Jet Linx recently hosted its fifth annual Safety Summit for all of its 560 team members nationwide as part of the company's continued dedication to delivering the highest standard of safety for private aviation. For the fifth consecutive year, Jet Linx has voluntarily grounded its fleet of 120 aircraft to bring all of its employees together to discuss and advance new safety practices and standards for the company and the private aviation industry.

“To truly advance new safety practices, it requires an all-company, forward together approach. Without everyone participating and involved in the discussion, you're going to miss a perspective from the field that maybe crucial to the advancement of that next big thing that further mitigates risk for the operation,” says president and CEO Jamie Walker. “We are proud to implement summit-driven initiatives and ideas that strengthen the safety of our operations."

Safety and security advisor Sheryl Clarke adds: “The impacts of the pandemic in 2020 served as an important reminder that safety is paramount and cannot be prioritised enough, and this has been the cornerstone of Jet Linx since 1999 for both its clients and team members. Jet Linx continues to be the only aircraft operator in the US to cease its flight operations in order to advance safety standards together as an entire team.”

This year's summit, under the banner ‘Forward Together for a Safer Future’, focused on safety risk management, fatigue and critical human factors, and safety performance indicators. The event featured special keynotes from William B. Johnson, retired chief scientific and technical advisor for human factors in aircraft maintenance systems for the FAA; D Smith, aviation division manager, US DOT Transportation Safety Institute; Roger Hood, senior air safety investigator, US DOT Transportation Safety Institute; and Sharon Grey, president and CEO, Grey Aviation Services.

“Our Safety Summit continues to shine a spotlight on the significance of proactively advancing safety culture and the value of investing in collaborative educational efforts that will better inform our decision-making and create the safest flight experience possible,” adds Walker. “Each and every member of our team plays a critical role in developing practices that further our standards and the standards of the industry.”

The company's ongoing dedication to safety also earned Jet Linx renewal of its accreditation as a Wyvern Wingman certified operator for the fourth consecutive certification cycle in 2020, among numerous other standing third-party accolades, including ARGUS Platinum designation and the international IS-BAO Stage III rating. Jet Linx also implemented additional advanced safety measures to its existing protocols throughout 2020 in response to the growing concerns due to the pandemic, including becoming the first aviation company to treat its fleet of aircraft and private terminals with the BioprotectUs system from ViaClean Technologies, a system that disinfects and provides long term antimicrobial protection for up to 90 days. Studies by two centres of excellence of the Global Virus Network have proven the product's efficacy against SARS-COV-2 for more than six weeks.