AAV News in Brief 26 January 2026

Yingling Aviation completes first ALTO cabin audio system installation on Gulfstream G550: Yingling Aviation announced the successful completion of its first ALTO Cabin Audio System installation on a Gulfstream G550 aircraft, marking a new milestone in the company’s expanding portfolio of premium cabin technology upgrades. Purpose-built specifically for business aircraft, the ALTO Cabin Audio System is engineered to meet customer-defined needs and is carefully tuned onsite by ALTO sound engineers. Each installation accounts for aircraft-specific factors such as interior configuration, customer listening preferences, and VIP passenger positioning, ensuring powerful, high-fidelity sound and an immersive audio experience from take-off to touchdown. “On the test flight, our onsite team became instant believers,” said Josh Peterson, Regional Sales Manager and Avionics expert at Yingling Aviation. “The clarity, depth, and volume the system produced were incredible. It completely transformed the cabin experience.” This G550 installation also represents a major milestone for ALTO Aviation, marking its 100th aftermarket system installed worldwide across the GV and G550 platforms, in addition to hundreds of other aftermarket systems installed across the broader Gulfstream fleet. ExecuJet MRO Services Belgium receives US FAA approval: ExecuJet MRO Services Belgium, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, has received approval from the US FAA to perform line maintenance, AOG support and base maintenance on US-registered (N-registered) business aircraft. This approval complements the company’s existing European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 145 certification, further expanding its international certifications. “A significant number of US-registered aircraft operate in or transit through Europe, requiring line maintenance and AOG support,” says Matthijs Hutsebaut, Regional Vice President for Europe at ExecuJet MRO Services. “This FAA approval is an important milestone that enables us to grow these services and expand our access to the US business aviation market.” Under the FAA approval, ExecuJet MRO Services Belgium is authorised to perform line maintenance on: Bombardier Challenger 300/350, Global 5000/5500, Global 6000/6500 aircraft; line and base maintenance of Cessna Citation 560 XL/XLS and Citation 525, 525A, 525B and 525C aircraft. The US regulator has also approved it to provide base maintenance up to C checks on Falcon 7X, Falcon 8X, Falcon 9000EX EASy/ DX/LX, and Falcon 2000 EX EASy/DX aircraft. Singapore Airlines named one of the world’s most admired companies: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has once again been recognised in the top 50 on Fortune magazine’s prestigious World’s Most Admired Companies 2026 list. SIA ranked 24th globally in 2026, up four spots from 28th in 2025. This makes SIA the second-highest-ranked Asian company, behind Toyota Motors (at 23rd). SIA ranks ahead of major MNCs and brands such as Nike, Starbucks, BMW, Accenture, Visa, Samsung, Mastercard and UPS. SIA is also the only Singapore-based company to feature in the top 50. The top 10 companies in the overall list are, in order: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, JPMorgan Chase, Berkshire Hathaway, Costco Wholesale, Alphabet, Walmart, and American Express. Within the airline category, SIA ranked first among its industry peers. The other airlines in the top five are Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM Group, United Airlines Holdings, and Lufthansa Group. The 2026 ranking is based on a survey of 3,380 executives, directors and securities analysts worldwide, who selected the 10 companies they admire most across industries. The survey assessed nine criteria, including quality of management, innovation and global competitiveness. Goh Choon Phong, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Airlines, said: “Singapore Airlines is honoured to be named in Fortune Magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies once again. We are deeply grateful for the steadfast trust and support of our customers, partners, shareholders, and all other stakeholders, which we never take for granted. This recognition belongs to our people, whose professionalism, dedication, and passion set the benchmark for excellence every day. We remain firmly focused on sustaining our industry leadership through an unwavering commitment to safety and innovation, while continuously elevating the end-to-end customer experience.” Vietjet to launch new Hanoi – Shizuoka service: Vietjet will launch Hanoi-Shizuoka service on April 28, 2026, linking Shizuoka with Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital. The thrice-weekly round-trip service, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, marks the first-ever scheduled service connecting Shizuoka with Vietnam since the opening of Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport, and represents the first scheduled air service linking Shizuoka with Southeast Asia. With the addition of this service, Vietjet will operate a total of 11 routes between Vietnam and Japan, reflecting the