Aviation Law

Influential libertarian think tank the Reason Foundation has written an open letter to the incoming leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency to make air traffic control a “user-funded utility.” The foundation, which is credited with coining the term “privatization,” says most of the rest of the world (83 countries) has already distanced ATC from […]

Crew aboard a Volaris Airlines A320 thwarted an apparent hijacking and then continued to their destination of Tijuana on Sunday. The Guardian reported the flight originated in León, Guanajuato, a notorious drug cartel base, and a passenger, identified only as Mario, tried to divert it to the U.S., which is steps away from Tijuana. He […]

The Los Angeles City Council did an about face last week and approved a 25-year lease extension for a helicopter company at Van Nuys Airport. Last March, the council bowed to public pressure and voted against giving Bonseph Helinet the extension, which was tied to a planned $25 million redevelopment of its existing facilities at […]

A well-known former Alaska air charter operator has been found guilty of two federal charges following what has been termed a near-collision in 2023. According to the Anchorage Daily News, William Marsan, 57, of Palmer, a self-described “free citizen,” was convicted of flying without a certificate and operating an unregistered aircraft by a jury. The […]

A Russian woman who bypassed security at JFK and stowed away on a Delta flight to Paris last week has been arrested in France for causing a disturbance on the return flight. The unidentified woman, who has been described as a Russian national with a U.S. green card, was being held at Charles De Gaulle […]

The Air Line Pilots Association says Airbus is proposing adding a toilet to the flight deck of its aircraft to eliminate the need for relief pilots and pave the way for single-pilot operations or Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO). According to paddleyourowncanoe.com, the planemaker wants to put the open potty behind the captain’s seat and […]

Argentina’s aviation regulator has dropped all age restrictions for commercial pilots, saying qualifications will depend on medical assessment and technical knowledge. The National Civil Aviation Administration of Argentina (ANAC) passed a resolution Monday that eliminated the previous age limits of 60 for single-pilot and 65 for two-pilot operations on for-hire flights. “With advances in medicine […]

High-time ATPs and IFR rated commercial pilots will likely be the first to train as eVTOL line pilots as the industry moves toward revenue service under a broad set of rules and regulations announced Tuesday. With a mockup of Joby’s multi-copter tilt wing air taxi as a backdrop, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker signed into effect […]

Air Canada has been fined $125,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation for multiple incursions to Iraqi airspace. The flights were operated by Air Canada under its code share with United Airlines while carrying U.S. citizens, so it was therefore subject to the FAA ban on U.S. overflights of the country. The overflights occurred on […]

The Department of Justice has taken the rare step of issuing a press release on the complex legal future that awaits a California man who told his fellow passengers “This plane is going down” before going on a violent in-flight rampage last week. The DOJ said Charles Angel Salva, 30, is facing charges of interference […]