Global trade organisation The Air Charter Association (The ACA) has proclaimed 21 January as Fly Legal Day, to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal charter flights. The date honours the anniversary of Premiership footballer Emiliano Sala and his pilot, David Ibbotson, who tragically lost their lives in an illegally chartered aircraft that crashed into the English Channel on that day in January 2019.

“Illegal charter, although not common, remains an ongoing issue in our industry, and Sala's anniversary highlights the tragic consequences of this illicit activity, which we are determined to minimise," says The ACA chief executive Glenn Hogben. "In memory of Sala we are launching our Fly Legal Day, and ask all our members and industry colleagues around the world to unite in spreading the word and to shine a light on this illegal practice, with the hope of preventing any future tragedy.

“The association's core values centre on upholding the highest industry standards, trust, professionalism and above all else, safety. Ensuring that travellers always fly legally is a crucial part of our mission. Using one of our trusted member companies ensures those involved in organising air charter will avoid illegal charter flights and avoid putting anyone at significant risk.”

An illegal charter is an unlicensed aircraft charter operation, where the operator does not have an AOC or Air Carrier Certificate and is operating a private aircraft for which the operator, aircraft owner and/or pilot is not legally allowed to accept payment for their flying or the aircraft.