NATA Forms Illegal Charter Task Force to Address a Top Industry Concern

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) announced its initiative to combat illegal charter, addressing a growing concern among members and the industry. The announcement follows several months of collaboration with its membership and Air Charter Committee, and meetings with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to highlight the necessary steps to strengthen the association’s efforts to protect this vital industry.

“Visiting our members throughout the country, the number one concern expressed by the air charter community is the intrinsic danger of illegal charter to their businesses and the industry as a whole. NATA’s initiative reinforces our ongoing efforts in combating this serious threat to air charter and the public that is often difficult to identify due to the use of deceptive and convoluted agreements,” stated NATA Executive Vice President of Operations & General Counsel Timothy Obitts.

NATA’s initiative to combat illegal charter is overseen by a sub-committee of its Air Charter Committee called the NATA Illegal Charter Task Force and consists of the following action areas:

• Work with the FAA to provide guidance on identifying and steps to avoiding illegal operations
• Work with the IRS to understand and educate industry on the tax consequences for illegal charter operations
• Work with Congress to better equip the FAA in combating this real safety issue
• Educate the public on the importance of flying legally
• Assist the FAA in enforcement through data collection and reporting
• Leverage existing FAA data sources to help the FAA focus enforcement efforts
• Help industry provide the FAA with illegal charter reports that provide more actionable data
• Update and relaunch the “Chartering an Aircraft, A Consumer Guide” and “Risks of Illegal Charter” publications

“The goal of this effort is to protect the safety and integrity of an industry held to a very high standard. Safety and fair competition are paramount to the continued success of the air charter industry. Illegal charter must be stamped-out, not only from a fairness standpoint, but also to ensure the safety of the traveling public,” added Obitts.

The first meeting of the Illegal Charter Task Force will take place at NATA’s Annual Meeting and Aviation Business Conference in June. NATA members who would like to participate in the association’s efforts to curtail illegal charter should contact Tim Obitts at tobitts@nata.aero.