Page 6 - Elite AirMail Winter 2024

INDUSTRY NEWS
NBAA 2024:
NEW AIRFRAMES, TECHNOLOGY PROPEL INDUSTRY
The recent National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) featured the
announcement of multiple new corporate airframes. Bombardier announced the anticipated production of the all-new Global Express 8000, which can reach top speeds of Mach 0.94 and travel
up to 8,000 nautical miles and has four true living spaces, including a principal suite with a full-size bed. Meanwhile, Textron Aviation unveiled its new line, Gen3, of the Cessna Citation M2, CJ3 and CJ4 aircraft. The upgraded CJ4
The Global 8000’s principal suite features a full-size bed.
is equipped with the Garmin G3000 PRIME all- touchscreen flight deck.
The 2024 NBAA-BACE, held in Las Vegas, also featured FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker unveiling a long-awaited regulatory framework for electric air taxis and other advanced air mobility (AAM) operations. Immediately after the conference’s keynote address, Whitaker signed a Special Federal Aviation Regulation creating the new framework.
“Business aviation is transforming with new technologies and bold ideas,” NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said. “NBAA-BACE celebrated all our industry is today and how we are shaping the future.”
The conference exhibit hall was dotted with 800 companies showcasing the latest aircraft, avionics and propulsion technologies. Bombardier displayed its prototype small-scale demonstrator aircraft, the EcoJet, which uses a blended wing-body design and other technology that could reduce emissions by 50 percent.
Acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson spoke during the event, engaging in a roundtable with pilot, Olympian and Joby Aviation executive Bonny Simi. The show also provided a platform for the industry to meet face-to-face with top regulators from the FAA and Transportation Security Administration.
NBAA highlighted safety throughout its annual show, as well, with educational sessions led by Susan Northrup, an FAA air surgeon, and National Transportation Safety Board Member Todd Inman.
The industry’s mission to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 was in sharp focus at NBAA-BACE. Three Las Vegas-area airports offered sustainable aviation fuel around the event; the fuel can reduce aircraft emissions by up to 80 percent. The fourth Business Aviation Sustainability Summit convened experts on thinking globally and acting locally. One of the Department of Energy’s top officials for renewables, Jeff Marootian, outlined what the federal government is doing to foster sustainable aviation.
A host of companies signed the NBAA-BACE Exhibitor Sustainability Pledge, underscoring their commitment to lowering the show’s carbon footprint. And the industry’s CLIMBING. FAST. advocacy campaign kicked off its second year by welcoming a new association partner, the Canadian Business Aviation Association, to the international coalition.
“This NBAA-BACE offered a thrilling look at where our industry is headed,” Bolen said. “It was an incredible week where history was made and amazing technologies showcased an industry coming together to reach new heights.”
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