Austria’s International Jet Management has obtained a landmark decision from the European Court of Justice – a ruling with major implications for the free movement of air traffic into Germany. The legal dispute lasted five years, with the European Court of Justice making its final ruling in favour of IJM on March 18.

The results of a survey conducted by the Baltic Air Charter Association indicate that BACA members are confident that business conditions will improve during 2014. Of those responding, 66.7% said they believe private jet charter revenue will increase in 2014 while 29% believe it will be flat. Only 4.3% said the anticipate a decline compared to 2013. Most growth is expected to be from existing clients flying more frequently.

ABS Jets, an executive jet operator with bases at Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague and Bratislava in the Slovak Republic, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. At start-up ABS had 32 employees operating two managed aircraft, a Cessna Citation Bravo and an Embraer Legacy 600. Today the firm has grown into one of the major players in European business aviation. ABS employs more than 200 skilled professionals and operates a managed fleet of 12 aircraft, says CEO Vladimir Petak, with a 13th aircraft – a Legacy 650 – due in a few months.

Embraer is pulling out the stops to ensure trouble-free support for visiting and local Embraer Executive Jet operators for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the biggest sporting event in global soccer, which starts in Brazil next month.

Lufthansa Technik yesterday took the wraps off its latest weapon to maintain business in a shrinking market for completions of narrowbody VIP jets: a pre-customized VIP cabin for Airbus ACJ and Boeing BBJ business jets. “Lufthansa Technik has a worldwide unique and long-lasting experience in the field of pre-customized and modulated VIP aircraft cabins. There is no other completion center which has gathered that much experience with that kind of cabin outfitting or has done this kind of work so far,” says Walter Heerdt, senior vice president for marketing and sales.

Elit’Avia added two more aircraft to its EROPS-approved fleet, including the first such authorization for a Challenger 605 operated by a charter in Europe. Elit’Avia recently secured approval from the Slovenian Civil Aviation Agency for extended range operations (EROPS) for its Bombardier Global 6000 and Challenger 605 in its fleet. The approval clears the way for more direct flight paths by permitting overwater operations up to three hours’ range from an alternative airport with use of one engine.

Today’s issue of ShowNews features our annual listing of the Top 10 Leaders of European Business Aviation. We pick the movers and shakers, those who are helping create demand for business aviation through clever marketing and innovation, those who are influential in polishing business aviation’s image with the public and politicians alike, and those who are fighting to protect it from unfair regulation.

EBAA, says president Brian Humpries, continues to fight proposed bad or poor legislation and bring logic and common sense answers to European business aviation legislation. New flight duty time limitations have been issued to commercial airlines but the EBAA is still working on an alternative for business aviation, air taxi, public transport and emergency services aircraft.