Solairus has closed its acquisition of Clay Lacy Aviation’s aircraft management and charter business. More than 135 Clay Lacy clients have consented to move their aircraft to Solairus, with the transition taking place in two tranches beginning October 1 and November 1. Clay Lacy will retain its FBO, maintenance and real estate divisions. Solairus CEO Dan Drohan described the deal as a major industry transaction, while noting that integration will involve continued work and uncertainty; he said the company would focus on safety, clients and bringing the teams together.

Antin Infrastructure Partners acquired a significant majority stake in California-based HP Helicopters through its €1.2 billion NextGen Infrastructure Fund. The helicopter operator serves clients across the western United States and Mexico in areas including utility construction, firefighting, offshore operations and racing support. Antin plans to expand the fleet, improve efficiency and grow long-term exclusive-use contracts amid a shortage of heavy-duty helicopters. Red Mountain Capital Partners advised the Bauders and the company on the sale. Founder and CEO Brad Bauder retains a minority stake and will continue leading the business.

Cotswold Airport appointed Lee Myall as chief executive on October 1, 2026, while Suzannah Harvey moves from day-to-day leadership to chair the board. Myall will oversee daily operations, the airport’s estates business and commercial development, bringing experience in business development, planning and estates. The appointment follows Graham Carter’s hiring as group managing director and Antonia Silk’s promotion to operations director. The 532-acre airport handles more than 36,000 aircraft movements annually and has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Jet Access has opened a private terminal at Nashville’s John C. Tune Airport, offering charter, aircraft management, maintenance, avionics support, AOG response and interior upgrades. The facility can accommodate aircraft as large as the Bombardier Global 7500 and Gulfstream G800, and provides private hangar access and concierge service without requiring clients to own the facility. The opening follows airport redevelopment by the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, whose leaders say the investment reinforces the airport’s role in general aviation. Flight training remains at nearby Music City Executive Airport in Gallatin.

SC Aviation has begun construction on a 30,000-square-foot hangar at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Janesville, a $3.5 million investment planned for completion in March 2027. The facility will accommodate aircraft up to the size of the Gulfstream G700 and Bombardier Global 8000 and expand storage, maintenance, charter and fleet capacity. The project responds in part to a waiting list for hangar space and supports the company’s continued growth as it enters its 80th year in private aviation.

Portside is expanding AI features across its aviation software portfolio, including automated safety-report classification, AI-enabled flight manuals and the beta voice-and-text scheduling assistant Roger AI. AI quoting and revenue intelligence tools, along with an agent ecosystem based on the Model Context Protocol, are planned for beta in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company is also retiring its legacy FOS and PFM scheduling platforms and will move customers to Avianis, BART, Horizon or Takeflite on individual timelines. Portside says it serves more than 1,200 enterprise customers and plans to demonstrate the new capabilities at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas in October.

Governments buy business jets through lengthy, committee-driven processes that differ sharply from private purchases. ALTEA co-founders Robin Dunlop and Jean Sémiramoth explain that advisers first help define mission needs, lifecycle costs, support requirements, and realistic budgets before navigating tenders and competing demands across ministries. Taxpayer scrutiny, risk aversion, and slow approvals can cause deals to disappear or costs to rise, while tender rules and limited availability often make pre-owned aircraft impractical. New aircraft can involve delivery waits of several years, and a complete procurement cycle may take 12 to 48 months. ALTEA says careful planning can limit cost overruns, though changing requirements and political oversight remain ongoing challenges.

Textron Aviation rolled out its 500th Cessna Citation Latitude at its Wichita, Kansas facility. In service since 2015, the midsize jet seats up to nine passengers, has a four-passenger range of 2,700 nautical miles and is used by corporate, charter and owner-operator customers. Company executives credited employees and customer demand for the milestone. Textron Aviation’s Gen3 Citation light-jet program, including the CJ3, CJ4 and M2, is undergoing flight testing and is targeting entry into service in 2027.

Bluetail digitizes aircraft maintenance records and uses a proprietary AI model to extract searchable information from inconsistent paper files and scanned documents. Co-founder Roberto Guerrieri says the model’s accuracy has risen from 77% on an initial 200,000 documents to 97%, supported by a growing database of more than 30 million records and user feedback. The platform is designed around aviation professionals’ operational needs, helping operators prepare for inspections and certification by identifying relevant records and potential gaps. Bluetail sees particular value for operators with fleets of four or more aircraft and is expanding beyond the United States into Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.

Twelve refinanced a $45 million construction loan for its AirPlant One power-to-liquid facility in Moses Lake, Washington, into an operating credit facility, with Nomura and Endurance Capital as lenders. The transition from construction to commercial operation—supported by production of on-spec E-Jet sustainable aviation fuel and E-Naphtha, operating performance, and customer demand—reduced perceived risk and made institutional debt more accessible. The refinancing is intended to support the next growth phase, including expanded hydrogen-production capability. Twelve has not set a public debt-to-equity target for future plants, saying financing will depend on project-specific risks, revenues, incentives, and market conditions.