Features

The New Benchmark for Regional Luxury Travel The Cessna Citation Ascend is a midsize business jet that seats up to 12 passengers, delivering large-jetfeatures without the large-jet operating costs and is the ultimate solution for HNWI travellers seeking efficiency, comfort, and prestige for regional trips. In this exclusive feature, Aviation World highlights the USPs of this aircraft which has been recently launched by the Cessna Citation family after being certified by the FAA in November 2025. The Business Aviation sector is evolving in the last few year in the APAC region especially India with the addition of large number of business jets in the small to mid-size category. The growing demand for private aviation in this region for short-to-medium haul routes like from Delhi–Male, Bangalore–Dubai, Mumbai – Bangkok has shown encouraging demand factor. The increase in HNWI has also prioritize regional efficiency and comfort without stepping into the super-midsize pricing, who highly prefer such type of aircrafts. To cater to such market, Textron Aviation family has recently launched the Citation Ascend – a cost-effective midsize jet having equipped with large-jet amenities with many added improvements over the previous series. The Citation Ascend has recently been certified by the FAA with deliveries commencing to customers in December 2025. The latest evolution builds on the success of the popular Cessna Citation 560XL series. It has over 1,000 aircraft delivered and is one of the most successful midsize business jet families ever produced. The 560XL family of aircraft is already highly popular in India and used by many companies and individuals for both VIP transport and charter flights. CABIN EXPERIENCE – A STEP BEYOND XLS GEN2 Enhancing the cabin experience from the previous series, Citation Ascend redefines the comfort and technology. The major features include: Flat Floor Option: Now standard to offer improved seated comfort and legroom providing more flexibility to passengers. The previous generation of Citation Ascend required to rest feet in a dropped aisle. 15% Larger Windows: The all-new cabin windows offer more natural light into the cabin with translucent and opaque shade settings and optional lighted window rings. The cabin features electric window shades and guests can access wireless controls via cabin management system or app through their own smartphone device. New Advanced Seating: Versatility with forward cabin side-facing seats, can be folded down to allow additional 50lb of stowage per seat. Additional features includes : Electric release tracking, lumbar support, customizable firmness. Quieter Cabin: It has advanced acoustic treatment system as cabin sound level is lower and guests can have the comfort of engaging in conversations or work and relax in a free environment similar to that of a driving car down the highway. Tech Upgrades: The guest and crew members has access to at least one charging port with 19 USB-C ports across the cabin for charging. There is provision for first-in-class wireless charging, cabin management system, digital pressurization, accent lighting in cupholders, window rings, under table, Bongiovi immersive sound system as an option to enhance onboard experience. Comparison Callout: Compared to previous generation, the Ascend’s cabin acoustics now equivalent to larger Citation Latitude, upgraded lighting, and storage enhancements. Inflight Wifi: To keep customers connection, the Citation Ascend offers optional Gogo Galileo HDX for Wi-Fi and worldwide calling. FLIGHT DECK & PERFORMANCE – CONFIDENCE IN EVERY MISSION Citation Ascend has installed state-of-the-art avionics and updated engines. Engine Upgrade: Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545D engines deliver fuel efficiency and increased thrust to the aircraft with maximum speed of 441 ktas (817 km/h), a maximum range of 1,940 nm (3,593 km) and a 900 lb (408 kg) full fuel payload. Range: 1,940 nm with 4 passengers at high-speed cruise – perfect for APAC regional connectivity.An unattended Honeywell RE100 [XL] Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) with self-management and added bleed leak detection allows pilots to prepare for every flight efficiently, including heating and cooling the cabin with less fuel and less noise. COCKPIT UPGARDE Cessna Ascend cockpit is equipped with Garmin G5000 avionics featuring the latest software which includes: :-Autothrottle technology to reduce pilot workload and provide flight-envelope protection :-Three large, 14-inch ultra high-resolution displays with split-screen capabilities :-Standard dual flight management systems :-Synthetic vision tech to render obstacles like mountains or terrain :-Cockpit voice and data satellite transceiver to make satellite calls from the cockpit :-Garmin advanced weather detection and avoidance technology BIG JET FEEL, SMART ECONOMICS For APAC region high net worth individuals and senior business executives value time and expect privacy along with cost efficiency without compromising on experience. This aircraft not only continues this legacy but also redefines what regional travellers should expect from the midsize jet category. The Citation Ascend isn’t just an upgrade—it will be a new standard for midsize business jets in India and beyond.

