Business aircraft charter operators in Europe and elsewhere complain that private aircraft owners are skimming off potential customers by chartering out their aircraft illegally. And they maintain that the illicit practice is facilitated in part by a dearth of government scrutiny and regulatory enforcement, particularly in Europe, where there is a confusing tangle of cabotage regulations among nations, even the 27 countries comprising the European Union. As a result, it is difficult to positively identify violators or quantify the scope of the activity.

For more than 30 years, the Air Charter Guide has provided a reliable and accurate listing of charter operators in the U.S. and abroad. According to Associate Publisher Francine Brasseur, the ACG does not list a commercial operator without first assuring the company holds an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), issued by the Department of Transportation, or an FAR Part 135 certificate.

Whether inadvertent or intended, illegal charter hurts everyone in an industry that is always trying to raise the safety bar. So claims Dennis Keith, president and founder of Jet Solutions, a Dallas-based charter operator with nearly 200 aircraft on its operating certificate.