Based on current available information, 284 Part 135 AOC holders use a fleet of 1281 aircraft of 88 types or models to conduct ATO-SA operations.
Many of these AOC holders also operate within other sectors including activities for:
- Part 121
- Part 138
- Part 142.
Of note, 64% of Part 135 AOCs operate 4 or fewer aircraft, with 32% operating a single aircraft. These aircraft range in age from 83 years to less than a 1-year-old, with an average age of 36.5 years.
The ATO-SA sector flew an estimated annual average of 288,909 hours between 2014-2020.
The impact of COVID-19 has been far less than that felt by the larger aeroplane sector. In 2020, the overall flying hours for ATO-SA dropped to around 91% of 2019 flying hours (compared to a 47% for larger aeroplanes).
During 2020, scheduled passenger transport hours increased by around 2%, while non-scheduled passenger transport hours reduced by around 17% compared to 2019.
During this time, freight hours decreased slightly, while air medical transport increase by around 8%.
Approximately 6% of operations in the sector are scheduled passenger. These were previously referred to as regular public transport (RPT) operations.
About 57% were non-scheduled passenger. These were previously referred as 'Charter'.
Annual average distribution of sector activity (2014-2020)
| Activities | Scheduled passenger | Non-scheduled passenger | Freight | Air medical | Other air transport | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight hours | 18,261 | 164,745 | 17,555 | 78,138 | 10,211 | 288,910 |
| Percent of sector hours | 6.3% | 57.0% | 6.1% | 27.0% | 3.5% | 100.0% |