By Sameer Khale Director, Sheetala Infrastructure Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. The recent Foreign Object Damage (FOD) incident involving an Air India A350 at Delhi Airport—where a baggage container was ingested by a flagship engine—offers a sobering reminder of the fragile equilibrium that defines modern airfield operations. While early narratives understandably focus on ground-handling lapses and low-visibility conditions, from an engineering perspective, the incident points to a deeper structural vulnerability. In a high-energy international hub, a ₹100 wheel failure should never cascade into a ₹150-crore grounded asset. Preventing such escalation requires a fundamental shift—from managing incidents to engineering the operating environment itself. The Unseen Storm: Why Jet Blast Truly Matters A baggage trolley or container does not drift into an engine’s path by coincidence. In most cases, the silent catalyst is jet blast. The high-velocity exhaust plume generated by taxiing or departing wide-body aircraft produces intense turbulence across aprons and taxiways. Under these conditions, unsecured or marginally stable ground equipment can be displaced, tipped, or accelerated—transforming static tools into mobile hazards. At Sheetala Infrastructure, we address this phenomenon using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). By modelling the precise aerodynamic behaviour of an airfield, we design Jet Blast Deflectors (JBDs) that intentionally create aerodynamic “dead zones”—regions where exhaust energy is dissipated and ground equipment remains stable, even as aircraft such as a Boeing 777 or Sukhoi‑30 MKI operate nearby. This is not passive fencing. It is controlled energy management. Bridging the Military–Civil Divide Our experience as an Indian Air Force (IAF)–approved subcontractor has reinforced one fundamental lesson: safety is not a sliding scale. Military airfields demand infrastructure capable of withstanding extreme thermal loads, blast pressures, and kinetic forces—particularly from afterburner operations. By transferring this rigor to civil aviation environments, including greenfield and brownfield airports, we deliver a level of structural resilience that conventional perimeter solutions simply cannot achieve. Our 100% bolted, weld-free designs depart intentionally from legacy fabrication methods. Bolted systems offer superior fatigue resistance against continuous vibration, simplify inspection and replacement, and align with a faster, modular, and more environmentally responsible construction philosophy—an important consideration as Indian airports expand under tight timelines. The ROI of Prevention For airport operators, regulators, and investors, the economics are unambiguous. The capital cost of a localized JBD installation is a fraction of a single wide-body engine’s insurance deductible—let alone the cumulative losses associated with aircraft downtime, schedule disruption, passenger recovery, and reputational impact. In dense fog or low-visibility operations—when human observation and camera-based systems approach their functional limits—the physical infrastructure becomes the final, non-negotiable layer of defence. By strategically deploying JBDs at critical taxiway intersections and apron boundaries, airports can be functionally zoned into protected operational segments. This approach goes beyond procedural compliance with DGCA CAR Section 4 or ICAO Annex 14—it safeguards operational continuity itself. A Mission Aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat India is now the world’s third-largest aviation market, yet for decades we have relied on imported systems for some of the most critical elements of airside safety infrastructure. As the only domestic manufacturer operating in this specialized domain, Sheetala Infrastructure’s mission is clear: to ensure Indian airports are protected by Indian engineering that meets—and exceeds—global benchmarks. The AI101 incident should serve as a strategic inflection point. Reactive responses to ground accidents are no longer sufficient. The future lies in engineering risk out of the system altogether. Our objective is simple but uncompromising: a future where Indian airports operate as near-zero-FOD environments, secured by indigenous, military-grade infrastructure designed for the realities of modern aviation.

