The Air Charter Association (The ACA) has reached a record level of membership following new applications and interest during EBACE 2022. More than 300 companies are now part of the global trade association, an increase of around 10 per cent since December 2021.

Chairman Kevin Ducksbury says: “It was fantastic to return to EBACE after a three year break and see so many of our members and industry colleagues at the show. Our booth welcomed a constant stream of visitors, from members old and new.”

Many prospective members cited interest in joining not only because of the association's renowned networking events, but also the work the association has undertaken to protect the interest of its members against illegal charter, lobbying in the light of regulatory changes in Europe, and the broker qualification training that the association provides.

Over the past two years, The ACA has provided member companies with advice to navigate key industry challenges such as Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, sustainability and, more recently, the conflict in Ukraine.

Ducksbury adds: “It's fantastic to see the association growing globally, with so many new members joining from different areas within the air charter industry. Our priority is maintaining the highest quality of membership, and our stringent due diligence checks completed on all new applicants mean this is being well maintained."

In September 2021, The ACA appointed Chris Adams as membership executive to further develop The ACA's international footprint and wider representation in the cargo and airline markets.

The Association hosted its first broker and operator forum in April at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London, bringing together more than 50 members from the respective sectors of the industry. Senior personnel from member companies gathered to hear panel discussions from members and industry professionals on key topics such as current market challenges; service delivery and managing broker-operator relationships; and findings and solutions that address best practice, contracts and AOG issues. Delegates were invited to take part in round-table group discussions and share their views on the challenges the industry is facing and which of these is having the greatest impact on their businesses.

Ducksbury continues: “The results from the forum were extremely interesting, with fuel prices being the biggest single factor set to affect the air charter industry in the year ahead. Over 85 per cent felt strongly that sustainability would be the biggest industry driver in the medium to long term. The pandemic would appear to have had a surprisingly positive impact on almost all attendees, while Brexit continues to cause challenges for our industry with almost 50 per cent of delegates confirming they still struggle to obtain permits.

“One overriding issue that does not look set to improve in the immediate future is that of limited capacity, which is failing to fulfil ongoing high demand for aircraft charter.”

The forum is set to be a key event in the association's calendar in the future.