The administration said that public charter flights have rapidly expanded 鈥渋n frequency and complexity鈥� in recent years, adding that some services appear to operate like scheduled airlines but under less-rigorous safety regulations. A fact that the FAA said is not always transparent or made known to the flying public.

The first action will be to initiate a rulemaking to amend part 110 definitions of 鈥渟cheduled,鈥� 鈥渙n demand,鈥� and 鈥渟upplemental鈥� operations.

If the rule is finalized, public charters will be subject to operating rules based on the same safety parameters as other non-public charter flight operations.   

The second part of the announcement is that the FAA will explore opportunities to align aircraft size and certification standards with operational needs for small community and rural air service.

鈥淪pecifically, the FAA will convene a Safety Risk Management Panel (SRMP) to assess the feasibility of a new operating authority for scheduled part 135 operations in 10-30 seat aircraft,鈥� the administration said.

The FAA said its public charter work is being done in coordination with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The FAA focuses on the safety of the flying public, while the TSA focuses on the security of transportation systems.

鈥淧art of the safety mission of the FAA is identifying risk early on, and that精东影业 exactly what we鈥檙e doing on public charters as usage expands. If a company is effectively operating as a scheduled airline, the FAA needs to determine whether those operations should follow the same stringent rules as scheduled airlines,鈥� FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement.

鈥淪afe air travel options should be available to everyone, not limited to only those living near a major airport. We want to put a safety lens over the options of future innovation, as we work to further connect small and rural communities to open up more options for everyone at the same high level of safety,鈥� Whitaker added.

As part of any proposed rule, the FAA would seek comment on a future date that would allow for the industry to adapt to any change in the regulatory environment.

FAA mandates Gulfstream G500, G600 inspections over engine mount concerns

• Business Aviation

byClement Charpentreau

2024-06-09

In recent years, the private and business aviation sectors have observed a remarkable increase in the number of passengers, both frequent and first-time flyers, booking charter flights. This trend has resulted in heightened demand for private jet flights among numerous companies in the industry. Consequently, there has been an increase in demand for private pilots and crew.

According to Alison Dsouza, Director of Aerviva Aviation Consultancy, a Dubai-based international consultancy, specialising in aviation recruitment and document management, the private aviation sector will require at least 58,000 business pilots by 2029. 鈥淲ith the entire aviation industry currently grappling with flight crew shortage, private and business aviation markets are also prompted to attract more professionals. Predicting even further into the future, Boeing has reported that by 2041, globally the demand for new pilots will reach 602,000 and for new cabin crew 899,000 and it精东影业 safe to say that a large part of these professionals will be working for private and business aviation sectors.鈥�

Dsouza highlights that while working for both commercial airlines and private individuals is exciting, there are notable differences between pursuing these careers. 鈥淐ommercial flight crew typically have more stability in their schedules, with monthly rosters and a general idea of when and where they will be flying. In contrast, the private flight crew must work according to their clients’ schedules, requiring them to be highly adaptable and flexible when dealing with changes in itineraries.鈥�

Furthermore, pursuing a career as a private crew may require a greater degree of personal interaction. 鈥淏usiness jet pilots and cabin crew often establish personal connections with their clients. Thus, if an individual is not comfortable with fostering such relationships, it may not be the most suitable career choice for them,鈥� Dsouza explains.

Although the future of business aviation appears bright, uncertainties will persist in the private aviation sector as it anticipates the evolving market demands of private air passengers. Nevertheless, Alison Dsouza maintains that 鈥渢he pilot and crew shortage is not going anywhere, thus it’s a great time to be a part of the industry.鈥�

The pilot, identified by local police as Philip Merthens, was taken on February 7, 2023, when his commercial charter plane carrying five passengers was attacked after it landed safely at Paro Airfield in the remote region of Nduga.

The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has taken responsibility for the abduction and told on February 9, 2023 that Methens is safe. 

TPNPB said that it had burned the plane, a Susi Air PK-BVY aircraft, after taking Methens.

The charter airline, Susi Air, conducted the protocol for an internal emergency situation by sending another aircraft to check the plane’s position and found that it had been set on fire on the airfield’s runway. 

A TPNPB spokesperson told BBC News Indonesia that the five passengers who were onboard, including a child, had been released because they were native Papuans. 

TPNPB demands

The TPNPB spokesperson, Eganus Kogeya said in a statement seen by CNN that Methens is the group精东影业 second hostage. 