Civil helicopter chartering is growing across the APAC region, and Indonesia is no exception. Saladin Siregar, Key Account Management for Passenger Air Chartering, APAC at global charter experts Chapman Freeborn, provides in-depth insights on helicopter charters in Indonesia, explaining why they are a good fit for the country and which sectors are driving growth. A diverse and growing civil helicopter fleet Fleet growth in civil turbine helicopters in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has been consistent and steady for over a decade. Between 2014 and 2024, it expanded from 3,287 up to 4,131 with a CAGR of 2.3%, according to research by the Asian Sky Group.At 154, Indonesia’s civil helicopter fleet represents 3.7% of the region’s total and is the largest fleet in Southeast Asia. This should come as little surprise considering the country’s unique geography, Saladin Siregar explains. “Indonesia is vast, and its geography is complex and unique,” he comments. “It is a country of over 17,000 islands, and many locations are extremely remote and difficult to access due to challenging terrain.”Travel difficulties are exacerbated by challenging infrastructure in both urban and rural areas. “In the cities, congestion is a significant issue. And outside urban areas, there are many locations where road or sea connections are impractical. These factors combined create strong demand for point-to-point helicopter transport.” A range of civil helicopter mission types Roughly half of all helicopter flights in Indonesia last year were multi-mission, according to the Asian Sky Group’s Helicopter Fleet Report 2024. The remaining 50% of flights were made up a of combination of corporate or private hire, offshore flights, and charters, which accounted for over 15% of all missions. There were also a small number of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Search and Rescue (SAR), law enforcement, and training flights. Sectors driving helicopter charter demand The expansion of helicopter charters in Indonesia is being driven by a combination of sectors and use cases.First of all, there has been an uptick in usage around major cities and tourist locations. “VIP and corporate transport via helicopter charter is growing, especially in Jakarta and Bali,” explains Saladin Siregar. “In congested cities, helicopters provide faster and more reliable travel, which makes passenger helicopter charters popular with both businesses and tourists. In terms of the business sector, executives and project teams are making use of Chapman Freeborn’s chartering services.” Another sector that makes extensive use of helicopter charters is heavy industry. “There were over 4,600 active mining permits in Indonesia in 2024. And there are thousands of energy facilities and power plants spread across the country, including many small diesel plants and multiple Oil & Gas facilities. Many industrial sectors are expanding. For example, there is an increase in nickel and copper smelters, and in refineries. As you would imagine, these facilities are often located in remote areas. Furthermore, the transportation of mission-critical crew and cargo to these sites is often time sensitive, making helicopter charters the most viable and convenient option,” says Saladin Siregar. “Whether it is tourism, corporate travel, or accessing remote industrial facilities, helicopters provide unmatched access and flexibility. They help executives avoid city congestion and enable teams to mobilize rapidly to remote industrial sites,” Saladin Siregard concludes. The future outlook The team at Chapman Freeborn APAC anticipates further development in Indonesia’s helicopter charter market in the near-term and will be on hand to support their customers over this period.“We expect industrial growth in the country to continue and infrastructure challenges to persist. Based on this scenario, we expect to see a further increase in passenger and cargo helicopter charter demand over the next 5 years,” comments Saladin Siregard. “We are also looking at opportunities to expand passenger air chartering services for the corporate and VIP vertical.” With Chapman Freeborn’s strong understanding of Indonesia’s unique aviation landscape and close partnerships with key operators and regulating bodies, the company is well-positioned to meet this growing demand. “We are ready to offer safe, reliable and convenient helicopter charters to serve these customers these segments as demand increases,” concludes Saladin Siregard. With more than 50 years of experience and extensive global coverage, Chapman Freeborn provides air cargo charter services for major corporations, governments, NGOs, relief agencies, and high net-worth individuals. The company is part of Avia Solutions Group, the world’s largest ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) provider, operating a fleet of 187 aircraft worldwide and the parent company of over 250 subsidiaries. The group offers a wide range of aviation solutions, including MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), pilot and crew training, ground handling, and other related aviation services. Supported by 14,000 highly skilled aviation professionals, the group operates across 6 continents. ( views expressed are personal)

