NATA responded to a recent New York Post article to defend its Part 135 charter operator members and correct misleading characterizations of air charter safety. In its response, NATA President and CEO Curt Castagna emphasized the rigorous FAA standards governing charter operations and the importance of accurate, fact-based reporting.
We have confidence that the recent Florida accident will receive a thorough professional investigation by the NTSB. In the aftermath of the tragic loss of life, our first thoughts are always of the victims, their families, and loved ones. Certainly, a responsible discussion of aviation safety standards is also warranted. Your headline, “Learjet crash exposes danger of flying private — which is up to 80X more deadly than commercial airlines,” and the accompanying article make both broad generalizations and unsupported assumptions regarding safety oversight of charter passenger flights, generating fear rather than focusing on facts.
As the national association representing aviation businesses, including FAA-certificated Part 135 charter operators, aircraft maintenance providers, and fixed base operators, NATA has worked for decades alongside federal regulators and industry stakeholders to strengthen aviation safety through training, operational best practices, and regulatory oversight.
Comparisons between private aviation and commercial airlines require important context. The aviation sector encompasses a wide range of aircraft, missions, and operating requirements that often fall under general terms like “private aviation.” Professionally operated charter aircraft are subject to extensive FAA standards governing pilot qualifications, training, aircraft maintenance, and operational oversight that is similar to, and often the same as, those required of airlines.
For instance, your article wasn’t clear that the pilot-in-command of a passenger charter in a jet airplane must hold an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, the same as any airline pilot does. FAA regulations for crew certification are varied due to the wide range of aircraft – from small single engine pistons to internationally capable jets – found in the charter environment. For this reason, FAA requirements are based upon a variety of factors including the class of aircraft and type of operations. Characterizing charter pilot qualifications broadly as requiring only 500 flight hours does not accurately reflect FAA requirements or those that applied to the crew of the Florida accident aircraft.
Aviation safety demands continuous improvement, and every accident reinforces the importance of learning from investigations, strengthening safety practices, and advancing collaboration across the industry and with federal regulators. Accurate reporting plays an important role in helping the public understand both the distinctions among aviation operations and the industry’s shared responsibility to make flying safer.
NATA encourages charter passengers to openly discuss questions or concerns with their air carrier.