The group also demanded that all incoming flights to Paro Airfield be stopped and said the pilot would not be released until the Indonesian government acknowledged Papuan independence. 

The Indonesian Transportation Ministry on February 8, 2023. 

The group is also demanding that countries who are supporting and training Indonesian military and police to stop. A chair of TPNPB’s diplomatic council said that the group specifically refers to Australia and New Zealand. 

reported that TPNPB is also demanding New Zealand take the conflict to the United Nations Security Council and lead peaceful negotiations between the Indonesian government and West Papuan separatists.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said that the New Zealand embassy in Jakarta was leading its response to the situation.

Papua conflict

Since 1969, there has been ongoing conflict in Western New Guinea between Indonesia and the Free Papua Movement. 

In 1962, the Dutch handed West New Guinea to the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA). In 1969, a controversial plebiscite decided that Western New Guinea would be formally integrated as part of Indonesia. 

Since then, abuses and injustices against indigenous Papuans are regularly In 2022, Indonesia dismissed a call by United Nations human rights experts for independent investigations into these reports.聽

Video captures moment people pulled a Twin Otter out of the grass in Papua聽聽

• Aviation Safety

byRytis Beresnevicius

2023-01-24

Di Venanzo and the four other flight crew members of Canadian charter airline Pivot Airlines were detained in April 2022 after contraband drugs were seized from the aircraft prior to departure en route to Toronto from Punta Cana.

A video published by Pivot Airlines in June 2022 shows Di Venanzo and flight attendant Christine Carello speaking on behalf of their colleagues, urging Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to help bring them home.

鈥� Pivot Airlines (@flywithpivot)

鈥淭wo months ago, we discovered suspected contraband onboard our aircraft,鈥� Di Venanzo said. 

Di Venanzo added: 鈥淲e reported it immediately to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Dominican Republic authorities. The Dominicans threw us in jail.鈥�

鈥淲e know that we did the right thing reporting these drugs. We stopped drugs from entering Canada鈥o one should have to endure this simply by doing their jobs,鈥� Di Venanzo said. 

The video was published after the group was released from jail. 

A court date was set on August 25,2022 to appeal to reverse the crew精东影业 bail was adjourned as a translator was not present, a Pivot spokesperson told Canadian media outlet

Eric Edmondson, CEO of Pivot Airlines has told Canadian media outlet that Pivot has arranged for the crew to live in a 鈥渟afe house鈥� in a gated community while they wait for the court case to come to an end. 

鈥淭hey’re scared for their lives. They’re scared of the outcome of this bogus charge that they’re facing,鈥� Edmonson said. 鈥淭hey all have good days and bad days, but the bad days are more frequent as time goes on.鈥�
 

Canadian flight crew detained after drug seizure in Dominican Republic

• Civil Aviation

byJean Carmela Lim

2022-05-04

 

Austrian business jet charter airline Tyrolean Jet Services announced that it has pre-ordered the Liberty, a flying car manufactured by Dutch start-up, PAL-V. 

According to a statement issued by Pivot Airlines , the five crew members discovered and reported contraband found on the aircraft.

The National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) of the Dominican Republic said that eight packages, each containing 25 smaller packages of cocaine, totalling 200 packages, were located in the aircraft精东影业 control compartments after a thorough search. The total weight of the seized drugs is about 200 kilograms of cocaine, making it a major drug bust.

ARRESTAN TRES Y OCUPAN 810 PAQUETES PRESUMIBLEMENTE COCA脥NA EN SPM

鈥� Direcci贸n Nacional de Control de Drogas (@DNCDRD)

Moreover, Dominican prosecutors allege that Pivot Airlines, an Ontario-based charter airline that was founded in 2020, and its occupants, including the crew, 鈥嬧��were 鈥渁cting as a front for smuggling drugs into Toronto鈥�, . 

The prosecutors also urged a judge to keep the crew and passengers in custody for at least 12 months while investigations are held.

Meanwhile, Pivot Airlines CEO Eric Edmonson sent a letter to the Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and appealed to the government to intervene and 鈥渄o more鈥�.

鈥淲e are reaching out to you to request your urgent assistance in ensuring the safe return of the Canadian aircrew being wrongfully held in the Dominican Republic,鈥� Edmondson wrote in a letter to Joly, quoted by

鈥淔or more than 24 days, our crew has been subject to threats against their lives, inhumane treatment, and arbitrary detention, for dutifully reporting a crime and averting a potential aviation disaster. We are deeply concerned for their safety and are pleading with you to intervene so they may return home to their families,鈥� Edmonson said. 

