Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reform the issue of grey charters as a result of the Piper PA-46 Malibu crash of 21 January 2019.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB)’s investigation into the Piper PA-46 Malibu crash of 21 January 2019 is under way, and the Government will consider any recommendations the investigation makes in due course.

There are already strict rules in place that require commercial air transport operations to be operated by the holder of an Air Operator Certificate (AOC). All UK AOC holders are overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and are subject to appropriate high-level safety rules. The CAA does, and will investigate allegations of illegal public transport. The CAA will prosecute people where there is sufficient evidence, and where it is in the public interest to do so.

It is illegal to operate a commercial air transport flight without an AOC. The CAA conducts spot check visits to airfields and public events where aeroplane and helicopter operations take place, and where it finds evidence that a flight may have operated illegally it has the power to detain an aircraft and, where appropriate, take enforcement action.

The CAA has previously conducted awareness campaigns with the aim of raising awareness of the dangers of illegal operations, and of what to look for when chartering an aircraft to ensure the flight is legal. The CAA expects to initiate a further campaign of this type shortly.