Unlicensed Charters Continue to Kill, Per ACA

The Air Charter Association has set a date to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal charter flights while calling on the industry to help and report suspicious operators to celebrate its "Fly Legal Day", held on January 21st, 2024.

The date was chosen to highlight the fatal crash of an illegal charter that killed Premier League footballer Emiliano Sala and his pilot, David Ibbotson in 2019. The pair died in the English Channel 5 years ago.

The ACA has continued to drum up activity on the part of everyday personnel, stressing that under-the-radar charter operations can rarely be found outside of direct reporting. "Over the last year The ACA has raised several reports of suspicious charter flights with authorities," the group said, "resulting in action being taken against one operator, while flights have been prevented from taking off and unlicensed operators are being monitored to prevent illegal commercial flights."

Glenn Hogben, chief executive of the group said it's been a constant bugbear for those in the industry. “For many years The Air Charter Association has campaigned to raise awareness and for legislation changes to be made to combat illegal charter flights. There has been greater public awareness of the dangers of illegal charter since the Sala incident, which has prompted an increase in reports to authorities."

Distressingly, Hogben says that history appears to repeat itself. "At the end of 2023 another fatal aircraft accident occurred with many similarities to the Sala case, although we hope the investigation will prove otherwise. Our response must be to refocus our efforts and demonstrate our core values, which centre on upholding the highest standards, trust, professionalism and above all else, safety. Using one of our trusted and accredited member companies ensures you will avoid the significant risk caused by unknowingly travelling on an illegal charter flight.”

 
FMI: www.theaircharterassociation.aero