much runway is needed to stop after landing on a wet surface.Also among the recommendations is that the FAA add rainfall intensity descriptors for aviation weather reports “to identify rainfall intensities that can substantially exceed the current heavy rain threshold of 0.3 inches per hour.” In six of the overruns analyzed, rainfall measured between 1.3 and 20 times the rate that triggers a heavy rain designation. The NTSB’s third recommendation calls for the FAA to incorporate the new rainfall descriptors into the RCAM once they are established.Aviation weather reports top out at “heavy rain” as a descriptor, leaving pilots without terminology to distinguish between rainfall that barely crosses the threshold and rainfall that may be 20 times that rate. The report suggested possible new descriptors, such as “heavy +” or “heavy ++,” allowing the RCAM to assign more nuanced runway condition codes as rainfall intensifies.In one of the investigations referenced in the report, the 2019 runway overrun of a Boeing 737 in Jacksonville, Florida, the NTSB determined the probable cause was, in part, “an extreme loss of braking friction due to heavy rain and the water depth on the ungrooved runway, which resulted in viscous hydroplaning.” At the time, rainfall was measuring two to eight times the rate defined as “heavy” rain.Another example involved a 2016 Embraer Phenom 300 landing overrun in Sugar Land, Texas, where rainfall was recorded at 4.2 to 6.0 inches per hour, between 14 and 20 times the rate that defines heavy rain.In extreme rainfall conditions, braking capability can deteriorate so severely that landing should not be attempted, the NTSB concluded.NTSB Shines Spotlight on Runway Safety during Heavy Rain | Aviation International NewsThe audio and content of this podcast shall not be used for AI model training or any other purposes. That's all for this episode of Aviation Newsletter. Thank you for listening. Podcast by Luna. Sound Edited by Jovie. Aviation Newsletter is brought to you by the Starrime team. You can catch our podcast on all major podcast platforms. We also look forward to seeing your comments. See you soon.