Sun Air Jets in Camarillo, California will be the first certified Flight Leader in the US. Issued by Wyvern, this new safety audit rating is a testament to the operator's dedication to high quality, risk-averse safety and operational processes that permeates the company's culture.

The progressive Wyvern Flight Leader programme provides operators alternative and innovative pathways to continuous improvement. Focusing less on regular auditing, and more on SMS effectiveness, as well as human factors and organisational culture, operators are coached by industry veterans in a progressive, quarterly self-assessment and validation cycle with the intent of enhancing safety culture. The Flight Leader certificate is the pinnacle achievement of the Flight Leader programme.

“We take great pride in being the first operator to receive this distinctive award, and we are grateful to Wyvern for the opportunity,” says Andreas Mauritzson, director of safety and vice president of business strategy at Sun Air Jets. “We feel that it is essential to continue to put safety as our utmost priority. Sun Air Jets is dedicated to positioning itself as a leader in this field to ensure our clients the exceptional experience they deserve.”

“We celebrate Sun Air Jets' achievement,” adds Sonnie Bates, Wyvern CEO. “It requires discipline and professionalism to become a Wingman, and it takes sound leadership and effective management of human and organisational factors to be a Flight Leader. A Flight Leader inspires other Wingman operators to reach higher and attain new levels of excellence. Sun Air Jets' recognition as a certified Flight Leader is proof that their leadership is focused on their organisation's safety culture and the key human factors that matter most in aviation safety.”

Sun Air's Wyvern certificate joins a long list of previously earned safety ratings: IS-BAO Stage III, Wyvern Flight Leader, ARG/US Platinum and the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), an exclusive achievement held only by four private jet companies out of 2,000 charter operators.

Numerous operators have joined the programme in the last 12 months, and the first operators through the programme are now demonstrating effectiveness across all necessary areas of the programme to warrant the Certificate. More Flight Leader certificates will be issued in the coming weeks.