The Air Charter Association held another of its increasingly popular training sessions for members yesterday, focusing on best practice. In such a fast-moving and evolving industry BACA strives to ensure that brokers have the opportunity to keep up-to-date with the latest market trends and regulations, and to get together to share ideas and feedback. BACA
This set of training sessions was no exception, it was a case of standing-room only. In attendance were representatives of twelve major international broking companies as well as aircraft operators, service companies and handlers.
The event kicked off with a session by Gogo Business Aviation and a presentation from Jim Zanino on inflight connectivity. He was able to demonstrate how their sophisticated platforms operate to keep clients connected onboard and how far that technology has advanced.
The mainstay of the day was BACA’s own guide to best practice, delivered by Julie Black of Hunt & Palmer and Kevin Ducksbury of Emerge Aviation. Focussing on “the role of the broker”, many aspects of arranging a charter flight were covered in detail, including: defining the broker relationship, prequalification, types of and reasons for charter; plus key operational aspects such as the Freedoms of the Air, airport choice, permits, crew duty, safety checks, pricing pitfalls and liability.
Following these comprehensive morning sessions delegates enjoyed a networking lunch before returning for the afternoon session, which delved deeper into the role of the broker. Synergy Aviation’s Richard Nolan gave a concise presentation, detailing the charter process from the operator’s perspective, with tips on their expectations of the broking relationship. The session included operational procedures and resources alongside the importance of account management, client retention and business development.
BACA Chairman Richard Mumford concluded the day by saying that the informative presentations had clearly demonstrated the complexity of the charter process and the value that the broker brings to that relationship, for both client and operator alike. He went on to thank the presenters for a very successful day’s training and the attendees for their enthusiastic engagement.
About BACA – BACA, the Worldwide Association of Air Charter Professionals is the world’s largest air charter organisation. Formed in 1949 and closely associated with the Baltic Exchange, BACA delivers a wide range of aviation expertise throughout the air charter industry. The Associations purpose is to ensure that all companies involved in aircraft chartering meet high standards of integrity and professionalism. With corporate membership now in excess of 220 companies, BACA is recognised as the voice of the air charter industry by many official aviation bodies and government departments. Its members include air charter brokers, aircraft operators, airports, handling agents and many other aviation related companies. BACA member companies generated €4.2BN Turnover in 2014 and operated 126,000 flights using 1152 airports, connecting 146 countries and over 25,000 city pairs around the world. BACA Member companies employ 6,751 people. BACA also offers a series of training days and networking events for its members to enjoy throughout the year.
