Charles Alcock
Managing Editor
Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.
Latest from Charles Alcock
Airports
LCY’s location draws crowds despite its high parking fees
Location, location, location is the premise on which London City Airport (LCY) has built its new Jet Centre, and it is on the same premise that it will cha
Reims Aviation cites cash-flow crisis as it files for bankruptcy protection
French utility aircraft builder Reims Aviation went into bankruptcy protection on October 30.
Regulations and Government
FAA certifies Airbus Corporate Jetliner
The Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) received FAA type certification on October 28.
Charter & Fractional
A319s to shuttle Airbus employees in Europe
Airbus has hired executive charter specialist PrivatAir to operate a corporate shuttle service linking its facilities in the UK, France and Germany.
Aircraft
Piedmont marketing Saab 340 shuttles
Piedmont Hawthorne has entered an agreement with Saab Aircraft Leasing (SAL) to market twin-turboprop Saab 340s for corporate shuttle use.
FBOs
Execair opens its first FBO in the Caribbean
Last month, Execair completed a new $700,000 FBO on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.
Training and Workforce
FlightSafety Boeing opens London center
FlightSafety Boeing Training International (FSB) opened its UK training center at London Luton Airport on July 27.
Regulations and Government
Avionics Update: FAA approves Collins HGS on regional aircraft
During the ERA assembly held last month in Salzburg, Austria, Rockwell Collins announced FAA certification of its HGS 4200 head-up guidance system (HGS) fo
Flybe answers the no-frills threat
“If you can’t beat them, join them” might well have been the theme for a debate on the challenge posed by the so-called no-frills carriers during last mont
Lufthansa evaluating 728JET alternatives
Lufthansa CityLine is looking at the Bombardier and Embraer regional jet families as alternatives to the firm order for sixty 728JETs that it had placed wi
Embraer 170 stayed home for flight-testing
Embraer had to scrap plans to bring one of its new 70-seat regional jets to display at the ERA assembly in a bid to catch up on slight technical delays in
BAE chalks leasing deals
Attending its first ERA assembly since abandoning development of the Avro RJX regional jet series late last year, BAE Systems was able to announce a wave o
Association elects new board members
ERA members elected four new board members at the end of their general assembly in Salzburg, Austria.
Air Nostrum wins top ERA honors
Spanish regional carrier Air Nostrum has won the ERA’s Airline of the Year Gold Award for the second time, having previously claimed top honors in 1999.
Salzburg hosts solemn ERA general assembly
There was no disguising the subdued, even solemn, mood of Europe’s regional airlines as they gathered for their annual general assembly in Salzburg,
ATR poised to pounce as RJ economics wobble
Turboprop manufacturer Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) believes that European regional airlines’ ardor for the 50-seat regional jet may be cooling and w
Boeing 717 in renewed European sales campaign
Boeing signaled its new resolve to target regional airline applications for its 100-seat 717-200 by putting an aircraft on static display at Salzburg Airpo
Airports
Lull in Global Express sales trickles down to Marshall Aero
Marshall Aerospace, now finishing its sixth Global Express completion for Bombardier, is having to find alternative work for its Cambridge, UK facili
Safety
The First Call offers CPR training
Edinburgh, Scotland-based The First Call offers “first-person-on-the-scene training” for aircraft crews, and it also advises on equipment specification and
Safety
Cost of ownership comparison
The acquisition costs of the three diagnostic systems assessed above vary markedly, but what is the annual cost of ownership to operators? To calculate thi
Safety
Medical monitoring comes to the cabin
For around $10,000 per year, aircraft operators can now fly with diagnostic equipment that will allow them to relay vital medical data to ground-based emer
Charter & Fractional
In search of a light jet, Unijet breaks tradition
French charter operator Unijet will further expand its Paris Le Bourget-based fleet next year when it takes delivery of a pair of Cessna Citation CJ2s.
FBOs
Execair enjoys above-par Ryder Cuo
Execair’s Birmingham FBO handled the lion’s share of corporate aircraft traffic flying in for the Ryder Cup golf tournament between September 27 and 29.
Charter & Fractional
Charter brokers hunt for new clients
Demand for executive aircraft charter continues to be softened by depressed trading activity in the financial community, which has previously been a core m
Regulations and Government
JAR OPS 2 pushed before EASA begins next year
The operations committee of Europe’s Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) is pushing to get its JAR OPS 2 and 4 operating requirements adopted before the JAA i
Accidents
Behind the Scenes at AAIB
The UK’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) boasts a permanent staff of just 45 people and a seemingly modest annual budget of £4.5 million ($6.3 mil
ATC
UK ATC system is privatized after years of debate, protest
After several years of bitter debate, partial privatization of the UK’s ATC system became a reality on July 27 when the Airline Group completed the acquisi
Accidents
Air Accident Investigation Branch hails proud history
The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the UK’s Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) lays claim to being the world’s o
Elections ‘not a factor’ in LABACE date change
Almost all of the corporate aircraft manufacturers have now signed up for the new Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (LABACE), to
IBAC-approved IS-BAO standards make gains
Corporate flight departments around the world have started adopting the new international standards for business aircraft operations (IS-BAO).
