Sales of business jets to the Middle East and North Africa have surged, and Bombardier is expecting a 40% sales increase. Gulfnews.com reports that Bombardier has sold 27 aircraft to the region this year (10% of its production for the year). Bombardier is declining to list a sales total, but aircraft ranging from a $9 million Lear to a $53 million Global Express are reportedly involved, and an additional announcement regarding a Challenger 605 is expected at the Dubai Air Show.

Bombardier has sold 276 aircraft this year so far and expects to tops 300 by the end of its fiscal year on January 30, 2008.

Now comes word that Tag Aviation has sold their U.S.-based aircraft management unit to U.S.-based Sentient Flight Group LLC. According to a press release (via AVWeb), the sale will allow AMI Jet Charter to resume operations (after operations were suspended by the FAA).

The president of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), James Coyne, sent a letter to NATA members on October 15, according to AVWeb. In the letter, Coyne expressed anger at the FAA’s “shocking” action, and said the decision to suspend operations at AMI Jet Charter was “driven more by arrogance and a failure to understand how Part 135 is different from Part 121″, than by any concerns about safety. I blogged about the FAA’s action in an earlier post.

You can read the appeal and more from AMI on the NATA web site (membership required).

AVWeb goes on to say:

“National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen said the FAA action should be viewed as a wake-up call to all charter providers. ‘This significant action was taken against a company that is among the most highly regarded charter providers in the country,’ Bolen said. ‘NBAA urges the charter members within our association to take note of the FAA’s recent action and ensure that their operational control practices are in order.’

In the article Private jet sales breaking barrier, the London Times Online interviewed Rob Wilson, president of business and general aviation at Honeywell Aerospace. Wilson says that “Industry growth has moved into unparalleled territory.”

Some salient bits include:

He expects deliveries of business jets to exceed 1,000 this year for the first time, up from 861 aircraft delivered last year.

Manufacturers in the first half of this year achieved more than 900 orders, 100% up on the same period last year

The last month has proven to be a tough one for a couple of private jet companies. First, Aspen Executive Air (doing business as Aexjet) filed for bankruptcy protection, according to Chris Walsh of the Rocky Mountain News. Aexjet sells jet memberships, and also provides maintenance and other operations for owners of private jets.

“Officials said the filing allows Aexjet to continue day-to-day operations and renegotiate lease agreements as it prepares to merge with a similar company.”

Then earlier this month, FAA regulators suspended the operating certificate of AMI Jet Charter Inc as part of an effort to scrutinize aircraft charter companies.

Andy Pasztor, of The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), writes that the FAA’s

“…emergency action takes about a tenth of top-of-the-line Gulfstream, Falcon and other large corporate jets off the charter market int eh U.S., at least temporarily.”

Tag Aviation owns 49% of AMI, which is appealing the suspension. AMI is the “highest-profile firm targeted so far”, and company officials say they have “taken every required step” to comply with regulations and that AMI has a clean record.

FAA officials contend AMI violated federal rules by allowing Tag Aviation’s U.S. unit to operate the chartered jets on its own; in addition, the FAA said mandatory maintenance was not completed and the pilots did not have adequate rest time.

The FAA is continuing to evaluate other charter operations.

According to Pasztor’s article:

“…owners of expensive business jets leave it to a maze of agents and brokers to arrange and operate charters when the planes otherwise would sit idle. This is the case with Tag Aviation’s U.S. unit, which directly manages 100 aircraft, primarily owned by large companies or celebrities, and also arranges charters for many of the same planes. Now, as long as the suspension remains in effect, those planes can’t be chartered through AMI.”

According to Flight International, a Boeing 767-300ER VIP airplane will be fitted with blended winglets designed by Aviation Partners.

PrivatAir, the first commercial operator of the BBJ, will have the winglets installed in 2009.

Blended winglets reduce drag up to 7%, extending the aircraft’s range and reducing fuel requirements.

CAE Inc. is adding 16 new business jet training programs in the U.S. and around the world, as well as products from Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault Falcon, Embraer, Gulfstream, and Hawker Beechcraft. With these additions, CAE says it will offer training on 90% of all business aircraft.

CAE has also sold flight simulators to Emirates-CAE Flight Training in Dubai, which trains commercial and business pilots in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.

The Spice Girls have leased their own Boeing 757 for their upcoming reunion tour. According to Owen Williams of Showbiz Spy, the aircraft, nicknamed ‘Spice Force One’, will feature a creche, a make-up parlor, a dining room, business center, state-of-the-art bathrooms, a media center, and en suite quarters for each girl. The plane’s size means there will be plenty of room for chefs, nannies, families, management, wardrobe and makeup assistants, and bodyguards. In addition to Spice Force One, the band has hired two additional jets for their dancers, remaining staff, stage hands, and equipment.