Safety

Charter to promote the safety of non-commercial General Aviation flights with light aircraft

European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Preamble

This charter was drawn up in cooperation with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency ("EASA") to promote the safety of non-commercial general aviation flights with light aircraft. The flight-sharing platform undertakes to respect the principles, responsibilities and values set out below.

The platform's commitments

Inform passengers of the different levels of safety of non-commercial general aviation flights on light aircraft compared with commercial air transport operations.
Actively promote a safety-focused code of conduct for both pilots and passengers.
Provide pilots with checklists, guides and tutorials on safety best practices.
Give passengers accurate and relevant information on the type of aircraft used and on the pilot's recent experience and qualifications.
Provide an online forum to encourage the sharing of lessons learned and best practices within the general aviation pilot community.
Collect data on flights, aircraft and pilot profiles, and share this data with EASA and the competent national authorities (such as the DSAC in France).
Take part in an annual meeting with EASA and the competent national authorities to review the implementation and follow-up of this charter.
Implement the detailed elements set out in the annex to this charter.
Publish this charter in full on the platform's website.

Annex

1. Mandatory warning before any booking

You are about to book a cost-shared flight on a light aircraft. You should be aware that the safety rules applicable to cost-shared flights are not as strict as those of commercial air transport. This means that taking a cost-shared flight carries a higher level of risk than buying a ticket from a commercial airline, where much more stringent safety rules apply and where the aircraft, the pilots and the operator are subject to continuous checks and close oversight by the authority. Unlike passenger flights operated by commercial airlines, the level of risk of general aviation is comparable to that of road transport.

2. Mandatory code of conduct for the pilot

The pilot electronically signs a commitment stating that:

Decision-making authority: they are the sole pilot in command and decision-maker. The presence of passengers must not create any operational pressure.
Weather management: weather being the leading cause of VFR accidents, the pilot must inform the passenger from the day before of any uncertainty about the flight and not hesitate to cancel on the day.
Right of refusal: they may refuse to board a passenger at any time, for any safety or operational reason, without having to justify themselves to the passenger.
No profit: only direct costs (fuel, landing fees, hourly rental of the aircraft) are shared equally between all occupants, including the pilot. Any profit turns the flight into illegal commercial transport.
Insurance: they must make sure the aircraft holds valid passenger insurance under European regulations (Regulation (EC) No 785/2004).

3. Transparency and data collection

The platform publicly displays on the flight page: the pilot's exact qualification, total flight hours, experience on the aircraft type, and the aircraft's registration and model.
At the annual meeting with EASA, the platform submits a full statistical report: number of shared flight hours, volume of passengers carried, weather cancellations and any notable incident reported.

How Kodair implements it

Warning: displayed and accepted before every booking of a cost-shared flight; the acceptance is time-stamped on the booking.
Codes of conduct: the pilot-in-command code is signed before any flight is published; the passenger code is accepted together with the warning.
Guides and checklists: the app's “Safety” page (before the flight, the day before, go/no-go decision, passenger briefing, after the flight).
Transparency: the flight page shows the verified licence, total hours, experience on type, recent experience, and the aircraft's registration and model.
Weather and right of refusal: the pilot in command warns passengers of uncertain weather from the flight page, can cancel without penalty and remove a passenger at any time, with a full refund.
Pilots' forum: lessons learned, best practices and questions, in the app.
Data: aggregated annual report (shared hours, passengers, weather cancellations, reported safety occurrences) sent to EASA and the DSAC.

This is a translation for information purposes; the French version prevails.

Contact: contact@kodair.fr