At a modern airline operations control centre, predictive maintenance systems now aspire to flag early warnings based on real-time engine health data. When a forecast indicates that an engine is likely to exceed performance limits within a defined number of days, maintenance planners can proactively adjust flight schedules, arrange for spare parts, or schedule shop visits in advance. What once triggered emergency responses or unscheduled groundings is now managed through data-driven foresight. This transformation reflects how predictive AI modelling has turned potential disruptions into planned maintenance activities, improving operational reliability and reducing cost without compromising safety. By Sanjay Deshmukh,COO, Findability Sciences Before AI: maintenance by pattern, gut, and schedule Fifteen years ago, an engine showing subtle changes in exhaust gas temperature margins or vibration signatures would generate a paper trail: a technician’s note on a line maintenance card, a call into TechOps, and a conservative defensive response — ground the aircraft if in doubt, or ferry it to a maintenance base the next time it could be scheduled. Preventive maintenance relied heavily on flight-hour or cycle-based schedules, inspections driven by OEM service bulletins, and human judgment informed by experience. This approach protected safety but was inefficient: unnecessary shop visits, emergency AOG events, and expensive part shipments were common. The limitations were structural: data lived in silos, sensor streams were high-volume but noisy, and no operational system translated complex telemetry into a simple operational decision such as “this engine needs a shop visit within X days.” That translation — days to failure — is what airlines now prize, because calendar days map directly to planning windows for crews, aircraft rotations and spare logistics. The shift: combining data, twins and AI The first practical step was not a model but instrumentation and integration: richer telemetry (temperature, pressure, spectral vibration), consistent logging of flight context (thrust settings, profiles), and a link to maintenance history and environmental feeds. OEMs and MROs invested in digital twins — virtual replicas of engines that run physics-informed simulations alongside live telemetry — so that patterns in sensor drift could be interpreted against expected physical behavior rather than treated as raw anomalies. Rolls-Royce and others have championed digital-twin programs that let engineers explore “what if” scenarios without turning a wrench. Once the data plumbing was in place, airlines piloted models that forecast remaining useful life (RUL) and — crucially for operations — converted that into days to failure: calendarized RUL that factors in flight schedules and utilization. Early models were statistical or tree-based and offered explainability at the cost of flexibility. Today’s state-of-the-art prognostics blends physics constraints with deep sequence architectures — combinations of CNN-LSTM with attention or transformer-like encoders — that can capture long-range temporal patterns in noisy telemetry and fuse them with maintenance logs and environmental modes. Academic work in 2024–2025 has demonstrated improvements in RUL accuracy using CNN–LSTM–Attention hybrids and multiscale transfer learning tailored for aeroengines. A concrete example: Air France–KLM’s operational experiment Air France–KLM’s recent move to accelerate AI across its operations highlights how a large carrier approaches adoption. In late 2024 the group announced partnerships to deploy generative and predictive AI across its data estate — a strategic step that explicitly names predictive maintenance as a target area. For a carrier that operates hundreds of aircraft across global networks, moving from hours-long analyses to near-real-time probabilistic forecasting materially changes the cadence of maintenance decisions. In practice, the airline’s prototype architecture mirrored the emerging industry pattern: an edge tier on aircraft performs low-latency anomaly detection and compresses high-frequency data; a cloud tier runs ensemble prognostics and digital-twin simulations; and a frontline dashboard surfaces a clear days-to-failure forecast with confidence bands and top contributing factors (e.g., rising core temperature during climb cycles, elevated particle ingestion on specific sectors). The OCC used this information to make graded decisions — limit dispatch to short sectors, pre-order parts for the next planned shop visit, or approve a non-urgent ferry to a maintenance base — turning uncertain emergencies into scheduled, auditable actions. Best practices that made it work Successful deployments share practical patterns: • Align forecasts to decisions. Build the model output to answer operational questions: if the decision is “can this aircraft depart tomorrow?”, then present probability of failure within 24–72 hours, not a raw RUL number. • Quantify uncertainty. Probability