NBAA Comments on Recent FAA Charter Certificate Action

Contact: Dan Hubbard at (202) 783-9360 or dhubbard@nbaa.org

WASHINGTON, DC, October 10, 2007 – National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen today said a recent decision by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials to suspend AMI Jet Charter’s air carrier certificate should be viewed as a wake-up call to all charter providers. “This significant action was taken against a company that is among the most highly regarded charter providers in the country,” Bolen said.

The FAA’s decision to suspend AMI’s license comes as part of the agency’s ongoing review of every charter operator in the U.S. to ensure compliance in “operational control,” a term used to describe the systems and procedures involved in the safe and legal operation of chartered (FAR Part 135) aircraft.

An accident in 2005 involving a different charter company and complex aircraft owner and charter arrangements brought the issues surrounding operational control under heightened scrutiny from the FAA. The agency discovered that, in some cases, the lack of clarity in an operational control agreement prompted uncertainty about the qualifications of the parties involved with the operation of an aircraft.

“NBAA urges the charter Members within our Association to take note of the FAA’s recent action and ensure that their operational control practices are in order,” Bolen said.

NBAA has created a compliance checklist for Members. To view the checklist and other operational control resources online, visit NBAA’s Operational Control resource web page.

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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association, Inc. (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.

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