Edmonson also published on World Pilots鈥� Day to raise awareness about the involvement of the Pivot Airlines crew in the case. 

鈥淥n World Pilots鈥� Day, I would like to ask my aviation industry connections to pause and think about the two pilots and three other crew members held in the Dominican Republic after reporting suspected contraband onboard their aircraft before departure from Punta Cana to local and Canadian authorities, 鈥� Edmonson wrote.

Edmonson further added: 鈥淯nder Dominican laws, you can be detained WITHOUT charges or the assumption of guilt for 12 months in complex cases during an investigation. The pilots and other crew members spent several days in a horrific detention center only to be released on bail under the condition of remaining in the DR, all while being publicly identified and labeled as whistleblowers.鈥�

Business aviation carrier in US penalized after taking revenge on whistleblower

• Business Aviation

byJean Carmela Lim

2022-03-03

 

The Department of Labor believes that the employer, California-based Pegasus Elite Aviation, 鈥榬etaliated鈥� against the former employee for reporting flight safety issues.  It has therefore ordered the company to pay $958,000 in back wages and associated costs, and to also correct misinformation that the company provided about a former employee.

Investigators from the department精东影业 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that after the former employee reported safety issues that led to an onsite inspection, the company sent a falsified and negative Pilot Records Improvement Act report to the worker精东影业 new employer, which led to the employee精东影业 termination.

OSHA also found Pegasus Elite Aviation provided falsified information to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that contributed to the agency精东影业 decision to suspend the former employee精东影业 pilot certificates.

According to the US Department of Labor精东影业, OSHA has ordered Pegasus Elite Aviation to pay more than $898,000 in back wages and associated costs, $50,000 in emotional damages and $10,000 in attorney精东影业 fees.

On top of the monetary penalties, Pegasus Elite Aviation must send a letter of correction to the FAA and other employers who received the falsified, derogatory report about the former employee.

According to its website, Pegasus Elite Aviation offers charter, maintenance, and aircraft management. The company is based in Van Nuys, California. 

That can present additional challenges for the aid organizations which operate on the continent. Often the areas that require the most urgent help are inaccessible by road and aren鈥檛 served by commercial air services.  

So how do these organizations use aviation to carry out their crucial work saving lives in Africa? How do the aid workers get food, medicine and other supplies to areas that have been cut off by natural disasters or conflict? 

One way is thanks to The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which is part of a logistics cluster run by the World Food Programme (WFP). 

UNHAS offers passenger and light cargo transport for the humanitarian community, providing transport to and from areas of crisis. According to its , published in June 2021, UNHAS operates more than 100 aircraft and serves over 400 regular destinations in 24 countries. 

In operation for more than 40 years, UNHAS has transported over 2.5 million passengers since 2013, and provides services predominantly in Africa, including Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Doctors Without Borders

UNHAS is a service used by M茅decins san Fronti猫res (Doctors Without Borders), among other organizations. 精东影业 spoke to Anwar Sadat, field support advisor for logistics at MSF, to learn more about how the organization uses UNHAS and other air services for its operations in South Sudan. 

Most recently, Sadat has been helping to coordinate the response to the devastating floods in South Sudan in 2021. The floods, described as the , affected more than 800,000 people, impacting essential services, food supply and drinking water.

鈥淚f it精东影业 an emergency, it精东影业 all about timing. The first 72 hours is crucial. That精东影业 why we need charter aircraft,鈥� Sadat says.

MSF has three big international supply centers – in Amsterdam, Bordeaux and Brussels. Staff usually fly to Kenya from Europe and then to the South Sudan capital Juba using commercial services. From there is when things get trickier and MSF has to use other aviation services. 

Typically, MSF uses three Cessna Caravans in South Sudan for regular flights to different locations, whether to transport people or goods. It also charters larger aircraft in Juba, such as Fokker or Dorniers, for bigger cargo jobs, and uses the UN logistics cluster. MSF staff use their knowledge and expertise from work on the ground to help brief pilots, and the charter companies that MSF uses are subject to regular audits to ensure high levels of safety. 

During the recent flooding, MSF deployed helicopters for three weeks to reach areas that were cut off and where aircraft were no longer able to land. 

Air transport also helps to save lives by ensuring faster transport of people needing hospitalization and surgery. 

