PENALTIES PROPOSED FOR ILLEGAL CHARTERS

The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced it has proposed penalties totaling $1.23 million against five companies for illegal charter flights conducted in multiple states between 2018 and 2020. With these civil penalties, the FAA continues to actively enforce its regulations governing charter operations.

The FAA contends the companies did not comply with various rules such as failing to hold required air carrier certificates or FAA-issued operations specifications, and requisite personnel were on staff including the chief pilot, director of operations, or director of maintenance. One company was cited for operating an aircraft in IFR conditions while its ops specs only authorized VFR flights, and for using an aircraft on an ineligible interchange agreement.

In recent years the FAA has stepped up its scrutiny of charter operations to ensure their legality. The industry has been aware of these efforts and has been actively engaged with the FAA in education programs and events particularly through the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). All the companies named in the announcement have been in discussions with the FAA about the citations.