They fly here: the owners of the air taxi wanted to issue their own certificates for transportation
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- They fly here: the owners of the air taxi wanted to issue their own certificates for transportation
The owners of the air taxi wanted to issue their own certificates for aircraft operation and transportation. A relevant association approached the Ministry of Transport with a proposal to allow businesses to independently certify and maintain the airworthiness of light aircraft, including historical and sports aircraft, as well as create airlines with one aircraft and a pilot. Currently, transportation without a Rosaviation certificate is criminalized, but lack of control has created a market for illegal services, and the number of accidents involving small aircraft has doubled in a year. The initiative of self-regulation in the industry has already been supported in the State Duma. The Ministry of Transport shares the industry's desire for the development of small aircraft, but notes that it should not be at the expense of the safety of passengers and crews. And the accident rate indicates the need to maintain the system of state regulation and control, rather than weaken it, the agency added.
Why is the accident rate in small aircraft increasing?
Small aviation wants to take on a number of industry regulatory functions, which are currently performed by the Federal Air Transport Agency, as well as create small airlines with one aircraft and a pilot. The deputies of the State Duma and the Association of Small Aviation Enterprises (MalAP) made such a proposal to the Ministry of Transport, Izvestia learned. The issue of gaps in state regulation in the industry, which led to the illegal market for these services, was discussed at a meeting of the expert council on the development of small aircraft in the lower house of Parliament on September 15.
"A self—regulating organization in the field of air taxi and sports aviation may take on the responsibility to independently certify and maintain the airworthiness of light aircraft, including historical and sports aircraft, and allow its members to engage in commercial activities," Sergey Detenyshev, Chairman of the MalAP Management Board, told Izvestia. — This will significantly reduce the cost of services and breathe life into an industry that has now come to a standstill.
According to him, the main barrier was the inability of aviators to comply with the excessive requirements of a number of federal aviation regulations (FAA) approved by the Ministry of Transport. Aviators cannot obtain a commercial operator's certificate authorizing them to carry passengers and cargo. Obtaining it requires tens of millions of rubles, the development of a large amount of documentation, the hiring of seven directors and a staff of 30 or more people, the expert added.
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Development of Civil Society, MP Oleg Leonov believes that deliberately impossible requirements for small aircraft entities form a black market for services. According to MalAP, this affects security.
As the press service of the Ministry of Transport told Izvestia, in 2024, the number of accidents involving general aviation aircraft (AON, sports and non-commercial flights) doubled compared to 2023, to 12 cases in which 27 people died. The number of accidents increased by 57% (to 11 cases), and serious aviation incidents — by 83% (to 11).
According to the association, general aviation often carries out flights "for pleasure," which are often extreme in nature and violate existing rules. Since it is difficult for aviation authorities to control such flights, this forces the Prosecutor General's Office to apply criminal prosecution measures to violators, Sergei Detenyshev noted.
The criminal case that the Prosecutor General's Office initiated against the pilot of the Barsa aerobatic team based on a complaint from a passenger who was scared during a recreational flight became indicative. This case was discussed at an expert meeting in the State Duma.
"The precedent of a conviction based solely on the fear of a consumer of a service without harm or injury seems dangerous for the entire civil aviation industry,— Oleg Leonov said. — The main reason for this approach, which was pointed out to us by the Prosecutor General's Office, is the imperfection of state regulation of commercial operation of light aircraft.
According to the deputy, the regulation of the small aircraft market requires a radical revision.
— The Ministry of Transport promised us changes to the FAP five years ago as part of the roadmap for the implementation of the president's instructions on the development of small aircraft. A regime for an operator with one aircraft and a pilot was also promised, but the ministry has not introduced any real simplifications into the FAPs," he noted.
The State Duma has prepared and is coordinating with the government an inter-factional bill on self-regulation of air taxi, which allows the industry to be removed from the scope of the FAPs containing prohibitive requirements.
— Self-regulation allows us to solve the problem of developing the national air taxi market without making changes to the FAP, without budget financing, with a proper level of safety, responsibility and self-supervision, and in no way contradicts the standards and rules of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization. — Ed.), — Oleg Leonov considers.
The Ministry of Transport told Izvestia that they fully share the industry's desire to develop so-called small aircraft, understand its importance for regional transport accessibility and support initiatives aimed at simplifying working conditions for airlines, including those with a small fleet of aircraft.