鈥淚t精东影业 a crucial factor for us, especially in a country like South Sudan. Without aircraft, we just can鈥檛 move,鈥� Sadat says. 

Clearing the airstrip

Sadat recounts his first experiences of working for MSF in South Sudan back in 2007, taking off in the Cessna Caravan from Lokichogio in Kenya, where MSF kept goods, medicines and supplies for distribution to South Sudan. 

One of the biggest challenges was flying during rainy season, because it can mean airstrips becoming flooded with little notice and therefore no longer available for landing. 

鈥淭he weather could change really quickly,鈥� Sadat explains. 鈥淏efore taking off we would have radio contact with the destination to ask about the weather, whether we could land there and they would say yes. Then an hour after taking off, it精东影业 changed.鈥�

The changing seasons also mean different transport links once planes have landed, Sadat says. During rainy season, it精东影业 better to use boats for onward transportation, but in dry season, when the rivers shrink to nothing, goods need to be loaded onto cars. 

All pilots check the runway is clear before landing. In South Sudan in 2007, it sometimes wasn鈥檛, according to Sadat. People and cattle were often to be found crossing the runway if airstrips were unguarded. 

鈥淪ometimes we couldn鈥檛 land immediately and had to wait for teams on the ground to secure the area.鈥�  

Things have changed since then, becoming more organized, Sadat says, However, that can also bring some issues. 鈥淵ou need to talk to a lot of people sometimes to deploy a helicopter. And sometimes you need one more signature and that person isn鈥檛 there.鈥�

Overall, it精东影业 clear that aviation is a big help to those organizations providing aid to those in need across Africa. 

As Sadat tells 精东影业: 鈥淚f we didn鈥檛 have air services, we couldn鈥檛 operate.鈥� 

In a dated November 19, 2021, the FAA claims that for almost a year (October 2018 to September 2019), 93 Air conducted approximately 32 paid passenger-carrying flights in a single-engine Pilatus PC-12/45 without the required air carrier certificate or operations specifications that outline what the company is authorized to do.  

The FAA further alleges the company used unqualified pilots who did not complete required training, testing and competency checks for the 32 flights. 

Proper certification and authorization of charter flights are significantly important in flight safety. 

In September 2018, a Falcon 50 owned by Air America Flight Services, a Part 135 charter company at Greenville, South Caroline. Both pilots tragically died, while the two passengers were seriously injured. 

Investigations from NTSB and the FAA showed that, alongside a host of other issues, the operation was not registered as a revenue flight, though documents proved otherwise. It also demonstrated that neither pilot was rated to fly as pilot-in-command of the aircraft. In addition, the aircraft, N114TD, was not airworthy and had not been released from maintenance for any flight.

Outside of the United States, the UK精东影业 Air Accidents Aviation Branch (AAIB) found that the pilot who flew the charter plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala was . Sala and the pilot died when the aircraft crashed into the English Channel. 

93 Air has 30 days to respond to the FAA after receiving the agency精东影业 enforcement letter  

According to , an open database listing corporate companies, 93 Air was registered in 2017 under the jurisdiction of Nebraska. 

The airline was established in a collaboration among Primo Tours, a Danish tour operator, Copenhagen AirTaxi and the former Jet Time director Klaus Ren. 

Airseven will fly charter contracts and lease planes to individual flights instead of establishing scheduled routes. It will be a so-called virtual airline outsourcing most of its functions.

Copenhagen AirTaxi will operate Airseven精东影业 aircraft. The fleet is planned to consist of two Boeing 737-400s with 168 seats in each. According to Planespotters.net, the planes, registered as OY-ASA and OY-ASB, date from 1990 and 1992. The aircraft should reach the base in Copenhagen Airport (CPH) by the end of 2020. Currently they are being repainted in the UK. 

Director of Airseven Klaus Ren says the company is in the process of recruiting staff to the administrative part of the organization and will proceed to hiring airline staff. Airseven will create 100 aviation jobs in the near future, 50 direct and 50 indirect. Its head office is located at Roskilde Airport (RKE). 

While most of the airlines are suffering from financial losses, smaller airlines might have an advantage. In the next few months charter routes could become more popular due to border restrictions and on-going lockdowns across Europe. 

“It may be a special time 鈥� here in a tumultuous Corona time 鈥� to start up a new airline, but we believe that there is room for a smaller and not least flexible airline,” says Primo Tours CEO Bjarke Hansen.