Leading global trade body The Air Charter Association (The ACA) hosted its annual European Broker-Operator Forum on 16 October, 2024 at The Grand Majestic Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic.

More than 50 senior air charter professionals from over 15 countries across Europe shared their expert insight into current industry challenges and best practices. The event also made for the perfect opportunity to network and engage with members, many of whom were attending an ACA event for the first time.

The agenda featured a combination of panel discussions and interactive round table debates, with topics carefully curated based on The ACA’s member feedback. The issues of fraud and cyber security were high on the agenda, as well as regulatory developments and broker-operator relationships. The ACA extended a warm welcome to Eva Langhammer from the Czech CAA to offer an authority perspective as part of the panel discussions. Langhammer advised of the value in engaging directly with EASA, to be a part of the broader dialogue on air charter issues across Europe. The agenda also included expert insight on fraud, how it can impact the industry and the mitigations members can employ to protect themselves. The broader panel discussions centred on industry challenges and broker operator relations, such as how best to communicate and resolve disagreements around issues like de-icing, cancellation terms and AOG scenarios.

Association chair Kevin Ducksbury says: “The ACA is grateful to all attending members, whose support and engagement is vital to the continued success of our broker and operator forums. The event provides an excellent opportunity for members to come together to discuss pressing concerns facing the charter industry and delivers valuable insight, both for members and the Association. It was a pleasure to host this year’s event in Prague and facilitate greater engagement with our central and eastern European members and colleagues.”

The ACA would like to thank all panel members in attendance: Lukas Kadlcik, JetBee; Emily Williams, IW Aviation; Robert Almqvist, Nordic Air Brokers; Eva Langhammer, Czech CAA; Vladimir Bogaychuk, Atmospherica Aviation; Joe Mortimer, Le Bas International; Yann-Guillaume Jaccard, Simply Jet; Tony Carder, Ascend Airways; Sylvain Bosc, Avico; Roman Kramarik, JSK; and Martin Prazsky, Time Air.