distributions, prediction intervals, and cost-weighted decision thresholds prevent overreaction to a single point estimate. Operators need to know both the most likely days-to-failure and the worst-case window. • Human-in-the-loop workflows. Use the AI as an advisor. Maintenance planners validate and override forecasts early in rollout; their feedback then becomes training signals for model recalibration. • Hybrid models for explainability. Blend physics-informed constraints with deep ML so that failure drivers link to physically meaningful phenomena — vital for certification and trust. • Data governance and interoperability. Standardized data exchange (OEM, MRO, airline) and careful privacy controls make federated improvements possible without sharing raw operational data. Air France–KLM’s partnerships reflect this need to keep control of data while leveraging cloud AI capabilities. Challenges that persist Not all is solved. Data quality and left-censoring (engines observed only after installation) complicate life-history modeling; true failures are rare, so training sets are imbalanced; and operations evolve — flight profiles, new routings, or maintenance practices create covariate drift that must be detected and handled. Moreover, the certification and safety assurance of AI-infused prognostics remains a conservative, resource-intensive step: regulators and safety managers require rigorous demonstrations of conservatism under uncertainty and robust behavior in edge cases. Academic and industry studies stress the need for continuous validation pipelines and scenario stress tests to address these issues. Benefits realized — and measured When the system works, benefits cascade. Airlines report fewer aircraft on ground events, better shop utilization, and lower logistics costs from fewer urgent part shipments. Delta, Lufthansa and others have publicly discussed multi-year programs to digitize TechOps and apply ML for predictive maintenance; case studies point to measurable reductions in unscheduled removals and time-to-repair when analytics are tied to operations. For Air France–KLM, the

ModAir Aviation IFSC Pvt Ltd is spearheading a major shift in India’s aviation training ecosystem by enabling access to leased training aircraft through GIFT City, Gujarat. This forward-looking initiative not only strengthens the national aviation framework but also reflects the vision of the Prime Minister’s Viksit Bharat mission, emphasizing self-reliance, skill development, and global competitiveness. Headquartered in India’s only operational International Financial Services Centre, ModAir Aviation has emerged as one of the earliest and most dynamic adopters of GIFT City’s specialized aircraft leasing platform. The company has successfully pioneered leasing arrangements for flight training academies across the country, creating a new standard in operational efficiency and accessibility for aviation education. Through this model, ModAir has already inducted multiple modern trainer aircraft, which are now supporting active pilot training operations across established Flight Training Organizations (FTOs) in Jalgaon, Khajuraho, and Karnataka. By offering flight schools the ability to lease rather than purchase aircraft, the company has effectively bridged a long-standing financial and logistical gap in India’s pilot training infrastructure. Flight academies benefit from improved cash flow, expanded training capacities, and access to technologically advanced fleets—all of which contribute to more cost-effective and efficient training processes. ModAir’s approach redefines the economics of pilot education in India by lowering entry barriers for flight schools and ensuring students train on the latest generation of equipment. This aligns closely with national initiatives such as UDAN and AtmaNirbhar Bharat, both designed to foster connectivity, job creation, and self-sufficiency across the aviation value chain. The company’s mission directly supports the government’s strategic focus on building a globally recognized hub for aviation skill development, where Indian pilots are trained to international standards. Atul Jain, Director and Promoter of ModAir Aviation IFSC Pvt Ltd, expressed pride in the company’s contribution to national development. “We aim to empower India’s youth to become world-class pilots and innovators,” he said. “Through access to leased aircraft and helicopters, ModAir is nurturing the next generation of aviation professionals while strengthening India’s standing as a leader in flight training and leasing across Asia. Our presence in GIFT City underscores our belief in India’s potential as a global aviation hub.” Building upon this strong foundation, ModAir has set an ambitious goal to induct 20 additional trainer aircraft by the end of 2026. This will substantially enhance the availability of modern aircraft for pilot training across India’s growing network of academies. Through GIFT City’s internationally competitive ecosystem—offering tax efficiencies, streamlined regulations, and global financial access—ModAir continues to demonstrate how innovative leasing models can accelerate the modernization of Indian aviation. By making aircraft leasing accessible, transparent, and sustainable, ModAir Aviation IFSC Pvt Ltd is helping India achieve its goal of producing thousands of highly skilled pilots while ensuring the growth of ancillary aviation sectors. The company’s efforts mark a pivotal step toward realizing the dream of a Viksit Bharat—one that takes flight through education, innovation, and enterprise. ( Advertorial)

