Freestream Aircraft

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

SIFL rates for second half 2026 rise about 8 per cent

Second-half 2026 SIFL rates rose roughly 8 per cent from January.

NBAA posted the new schedule on 17 August 2026. The Standard Industry Fare Level applies to flights taken from 1 July through 31 December 2026. Employers use the rates to value non-business flights on employer-provided aircraft. The result is imputed income to the employee-passenger under the IRS aircraft valuation formula in Treasury Regulation Section 1.61-21(g).

The terminal charge rises to $58.95, from $54.48 in the first half. The mileage rate for the first 500 miles rises to 32.25 cents, from 29.80 cents. The 501-to-1,500-mile band rises to 24.59 cents, from 22.72 cents. Flights beyond 1,500 miles are valued at 23.64 cents per mile, up from 21.84 cents. Each of the four rates is 8.2 per cent higher than the first-half schedule.

The valuation formula multiplies the mileage-and-terminal figure by a factor that varies with aircraft weight class and whether the passenger is a control employee. The factor is highest for control employees on the largest aircraft, producing much larger imputed income for a senior executive on a heavy jet than for a rank-and-file passenger on the same flight.

The Department of Transportation calculates SIFL semi-annually from air-carrier cost data submitted through Form 41. The IRS then publishes the rates for tax use. NBAA has advocated for continued flexibility on rate transitions, and the IRS has previously issued relief allowing employers to use prior-period rates in some circumstances.

Business-purpose flights remain outside the SIFL calculation. Owners of company-provided aircraft should update non-business-use logs and payroll for the second-half period.

Source: NBAA, 17 August 2026; Treasury Regulation § 1.61-21(g).


Also today

FAA and Ohio Senators reject Cleveland's Burke Lakefront closure push

Federal officials have rebuffed Cleveland's move to close Burke Lakefront Airport. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, in a 14 August interview with a Cleveland ABC affiliate, said the FAA opposes closing airports and instead needs to open new capacity. Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) told the same outlet that no scenario supports closure, given the FAA's own study. Senator Jon Husted (R-OH) said any change to Burke must run the traditional FAA process. NBAA welcomed the statements on 15 August. Ohio DOT has put Burke's direct annual economic activity at $195 million and the jobs it supports at 664.

Source: NBAA, 15 August 2026; Aviation International News, 17 August 2026.

CitationPartners nearing Q4 slot capacity for Excel Eagle mods

CitationPartners is running out of Q4 2026 slots for its Excel Eagle programme. The Wichita-based firm's own transformation page lists only two 2026 induction slots as remaining. Aviation International News reported on 17 August that Eagle downtime has fallen roughly 20 per cent, as the firm tightens its induction cycle. The Eagle programme rebuilds legacy Cessna Citation Excel and XLS aircraft with a Garmin G5000 flight deck, new interior and full strip-and-paint. The Garmin package is lighter than the original Honeywell avionics, per CitationPartners, yielding a modest useful-load gain. Concurrent Doc-inspection scheduling is available on request.

Source: Aviation International News, 17 August 2026; CitationPartners.