Air charter and aircraft hire

Safety, security and time are key reasons why individuals and companies increasingly are choosing air charter for personal and business travel. Air charter flights operate on the passenger’s schedule, allowing flexibility. As a general rule the airports available to charter operators are more numerous and better located than those used for scheduled airlines, so that air charter provides convenient access to your destination. Air charter is also safe.

In the USA, FAA Regulations Govern Charter Operators. FAR Part 135 prescribes the rules generally governing on-demand passenger charter operations for aircraft with fewer than 30 seats and less than 7,500 lbs payload capacity. In Europe operators have an Air Operators' Certificate (AOC).

Air Charter Safety

Air charter companies and pilots are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Thereafter, their operations are, at FAA's discretion and within its resources, subject to constant oversight under rigid safety regulations. This is the same practice used by the FAA to oversee airline safety.

Obtaining a charter operator's certificate is a time-consuming but thorough procedure, sometimes taking up to a year. The process for certification is overseen by the FAA, and is subject to checks by FAA officials. Charter company operations manuals are required by the FAA, and must be approved by FAA officials. FAA staff routinely audit charter operators' records, which can also be subject to periodic safety review by independent safety auditors.

Charter pilot qualifications are comparable to those for commercial airline pilots, including minimums for training and flight-time experience. The facilities that conduct safety training programs for charter pilots are held to the same rigorous standards as the training centres that train airline pilots. And, the requirements for ensuring that charter pilots fly in safe weather conditions are comparable to those for the scheduled airlines.

Helicopter charter air taxi service

Helicopters are versatile. A helicopter, in comparison with a fixed wing aircraft of similar seating capacity, is likely to be slower and more expensive in terms of both capital and operating costs. However, among the disadvantages of a fixed wing aeroplane is that it is restricted to using airfields. Airfields, by their very nature, are not always sited where the air traveller wishes to go, and their limited number can also cause congestion resulting in delays.

The helicopter may lose by way of speed and cost, it makes up for that with flexibility, by providing door to door transport for its users without having to depend on conventional airfields. The compactness of the United Kingdom with its main cities, manufacturing and financial centres all relatively close together, plus a radial surface transportation system of motorways and railways emanating from London, makes the helicopter an ideal for business charter.

For London-based corporate charter where, for example, a company might require a party of five or six executives to attend site meetings or conferences in three or four locations, the helicopter is an attractive option.