Michael Jackson is once again, the talk of the town. You can’t have missed him – he’s plastered all over the web and all over the world’s front pages. The difference, on this occasion, is that his latest alleged misdemeanour involves a business jet charter operator.

Admittedly not a European one but the events leading up to his arrest most recently, have far-reaching consequences for charter operators the world over.

So what do we know of the case so far?

Several weeks ago Michael Jackson turned himself into police on an arrest warrant for alleged child abuse, after he and his lawyer had made the trip from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara in a business jet operated by XtraJet.

During that trip Jackson alleges that he and his lawyer, Mark Geragos, were secretly filmed discussing the case against him. They also allege that the charter operator tried to sell two video tapes of the recording. XtraJet denies secretly recording the two men’s conversation, claiming that the video tapes were found on the plane.

Whatever the truths and outcome of this particular case, it opens up the thorny issue of an individual’s privacy onboard a charter aircraft. For very good reason, the staff of many companies – whether you’re a pilot, hostess or maintenance engineer – must sign up to a confidentiality agreement before taking on a position with a private jet operator.

It is then incumbent on you, having signed this agreement, to protect the privacy of the individuals who buy your company’s services. This is not only very important because of your legal standing, it is the fundamental basis on which the industry has developed, and no operator could continue to do business without it.

However, there is a grey area which emerges when we consider the issue of public interest. If what you overhear in a business aircraft is a matter which might adversely affect the general public at large, what action should you take?

Clearly you should tell your employer. It may be an extreme example but were the events of September 11, 2001 to have been discussed in front of you before the date they occurred, there can be no question of still protecting the individual’s right to privacy.

However, in telling your employer, it is of the utmost importance that any information is carefully examined, disseminated and if necessary, presented in confidence to the police. The worst possible scenario for both those involved and our industry as a whole, is that the Press is the first to find out.

After all, their interest must surely be less in resolving the issue than in scribbling the headlines which sell the first million copies.

As business jet charter companies continue to ply an honest and respected trade, it is therefore imperative that confidentiality continues to be of primary importance but also that information which is of considerable public interest – taken with the appropriate legal advice – be correctly and discreetly imparted to the relevant authorities.

Richard Evans, EBAN editor, richard.evans@ebanmagazine.com