NATA’s 80th Anniversary Continued from page 39 between Part 135 operators and the FAA, Department of Transportation (DOT), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other agencies, while tracking key rulings and proposed regulations. To oversee its work to eliminate illegal operations, NATA created its Illegal Charter Task Force (ICTF) in May 2018, as an Air Charter Committee subcommittee. ICTF’s purpose is to partner with the FAA to assist with enforcement efforts and provide guidance on identifying illegal operations, and to work with the IRS to under- stand and educate industry on the tax consequences of illegal charter operations. Along this line, ICTF works to educate Congress and the general public about the dangers of illegal opera- tions and to help the charter industry provide the FAA with reports that provide more actionable data. NATA continues to reach out to charter operators with a series of town hall meetings. Starting in 2017 in Atlanta, and nationwide over 20 since, the town hall meetings are designed to address the needs and priorities of the Part 135 community. With many charter trips booked through brokers, the Department of Transportation (DOT), in September 2018, issued guidelines defining what a charter broker can and cannot do. The final rule, titled “Increasing Charter Air Transportation Options,” included adoption of several recommendations from NATA and addressed concerns by air charter operators of a lack of clarity between brokers and actual air carriers, since some brokers were representing themselves as certificated air carriers. The rule also established an air charter broker class of indirect air carrier, under a newly created Part 295 regulation. In September 2019, NATA created a new Air Charter Broker Committee. The committee’s purpose is to pro- vide ethical guidelines, minimum standards, and greater transparency. A further goal is to establish an air charter broker online registry. Also, the committee is tasked with identifying key issues impacting the air charter broker business, providing guidance on addressing those issues, National Air Transportation Associaion @NATAaero NATA Director of Regulatory Affairs, Megan Eisenstein, discussed DEF contamination & NFPA 409 issues at the third annual Massachusetts Business Aviation Association (MBAA) Safety Day in Boston, MA. and providing resources to help brokers avoid illegal charter. In its most recent initiative to combat illegal opera- tions, in August 2019, NATA and the ICTF launched an “Avoid Illegal Charter” website to assist the traveling public with identifying, avoiding, and reporting illegal activity. The site includes five functional areas with fact sheets and other essential information for the air charter market, including operators, owners, brokers, and con- sumers, as well as the FAA. Last year, another priority for the Association and its members was reducing the burden on aviation busi- nesses from the existing requirements for foam fire suppression systems in aircraft hangars. NATA’s Airport Business Committee, comprised of members who work at aeronautical businesses and are familiar with issues that arise as part of owning and operating that busi- ness, assisted NATA staff in submitting changes to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 409: Standard on Aircraft Hangars. To advance this effort, the Airport Business Committee formed an NFPA 409 Subcommittee chaired by NATA member Jon Wenrich (Centrex Construction, Inc.). 40 Aviation Business Journal | Winter 2019/2020
