California-based management and charter provider ACI Jet has joined the Air Charter Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). The programme provides a process and platform for flight crew members to voluntarily self-report actual or potential safety risk without the worry of retaliation. It thereby seeks to gain as much insight as possible into the real world of flight operations at every level, encouraging open discussion for the creation and improvement of training and flight policies and procedures.

ASAP provides a systematic approach for employees of aviation companies to promptly identify and correct potential safety hazards, and the scheme holds a memorandum of understanding with the FAA.

“ASAP is yet another layer on top of our already robust safety management system,” states VP of flight ops Kellee Valentine. “Safety management is the part of flying, fixing and fuelling airplanes that the end user knows little about, but that fills most of our workdays. Our customers are counting on us carrying this out on their behalf.”

CEO William Borgsmiller adds: “While new technologies are becoming available to evaluate in real-time everything from aircraft performance to the flight characteristics and behaviours of our crew members, it is their first-hand experiences that provide the most value. We want them to speak up, and this programme is about giving them a non-threatening platform to do so, without the fear of reprisal.”