Goals Are Increased Safety, Fair Competition

The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has launched a campaign for charter flight operators, brokers and passengers to curtail illegal charter flight activity within Europe.

The operation of illegal charters has been a top agenda item for EBAA over the past year, and the Association is taking this forward into positive action in 2011. Operating without a valid Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and failing to comply with traffic rights are key concerns for many within the business aviation community. To help eliminate such practices, EBAA has published “Is My Flight Legal. Ensure the Safety and Legality of the Business Aircraft you Charter”, which provides guidance to operators and brokers on the subject.

“It is in the reputational and commercial interest of all in business aviation to ensure that the flights advertised and arranged are legally permissible and in compliance with the regulatory safety standards demanded of AOC holders,” stresses Brian Humphries, EBAA President and CEO. “EBAA has therefore compiled a document that clearly stipulates what activities fall within the realm of permissible flight activity within Europe, which do not. This electronic document is addressed to operators and brokers, and has been distributed to all EBAA Members.Furthermore, we encourage operators and brokers to forward copies of it to as many colleagues as they can to ensure the widest reach possible for this important campaign.”

Additionally, EBAA has published a printed brochure entitled “Is My Flight Legal. Your Rights as a Business Aircraft Charter Passenger”, to help passengers and all non-specialist interested parties better understand the rules and the risk of non-compliance. The Association is urging operators, handlers and brokers to pass these out to their clients to ensure that passengers are aware of the hazards of booking illegal  flights.

“The vast majority of flights operated to, within and from the EU are operated in compliance with legal requirements. Nevertheless, there are some operators who unwisely choose to circumvent the system. The business aviation community must therefore do whatever it can to protect the welfare of passengers and ensure fair competition among operators,” said Humphries (pictured, right).

Operators and brokers can contact EBAA by 26 January 2011 to request copies of the printed brochure to distribute to their passengers and to local politicians, authorities and regulators. And/or they can request copies of the electronic brochure to distribute among colleagues. Additionally, EBAA is cooperating directly with European regulators to rein in illegal charter activities, and is encouraging anyone who is aware of such flights to report them to the Association so that they can take up these complaints with the relevant authorities.

FMI: www.ebaa.org