FAA Confirms Large Airplane Part 135 Approval

In an August 8 memo, James Ballough, director of the FAA Flight Standards Service, confirmed that large-transport-category airplanes, including the Boeing Business Jet and Airbus Corporate Jetliner, may be operated under Part 135 if their type certificates indicate that modifications have been made that limit the number of passenger seats to 30 or fewer and payload capacity of 7,500 lb or less. On-demand operations in airplanes with more than 30 seats or more than 7,500 lb payload must operate under Part 121. Ballough also stated in the memo that the agency will initiate rulemaking to determine if additional requirements should be established for these large aircraft when operated under Part 91 or Part 135.