The Portugal arm of Luxaviation Group, one of the largest business aircraft and helicopter operators worldwide, is the first business aviation operation to come under the safety oversight of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
It’s a first step towards obtaining EASA regulatory supervision for all of Luxaviation’s European group businesses.
The European AOC overseen by EASA, represents a major change for the entire aviation sector as it reduces operational costs for operators and paves the way for an increased competitiveness of the European market.
Luxaviation Group currently manages 235 aircraft and 35 helicopters under the most stringent safety standards and under the regulatory umbrella of 15 air-operating certificates (AOCs) of which nine are provided through European regulators.
The EU Basic Regulation 2018/1139 which was introduced in 2018 provides operators in the Luxaviation group with the opportunity to report to a single competent authority, responsible for safety oversight and certification.
Patrick Hansen, CEO of Luxaviation Group said, “We have been working closely with EASA in order to achieve a single AOC similar to the American FAA. Today we are particularly proud to take a part in this historical moment for European aviation and to start operating under an EASA AOC which we are confident to apply to all European operating entities of the group in the future.
“At a time where European solidarity is gaining even more importance, this step to unify our skies under one European authority is key for further success.
“It has been a natural step for us to drive this initiative of the European Union and we will be supporting this program as one of the first companies to do so. The size of our fleet and the experience across most European countries will give valuable insight to develop this programme even further.
“Our Portuguese AOC is just the beginning – others will follow.”
Patrick Ky, Executive Director of EASA, said, “EASA is pleased to have issued to Luxaviation the first European AOC for a business aircraft operator. This is an important step for European aviation, and we are happy to continue working with Luxaviation to help them streamline their operations and maintain the highest levels of safety.”
The 2018/1139 Regulation will support Luxaviation passenger confidence in a safe civil aviation, technical and operational interoperability and additional sharing of administrative best practices. The EASA AOC, is valid and recognised throughout the European Union, without any additional requirements. Luxaviation Group’s Portuguese entity will operate under the EASA AOC as of 13 October 2020.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) was also involved.
Pete Bunce, GAMA President and CEO, added, “It is a monumental accomplishment for EASA to grant the first Business Aviation EASA AOC to Luxaviation Group. It took a tremendous amount of work to both secure this regulatory change and see it through to implementation. GAMA is proud to be able to help in achieving this milestone, which will in turn open the door for more companies to follow suit. Ultimately, this will provide more consistency in regulatory interpretation and oversight¬†and create more opportunities for European General and Business Aviation to thrive.”
