FAA Revokes Aircraft Registration Certificates for 800 SACI Aircraft

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded the entire fleet of Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc. (SACI), encompassing around 800 aircraft.

The FAA mandated that SACI surrender all aircraft registration certificates due to invalidation resulting from violations against U.S. citizenship requirements during the application stage. This then resulted in the aircraft being grounded.

All registration certificates must be returned to the FAA within 21 days.

According to the FAA, an aircraft can only be registered using a trust agreement if the company or trustee is a United States citizen or permanent resident.

In order to restore operations, the FAA is now requiring aircraft owners affected by the decision to reregister their aircraft through a different nation’s registry or in the United States while following the necessary requirements.

Aircraft owners who want to reregister in the U.S. can do so by:

• Submitting an Aircraft Registration Application to the FAA
• Providing evidence of ownership of the aircraft
• Paying the $5 registration fee

Completing the reregistration process will then enable aircraft owners to fly in the U.S. temporarily until they receive a Certificate of Aircraft Registration or until the application is denied. This does not extend to flights outside of the United States.

Applicants who operate in the U.S. can also submit a Declaration of International Operations (DIO) for expedited processing.