The UK CAA has been running a consultation on potential changes to the advertising of cost sharing flight as part of a wider cost-sharing flight consultation, and judging by feedback received, pilots do not want to see new, more restrictive advertising regulations imposed.
The UK CAA apparently wants to tighten cost sharing flight regulations in order to crack down on illegal charter flights (also known as ‘grey charter’), an allegedly established thorn in the side of the air charter industry.
UK rules on cost-sharing flights used to be more restrictive in the UK than elsewhere in Europe, but after the UK joined the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in the early noughties (and then subsequently withdrew as a result Brexit, but with retained EASA regulations), cost-sharing flights have had a lighter regulatory touch than was the case some 20 years ago.
The lighter touch regulation has seen the growth of cost-sharing flights in the UK and the creation of cost-sharing flight platforms such as Wingly, where private pilots advertise their flights and invite others to join them (including non-pilots) on a cost-sharing basis. This is a particularly attractive activity for PPL holders needing to hours build ahead of commencing their commercial pilot training programmes.
There have been concerns that some of these advertised flights have amounted to little more than grey charter and are operating on a profit-making basis, although there is scant data in terms of CAA prosecutions to demonstrate just how widespread these alleged grey charter activities really are.
While the CAA continues to consider the wider regulatory framework for cost-sharing flights, including minimum pilot licence levels and medical requirements, it meantime published a consultation specifically on the way these flights are advertised and the results are now in.
Judging by the number of responses that GA consultations normally attract, this was clearly a hot topic, drawing a total of 1,817 individual responses and 575 additional comments.
The CAA asked six main questions:
Q1: Do you currently or have you ever advertised
a cost sharing flight online?
Yes: 11.72%
No: 83.32%
Prefer not to say / not answered: 4.95%
Q2: Do you agree that the advertising element
of the current cost sharing regulations should be
reviewed and amended?
Yes: 21.19%
No: 77.22%
Prefer not to say / not answered: 1.60%
Q3: Prior to the UK joining EASA, the advertising
of a cost sharing flight was prohibited outside of
a flying club environment. Would you support
a return to those requirements regarding the
advertising of cost sharing flights?
Yes: 13.65%
No: 85.25%
Prefer not to say / not answered: 1.10%
Q4: In relation to the proposed amendments: “Cost sharing flights may be advertised. The advertisement must be placed by the pilot intending to operate the flight and it must relate to a specific flight that the pilot intends to take place, regardless of whether passengers are available for carriage. The advertisement must include the start and end locations, as well as the dates when the pilot intends to conduct the flight.” To what extent do you agree that this proposed amendment is clear and easy to follow?
Strongly agree: 14.64%
Agree: 9.74%
Neither agree nor disagree: 4.51%
Disagree: 8.37%
Strongly disagree: 62.74%
Not answered: 0%
Q5: In relation to the below proposed amendments: “Cost sharing flights may be advertised. The advertisement must be placed by the pilot intending to operate the flight and it must relate to a specific flight that the pilot intends to take place, regardless of whether passengers are available for carriage. The advertisement must include the start and end locations, as well as the dates when the pilot intends to conduct the flight.” To what extent do you agree that this proposed amendment is appropriate?
Strongly agree: 13.48%
Agree: 8.31%
Neither agree nor disagree: 3.25%
Disagree: 8.37%
Strongly disagree: 66.59%
Not answered: 0%
Q6: Do you believe that a pilot should have to include any of the following information in their advertisement to ensure passengers are fully aware of a pilot’s credentials before booking to join a cost sharing flight? (Please select all that apply)
Licence type held (i.e. PPL): 87.62 %
Medical held (i.e. Class 2, PMD): 79.09 %
Flying experience: 85.20 %
Pilot recency: 75.95 %
None of the above: 6.71 %
No opinion / don’t know / not answered 3.74 %
Of the 575 additional comments received, the CAA confirms that all were analysed, and some main themes were identified, including:
• The proposed amendment to advertising goes against the assumed original intent of cost sharing (i.e. hour building, maintaining currency, introducing more people to GA, allows for cheaper flying costs)
• There needs to be more flexibility in the advertising of cost sharing flights
• There needs to be better monitoring of cost sharing flights by the CAA
• Cost sharing flights should not be available online / to the general public
• Pilots / third parties should not be able to make a profit for cost sharing flights
• Cost sharing flights are detrimental to commercial organisations
The CAA says that with the above feedback and after having completed further internal work to review its safety concerns relating to cost sharing flights, it has decided to revise its final policy position and will be providing formal opinion to the Department of Transport (DfT) shortly. The CAA adds that this formal opinion will include all other changes confirmed during its earlier consultation phase.
While this will not be the final regulation wording, as that is apparently the responsibility of the DfT, the CAA proposes the following for cost sharing flight advertising:
“Cost sharing flights may be advertised. The advertisement must be placed by the pilot intending to operate the flight and must include the start and end locations, the date when the pilot is available to conduct the flight, and any other information prescribed by the CAA.”
The CAA says that the caveat of “…any other information prescribed by the CAA” has been included in order to allow additional information relating to pilot credentials such as licence, medical type etc, to be included at a future date, which the CAA is still discussing internally, as well as considering whether such information would be adequately understood by members of the public.
Image accredited to Textron Aviation
