Bell Helicopter is planning to build its SLS helicopter at a new facility in Lafayette, La. Bell CEO John Garrison jointly announced with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal plans for Bell to lease a newly built 82,300-sq.-ft., $26.3 million hangar facility at Lafayette Regional Airport. The facility, to be constructed on a 14.5-acre site, will be funded by the state of Louisiana.

Business aviation advocates are anxiously watching European Parliament (EP) deliberations on the next iteration of the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS), worried that as deliberations focus on the scope of EU-ETS, important reforms for business aircraft operators will be left behind.

Beechcraft is nearing completion of the sale of its shuttered Hawker 4000 and Premier aircraft lines along with tooling and associated facilities. The company has long maintained that it had hoped to close on the sale of those programs by year’s end, and confirms that it is still on track this month.

Despite growing opposition and a bill pending in Congress, the Federal Air Surgeon is staying on course with his plan to require pilots and controllers with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 40 to undergo testing for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and seek treatment, if necessary.

Honeywell is in hot pursuit of a new family of cockpit aids to help airline pilots better manage the takeoff and landing phases of their flights. The avionics maker is close to rolling out a takeoff-roll acceleration-monitor software upgrade as part of its enhanced ground proximity warning system (Egpws), and is in the midst of researching a more comprehensive landing-and-takeoff performance monitor upgrade that will include a dedicated display area on the primary-flight or navigation displays.

A major development project has been launched at Honolulu International Airport that will add capacity and allow Hawaiian Airlines to dramatically improve the efficiency of its main hub. The multi-phase project involves the construction of new cargo and heavy-maintenance facilities for Hawaiian Airlines, with their relocation allowing for taxiways to be widened. This in turn will improve access for larger aircraft to a new passenger terminal that will be built when the other facilities are finished.

Guy Hachey is President and Chief Operating Officer of Bombardier

China Southern wants part of China Eastern's Kunming action