Safety first. A private jet is always safe, right?

We hear it often: “A friend of mine has his own plane and it can be rented for a nice price”. And – quite understandably – many then step in unthinkingly and confidently, because “that pilot also wants to go home at night”! Our question is then: is that safe? Because even in Private Flying, more than we think, illegally chartered aircraft are used. And sadly, sad consequences of that have already been seen.

So what is safe?

As in all business environments, illegal practices exist in the private jet sphere. The Air Charter Association has been fighting these illegally operated flights for years. A fairly recent and sad example is the story of professional footballer Emiliano Sala who crashed into the English Channel on Jan. 21, 2019, some three years ago now. With an illegally chartered aircraft.

Thereby, flying an illegal charter has other risks, as it is likely to not only invalidate the operator’s insurance coverage, but that it may also invalidate any life insurance of the passenger(s). So our compelling advice: always be careful! No matter how attractive the price.

Global Aviation only leases aircraft that are on an official, commercial license, called the AOC or Air Carrier Certificate. Only then may an aircraft be commercially rented out and does the aircraft, crew, training, maintenance, etc. meet the strictest safety requirements within aviation, similar to those that large airlines such as KLM, Lufthansa and British Airways must meet. Any questions? We are happy to explain!