"It is the accident data that objectively indicates the need to maintain the system of state regulation and control, rather than weaken it," the ministry added.
The ministry also noted that they are constantly working to improve the regulatory framework, in particular the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAP-10), including taking into account successful international experience, and are ready to consider new proposals aimed at the benefit of passengers and the industry with the participation of the expert professional community. At the same time, flight safety remains a key priority in the analysis of any initiatives — there can be no compromises on this issue, the press service of the Ministry of Transport said.
— Any changes in legislation or regulations must first ensure that the highest level of safety is maintained. It is this principle that underlies our position. We are convinced that the development of the industry should not be at the expense of the safety of passengers and crews," the ministry's press service stressed.
"Izvestia has sent inquiries to the Federal Air Transport Agency and the Prosecutor General's Office.
How to make small aircraft safe
— In ICAO terminology, air taxis are commercial air transportation of passengers and cargo, usually over distances of up to 1,000 km on small—capacity aircraft (up to 19 seats), performed on an irregular (charter) basis, — said Sergey Detenyshev. — It is in demand both in villages and in megacities. Imagine that from Moscow during rush hours you can fly out of the city on an amphibious plane from the Northern or Southern River Railway station.
According to the aviator, an airplane is three times cheaper than a helicopter, but an air taxi can also operate on helicopters if there is no airfield nearby.
In the USA, there are two different CFR14 standards — Part 121 for large aircraft and Part 135 for small aircraft (including in the air taxi format). The latter are divided into levels: Single Pilot (one pilot and an aircraft with up to nine seats), Single Pilot in Command (combining three single pilots), Basic (five aircraft and pilots each) and Standard (unlimited).
— As the park grows, the requirements become more complicated, — says Sergey Detenyshev. — This is a differentiated approach, since different regulatory models have been implemented for different scales.
In Russia, there is no separate regulation of air taxi, and the requirements for one carrier, for example, Cessna, are essentially the same as for Aeroflot, the expert notes.
"In countries with a developed air transport system, a risk—based approach has long been used to differentiate requirements for different segments of the air transportation market," Andrey Patrakov, founder of the RunAvia flight safety service, told Izvestia. — Large airlines with a fleet of more than 100 airliners have the greatest flight safety risks, so the requirements for them are the most stringent.
The most lenient requirements for two-seat aircraft are in the "one pilot and one passenger" format. The practice of air taxi in the United States is especially popular in small and remote settlements where there is no alternative to air transport, for example in Alaska, the expert noted.
According to Andrey Patrakov, safety control in the small aviation segment is often carried out not only by government agencies, but also by private self-regulatory organizations. For example, in Germany, the DULV Light Aviation Association has the authority to certify light aircraft, and its certificates are recognized in many countries.
But the differentiated approach to air taxi has its opponents, especially among medium-sized airlines that are already certified by the Federal Air Transport Agency and operating in the market.
"Human life is priceless, regardless of whether one person is in an aircraft or three hundred," Klim Galiullin, head of the Aerokhimflot aviation alliance, told Izvestia. — Certification of operators is not a whim of the state, but a system that must ensure that passengers are delivered alive and well.
According to the market participant, the federal aviation regulations governing commercial air transportation were reissued in 2022 and greatly simplified for operators. In general, it is incorrect to compare our system with foreign ones, since they are completely different.
The main purpose of Rosaviation certification is to guarantee the passenger that his flight will be safe, the press service of the Ministry of Transport quotes the director of the Virazh Aviation Technical Center (has an operator's certificate for aircraft work). Konstantin Malievsky.
— In our professional environment, it is believed that with the certification of operators, everything is already as simplified as possible and further degradation will begin. A small staff will not be able to perform the necessary range of tasks to ensure safe and regular flights," he believes.
In many countries, there are hundreds of times more flights of small aircraft, and their accident rate is lower, Sergei Bondar, head of the Gagarin Aviation Training Center, told Izvestia. According to him, safety is affected not only by the certificate and the number of aircraft, but also by the level of pilot training.
Rosaviatsia needs to strengthen control over their training and the technical condition of such aircraft, but at the same time simplify access to the market for small airlines, the expert believes.
In its development, small aircraft can become a strategically important part of the transport system in the Far North, Siberia, and the Far East, believes Sergey Bondar. In addition, with the removal of administrative barriers, private design bureaus, together with the UAC, can develop and launch a series of modern light aircraft to replace foreign analogues, he concluded.
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