airline’s continued efforts to enhance connectivity and support tourism, trade, and cultural exchange between the two countries. With an average flight time of over five hours, the new direct service provides convenient travel options for passengers in Shizuoka and the wider central Japan region travelling to Hanoi, a city known for its historic architecture, vibrant street life, and distinctive culinary scene. Hanoi also serves as a key gateway to popular destinations such as Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, and Sapa, offering easy connections across Vietnam thanks to Vietjet’s extensive domestic network. At the same time, the new route opens direct access for Vietnamese travellers to Shizuoka Prefecture, home to Mount Fuji and a wide range of natural and cultural attractions. Simaero launches CBTA services to support airline training: Simaero announced the launch of CBTA Services to Airlines, a dedicated service designed to help operators transition to, or further mature, Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) and Evidence-Based Training (EBT) approaches. Following the announcement of Simaero’s own transition of its Approved Training Organizations (ATOs) to CBTA, the company is extending its expertise to partner with airlines as they make the same transition. CBTA is not a plug-and-play solution. It requires a strong understanding of competency frameworks, course design, instructional and assessment philosophy, and performance evaluation, as well as the ability to translate standards into training that works in real operations. Simaero’s approach is built on partnership rather than packaged products, working alongside each airline to develop training that is compliant, operationally relevant, and sustainable over time. “Our role is to be a practical partner for airlines making this transition by helping them build programs that reflect their fleet, operating environment, and training objectives,” said Patrice Galinier, Group Training Director at Simaero, whose background includes extensive expertise in aviation Human Factors. “CBTA is a shift in mindset and method, and it takes consistency and clarity across the training system to make it work.” Magnetic MRO opens fifth hangar at Tallinn Airport: Magnetic MRO, a global provider of aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, has announced the opening of its fifth hangar at Tallinn Airport (EETN). The expansion significantly increases the Magnetic Group’s base maintenance capacity and is expected to create 80 direct jobs and 240 indirect positions across local aviation sector. “Capacity on its own is not the story – capability is,” said Jan Kotka, Managing Director at Magnetic MRO. “The extra capacity at our Tallinn facility lets us scale critical checks, integrate more digital and data-driven processes, and introduce services our customers are asking for – setting a higher bar for turnaround, transparency, and total cost of ownership.” With this expansion, Magnetic MRO has reached what the company describes as a “sweet spot” capacity – balancing demand and capability in the heavy maintenance segment. Future growth will focus on expanding the Magnetic Group’s engine workshop capabilities and developing talent through Magnetic Academy. According to Aavo Kuus, Business Development Manager at Magnetic MRO, “Continued growth at Tallinn Airport ensures airlines get what matters most: access they can rely on and predictable outcomes. That reliability is why customers choose Magnetic MRO.” One Air Aviation is Spain launch customer for Tecnam P2008JC NG: Tecnam announced that One Air Aviation, a leading European Approved Training Organisation (ATO) based in Spain, has been confirmed as the launch customer in Spain for the newly introduced P2008JC NG (Next Generation). The agreement includes the acquisition of four (4) P2008JC NG aircraft, with deliveries scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2026. This investment marks a significant expansion of One Air’s existing Tecnam fleet, which currently includes eight P2008JC MkII Premium Edition and one P2006T MkII Premium Edition. The “Next Generation” model brings significant advancements to the Ab-Initio training environment, featuring Rotax 912 iSc fuel-injection technology and a state-of-the-art Garmin G3X Touch flight deck. These upgrades ensure that student pilots train on platforms that meet strict CS-23 certification standards while delivering reduced emissions and superior fuel efficiency, key factors in One Air’s commitment to environmental sustainability. “We are thrilled to offer our students a fleet expansion featuring the new generation of Tecnam aircraft, continuing our commitment to improving the training offerings for all our student pilots,” said Agustín Cabanillas, CEO and Head of Training at One Air Aviation. “The addition of these new aircraft will be accompanied by significant improvements and the expansion of our maintenance center. This ensures the highest standards of safety and quality while increasing maintenance capacity, enabling continuous flight operations, more flight hours, and further fleet growth.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]