Charlotte So, of the South China Morning Post, is reporting on the potential for a boom in private jets sales due to Asia’s strong economic growth and the Beijing Olympics.

Private aircraft are still rare in China due to high tariffs and insufficient airspace, and many aircraft are registered outside of China:

“‘The all-in tax for a business jet on the mainland is 21.6 per cent, as opposed to nearly zero in Hong Kong,” Mr Liao [regional sales director of Hawker Beechcraft Corp] said. This has prompted many mainland buyers to register their planes in Hong Kong or Macau.”

The article goes on to talk about how ‘Asia-Pacific has become one of the fastest-growing regions in the world for business jet sales’:

“About 10 years ago, eight of every 10 new corporate jets were sold to the US. But because of the rapid rise in personal income in Asia, Latin America and Europe, that figure is down to five out of 10.”

According to the Jerusalem Post’s Shelly Paz (fee required), a 1,000-square-meter terminal will be built at Ben-Gurion Airport:

“The decision to build a separate terminal for private flights was made due to the increase in the number of private flights taking off at Ben-Gurion Airport and the desire to provide the same level of service that is available at most modern airports worldwide.

During 2007, some 17,680 people in 5,120 private flights took off from Ben-Gurion Airport, an increase of 28 percent compared to 2006. ”

Joe Sharkey, of the New York Times, reports that deliveries of business aircraft for 2007 broke an annual record for the second consecutive time. 1,138 jets were delivered (28.4% increase from the previous year), with Europe and North America accounting for about 75% of the deliveries.

When the B.C. Transplant Society tried to secure an aircraft to pick up 7 organs ready for harvest in a town a couple hundred miles from where the potential recipients were waiting in Vancouver, B.C., it was unable to find one at any of the 11 companies normally used - all available planes were in use flying celebrities to the Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

Unnati Gandhi of the Globe and Mail says fortunately the executive director of B.C. Transplant, Bill Barrable, is a former college chum of Telus CFO Robert McFarlane. McFarlane was not available, but the company was still able to provide a corporate jet within an hour for free.

According to AVweb(free registration required), 677 business aircraft landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport over Super Bowl weekend. Swift Aviation Group, official FBO for the 2008 Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, used more than 280,000 gallons of jet fuel. They’ve got a cool photo of all the planes parked at the airport.

The incredible demand for business jets has spurred the growth of an incredible BBJ “gray market,” where there are massive profits to be made in flipping sales.

According to the Financial Post, people who want BBJs sooner rather than later are paying high premiums to buy off older orders:

One client who ordered a Bombardier Global Express XRS for US$39-million in 2005 has been offered US$65-million for the undelivered jet. A Russian client who bought a Challenger 850, another plane made by Mont-real-based Bombardier Inc., for US$24-million resold it last year through Mr. Rependa for US$34-million to a buyer in Dubai. The jet won’t be ready until July. Several brokers told the Financial Post that wealthy individuals, particularly from Russia and the Middle East, have paid US$5-million to US$13-million premiums just to secure a higher spot on the waiting list for the priciest jets.

So if you’ve got a nice, early spot on the list and you don’t think you’re going to need your jet as quickly as that after all, it looks like there’s plenty of room to make some cash.

According to the NBAA Events Calendar, the 17th Annual NBAA Tax & Risk Management Conference is scheduled for October 4-5th.

October is a long way off, but I’d pencil in some space for learning about how to save yourself from various risks and tax snafus that can crop up with business jets.

They haven’t posted any more information about the event (other than the date) on their site that I can tell, BUT you can find some more tax and finance related information here.

According to TheStar.com, the innovative businessman Serge Larivière has transformed a former military airstrip into a scenic, relaxing airport in Mont-Tremblant:

From the minute you step off the ferry directly into Porter’s newly expanded Toronto City Centre Airport terminal it hits you – this is unlike any other airport you’ve ever seen. There is virtually no lineup, the woman waving the security wand actually smiles and says “Good morning” and what looks more like a business-class lounge than the usual economy-class cattle call area is stocked with drinks, snacks and a bank of computers in case you’ve got business to finish before tearing off for Tremblant.

If you’re looking for a classy place to put down in Quebec, this just might be the place.

Helium Report did some research last month and put together a chart that mashes up the cost of flying carbon neutral in several common private jets.

Using the numbers from TerraPass, they compiled the numbers for 10 different jets (3 heavy, 3 medium, 3 light, and one very light).

It turns out that the most objectively expensive plane to offset (of the ones they looked at) was the Gulfstream 400 at $43 per hour and 0.3% the hourly cost of operation, but the two planes that cost the highest percentage of its operational price (at 0.6%) were the Hawker 800XP and the Hawker 400XP.

Go check out the chart.

SkyLounge is a relatively new service aimed at business travelers. Before leaving on a trip, members can post their travel information, and the system will tell them when any of their contacts will be in the same location at the same time. Registration is free.