FAA Safe Air Charter Site Adds Certified Operator List

The FAA has posted a list of certified aircraft operators on its Safe Air Charter website following recent updates to the resource. Operators, brokers, customers, and industry stakeholders can use the database to verify whether an air charter operator holds a valid FAA certificate. The site also links to a resource that provides additional operator information, including doing-business-as details.

NATA worked with the FAA Safe Air Charter Team and the association’s Air Charter Committee to support improvements to resources aimed at strengthening awareness around compliant charter operations. The association is encouraging air charter operators to review the list, check their information for accuracy, and report any issues. NATA and the Air Charter Safety Foundation also co-host an illegal charter hotline to report violators.

The move follows growing industry concerns about illegal charter activity. A panel at Corporate Jet Investor Miami in November examined informal jet sharing through WhatsApp groups and similar platforms, warning of safety, insurance, and legal risks.

David Hernandez of Vedder Price, who moderated the panel at CJI Miami, pointed out that consumers using illegal jet share services “really have no rights” if something goes wrong. Panelists said the industry must work together to identify compliant operators and emphasized that existing regulations already define legal operations, with enforcement primarily dependent on operator self-policing.