A pushback collision between an Etihad Airways Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 777-300 at Abu Dhabi in May 2012 reveals the complexities involved in solving the ramp damage problem, and in its final report on the incident, the United Arab Emirates' General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) focuses largely on non-technical solutions.

Signature Flight Support completed its acquisition of the assets of Maguire Aviation Group at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in California, effectively tripling its presence at the busy general aviation airport. The acquisition expands Signature’s footprint at VNY to 1.17 million sq. ft. of hangar, ramp, passenger lounge and office space.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is mulling over the recommendations of an international working group that would permit commercially-operated single-turbine aircraft in instrument meteorological conditions (SET-IMC), and is expected to release a formal proposed rulemaking in the next several months.

Bombardier continues to build up its business jet backlog, closing out 2013 with 30 more orders for its Challenger line and 28 more for its Global business jets, pushing the manufacturer’s total to at least 310 announced business jet orders for the year. Bombardier has not detailed its fourth-quarter orders, so the total yearly number is likely to grow. While it will probably be shy of 2012’s record number of gross orders of close to 400 business aircraft, Bombardier’s total is still well above 2011’s 223 aircraft.

Lawmakers are returning from the holiday break this month with more budget certainty than in the past several years. But for the general aviation industry, it is only a temporary reprieve, and many questions remain about decisions that lie ahead. Congressional passage of the so-called Ryan-Murray two-year budget deal is designed to avert another costly government shutdown through a framework of smaller cuts and tax increases. The deal came as welcome news to a general aviation industry that suffered under the October shutdown.

Initial plan appears to maintain brand separate from Cessna

Africa •Engine MRO expenditures are projected to be more than $800 million. •The continent's total fleet will decrease by six aircraft. Asia-Pacific •The region—excluding China and India—will generate $1 billion of spending on modifications, about one-fourth of the global modification market. •Excluding China and India, the region's fleet will increase 13%. China •Chinese operators will spend $1 billion on component MRO.

The digital revolution first put maintenance data online, saving paper and major hassles. Then laptops brought data to techs, saving walking time to desktops and kiosks. Smartphones, handhelds and tablets are starting to cut weight from techs' bags and shoulders. What's next?