In this feature, Aviator CEO Jo Alex Tanem talks about the realities of ground handling in the Nordics and the exceptional operations handled behind the scenes. Pit-stop precision Much of ground handling takes place behind the scenes, yet these services are critical to smooth airline operations. Once an aircraft lands, it must be turned around for its next flight within an extremely tight window – and winter adds the complexity of de-icing procedures. According to Tanem, a Norwegian who has spent more than three decades in aviation, ground handling must be coordinated down to the second. “When an aircraft arrives, we have about 25 minutes until its next departure. In that time, 160 passengers disembark and the same number board; 100-120 bags are unloaded along with cargo – sometimes pets or wheelchairs. Then the hold is loaded again, catering is restocked, and 10-20 tonnes of fuel are pumped in. To make it all happen, we operate like an F1 pit crew: everyone and everything in position, then the moment the aircraft stops, we execute dozens of tasks simultaneously,” Tanem explains. “One of the Mission: Impossible films was shot in northern Norway, and our team handled the aircraft that flew in the production equipment. Tom Cruise was on also board. Equally memorable was the day we serviced Air Force One in Helsinki when Donald Trump arrived with his wife. That was no ordinary operation – it required exceptional security measures,” Tanem recalls. Representing the airline Ground crews must treat passengers as their own customers, not the airline’s, says Tanem –that’s how his company earns the trust of its partners. “Even major carriers like Lufthansa, Air France, and KLM can’t handle ground services themselves at every airport around the world, so they hire us. We must remember that when we check in a Lufthansa passenger at Arlanda, we are Lufthansa to them. That’s an enormous responsibility.” Yet safety standards matter even more than customer service, he adds. To win contracts, ground handlers must demonstrate top-tier operational performance. “At the airports where we work, we compete with several other providers – airlines typically invite bids from all of us. The only way to stand out is by proving you’re the best, especially on safety. During servicing, for example, you can’t leave so much as a scratch on the aircraft; even a minor defect can ground a plane. That’s why we invest heavily in training, for both new hires and existing staff. Safety is the first thing airlines evaluate. If you don’t meet their standards, your bid won’t even be considered,” Tanem says. Sustainability and diversity Success in ground handling comes down to flexibility – adapting to shifting client needs and volatile flight schedules, Tanem notes.“We don’t offer a one-size-fits-all package; we tailor our services to each client. But airlines now adjust schedules almost weekly. If demand drops, they swap aircraft, change routes, or cancel flights altogether. We have to keep pace, and that’s challenging – you can’t resize your workforce on a whim. So we focus on efficiency and smart use of technology.” Adapting to electric ground handling equipment, replacing diesel-powered machines to cut noise and emissions on the apron are few of the good sustainability initiatives. The equipment costs more upfront but is cheaper to maintain – and airlines increasingly value sustainable practices. “We were the first to deploy an electric belt loader, and we piloted an electric lift that raises ULDs to the aircraft door. We also performed the world’s first pushback of an Airbus A380 using an electric tug. Switching to electric is a major step toward greener operations and a healthier environment for our people,” Tanem says. A skilled workforce is equally vital. According to Tanem, candidates are drawn by ones openness and inclusive culture. “In the Nordics, pay across ground handlers is broadly similar thanks to strong unions. What sets employers apart is how they treat people. We work hard to offer everyone equal opportunities and actively encourage women to join the industry. At our Gothenburg station, women already make up nearly a quarter of the ramp team.” From Scandinavia to the world Sharing Aviator’s perspective, Tanem adds, “ Partnerships like this are invaluable as they open doors to new markets and help us align our services. Although Aviator and BGS are separate entities, we work closely together and are jointly exploring opportunities worldwide. In January 2026, we’ll unveil a new company strategy. Expect to see Aviator and BGS expanding well beyond the Nordics and Europe. (Views expressed are personal. Image provided by Aviator Airport Alliance)