Flight Sharing Expands In Europe

https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/new...-230794-1.html

By Jason Baker and Mary Grady , Contributors | May 8, 2018

Flight sharing via app has been stymied
https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/new...-230636-1.html
so far for private pilots in the U.S., but the idea has taken root in
Europe in the last few years, and is continuing to grow. Rules
developed by EASA (the European Aviation Safety Agency) now allow GA
pilots to share costs with up to five passengers. Tony Rapson, head of
general aviation for Great Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority, wrote
in a blog post
http://www.caa.co.uk/Blog-Posts/Shar...tional-flying/
last week that pilots need to be aware of the risks. “Flying with
strangers opens new potential issues ranging from security and
personal safety to insurance implications,” Rapson wrote. “We at the
CAA are very keen that pilots who do embrace these newfound
opportunities fully understand the risks involved.” Several online
services are available to connect general aviation pilots with
passengers willing to share flight costs. The vendors are encouraged
to sign on to a charter
https://www.easa.europa.eu/charter-p...neral-aviation
developed by EASA, which outlines best safety practices for
flight-sharing platforms.

Wingly, one of the more popular platforms, recently raised 2 million
euros to build its network and expand into new countries. “We now have
around 150,000 users registered, with around 50,000 in the UK,”
co-founder Emeric de Waziers told AVweb in an email this week. “We
have around 10,000 pilots registered, with 3000 from the UK. We had
more than 8000 passengers in flight in the last 18 months, and
currently we have around 1000 passengers per month.” Wingly is
organizing six fly-ins around Europe this summer, and is now operating
in the UK, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. There have been
“no accidents or incidents,” de Waziers said. Besides Wingly, several
other platforms have been operating in the EU, including BBPlane,
Coavmi, and Flyt.club.

“Ultimately,” the CAA’s Rapson wrote, “the clear intention of relaxing
the cost sharing rules is to allow pilots to fly more—building skills
and experience—while sharing their passion for aviation with others.
Providing passengers and pilots understand and stick to the rules,
then that intention can become a reality.” De Waziers said the
ultimate goal of flight sharing is to spark interest in aviation among
the wider public, so more people will choose to become pilots. “Flying
is the oldest dream of mankind,” he wrote. “We shouldn’t forget that."
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https://www.easa.europa.eu/charter-p...neral-aviation

Charter to promote the safety of non-commercial General Aviation
flights with light aircraft by flight sharing companies

In order to promote the safety of non-commercial GA flights with light
aircraft, EASA developed a Charter laying down a number of commitments
for pilots performing cost-shared flights, e.g. advertised via online
platforms. The charter has so far been signed by three online
platforms during AERO in Friedrichshafen in April 2017.

Charter [unfortunate word choice] to promote the safety of
non-commercial General Aviation flights with light aircraft

Preamble
This Charter has been developed in cooperation with the European
Aviation Safety Agency (hereafter “EASA”) in order to promote the
safety of non-commercial General Aviation flights with light aircraft.
By signing this Charter the flight sharing platform makes the
commitment to adhere to the principles, responsibilities and values
stated below. Specifically, the flight sharing platform commits to:

Article 1
Inform the passengers of the different safety levels concerning
non-commercial General Aviation flights with light aircraft as
compared to commercial air transport operations.

Article 2
Actively promote a safety oriented code of conduct for both pilots and
passengers.

Article 3
Provide pilots with check-lists, guidance and tutorials on safety
best-practices.

Article 4
Provide passengers with accurate and meaningful information on the
type of aircraft flown and the pilot’s current experience and
qualification.

Article 5
Provide an online forum in order to promote the sharing of safety best
practices within the GA pilot community.

Article 6
Collect data related to flights, aircraft and pilot profiles, and to
share this data with EASA and national competent authorities.

Article 7
Meet annually with EASA and national competent authorities with a view
to review the implementation of this Charter.

Article 8
Implement the detailed elements provided in the Annex to this Charter.

Article 9
Publish this Charter on the platform’s website.



The following flight sharing companies have signed and committed to
the above Charter (listed in alphabetical order):

BBPlane
COAVMI
Flyt.club
Wingly
For more information please contact .

DOWNLOADS

[pdf]
Annex to Safety Charter non-commercial General Aviation