DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 27, 2026--
Cirium Ascend Consultancy has been named Appraiser of the Year 2026 in the Airline Economics Aviation 100 Global Leaders Awards, the team’s 11 th title in 15 years. The Consultancy is a highly respected division of Cirium, the world’s most trusted source of aviation analytics.
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The Appraiser of the Year award recognizes the aircraft appraisal provider that has demonstrated the greatest contribution to the industry over the past year. The fourth consecutive win reflects the trust placed in the Ascend Consultancy team and their work by their industry peers.
The Aviation 100 Global Leaders Awards celebrate the best companies, individuals and transactions in the aviation finance and leasing sector. Accolades are awarded based on an industry-wide survey and an expert panel of judges.
“Receiving Appraiser of the Year for the 11th time is a meaningful endorsement of the institutional quality valuations capacities we have built over decades,” said Stephen Burnside, Global Head of Consultancy. “It reflects the trust our clients and industry partners place in our independent analysis, the quality of our data, and the dedication of our global team.
“Over the last decade alone, we have captured more than 17,000 commercial aircraft and engine market data points, spanning pricing, lease rate, maintenance costs, and other value drivers that underpin thoroughly researched valuations. In a complex and rapidly evolving market, our focus remains on delivering insights the industry can rely on, year in and year out."
To learn how Cirium Ascend Consultancy’s appraisal and advisory capabilities support the insight and analysis of aviation investments, financial strategies and risk, visit: https://www.cirium.com/analytics-services/ascend-consultancy
About Cirium Ascend Consultancy
Cirium Ascend Consultancy, a division of Cirium, offers market-leading expertise to help inform and drive successful strategies in the commercial aviation industry. With a global team of seasoned consultants and analysts, Cirium Ascend Consultancy delivers comprehensive data, expert insights, and tailored services that directly impact strategic investments and open avenues for growth in aviation.
About Cirium
Cirium® is the world’s most trusted source of aviation analytics. The company delivers powerful data and cutting-edge analytics to empower a wide spectrum of industry players. It equips airlines, airports, travel enterprises, aircraft manufacturers, and financial entities with the clarity and intelligence they need to optimize their operations, make informed decisions, and accelerate revenue growth.
Cirium® is part of LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, a RELX business, which provides information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. The shares of RELX PLC are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX.
For more information, follow Cirium® on LinkedIn or visit cirium.com.
AOTY Win
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board arrived Tuesday to begin investigations at a Maine airport where a business jet crashed during takeoff, killing all six people on board.
The Paris-bound Bombardier Challenger 600 flipped over and burned on takeoff at Bangor International Airport around 7:45 p.m. Sunday night as the nation’s massive winter storm was beginning to reach the area. It remained unclear on Tuesday if the weather or cold played a role in the crash as investigators were just beginning their work.
Experts say the weather and questions about whether ice accumulating on the wings kept the plane from getting airborne — as has happened at least twice before on that plane model — will likely be an initial focus by the NTSB. However, the agency will consider all possible factors.
The FAA released an updated accident statement on Tuesday that said the six people on board died, and that number included four passengers and two crew members. The statement said the plane “crashed under unknown circumstances on departure, came to rest inverted and caught on fire.”
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Maine said Tuesday that the office is working with law enforcement to confirm the identities of the people who died.
Lakewood Church in Houston, run by Joel Osteen Ministries, confirmed on Tuesday that longtime employee Shawna Collins, 53, was among those killed.
“She oversaw our customer service department,” church spokesperson Donald Iloff Jr. told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “Everybody loved her. She just had that kind of personality.”
Collins’ social media posts show her work organizing parties and events in Italy, Hawaii and elsewhere, for clients that included Arnold and Itkin Trial Lawyers, the Houston law firm linked to the plane's registration. Collins, who was married with children and grandchildren, had also been helping plan her daughter’s wedding set for this year, he said.
“She was very good at it. Everybody wanted her to plan her events for them,” Iloff said.
One of the law firm’s founding partners is listed as the registered agent for the company that owns the plane. The firm has so far declined to identify the passengers or comment on the crash.
A relative of the pilot, speaking to ABC News, identified him as Jacob Hosmer. Hosmer, 47, is listed in online records as a licensed flight instructor and the managing member of Platinum Skies Aviation LLC, incorporated in Texas in late 2024.
The international airport in Bangor, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Boston, is one of the closest in the U.S. to Europe and is often used to refuel private jets flying overseas. The Bombardier was headed for France when it crashed.
NTSB said they would have an update on Wednesday, while the airport said it expected to provide one later Tuesday. A preliminary report outlining the facts of the crash should be released in about a month, but the final version likely won't be published for more than a year.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 is a wide-bodied business jet configured for nine to 11 passengers. It was launched in 1980 as the first private jet with a “walk-about cabin” and remains a popular charter option, according to aircharterservice.com.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 model “has a history of problems with icing on takeoff” that caused previous deadly crashes in Birmingham, England; and Montrose, Colorado, more than 20 years ago, aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti said. Even a little bit of ice on the wings can cause serious problems, so careful inspections and de-icing are a crucial step before takeoff, the former federal crash investigator said. And there is a time limit on how long de-icing remains effective. It could last only about 20 minutes.
“Given the weather conditions at the time, and the history of wind contamination with this particular aircraft, I’m sure that’s something the NTSB is going to look into immediately,” Guzzetti said. “If there was any kind of precipitation at all, freezing precipitation, they would have needed to clean off those wings before they took off.”
Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska and Dale reported from Philadelphia.
This image taken from video provided by WABI television, emergency services work on a scene of the Bombardier Challenger 600 crash at the Bangor Airport in Maine, late Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WABI via AP)
