Flexjet earns 24th FAA Diamond Award for excellence in aircraft maintenance

Flexjet received its 24th FAA Diamond Award of Excellence for Aviation Maintenance Technician Training, underscoring its commitment to serving as a leader in aviation maintenance and safety. The honor follows the acquisition of Coonstant Aviation. Established in 1991, the FAA Diamond Award recognizes aviation companies for highly effective training maintenance specialist programs designed to improve safety, compliance with aviation regulations and technical knowledge in ways that meet or exceed FAA requirements. All company maintenance technicians must participate in dedicated FAA training in areas focused on safety.

Jay Heublein, Flexjet Senior Vice President of Maintenance, commented: “There is no higher priority across the aviation industry than ensuring the safety of passengers and flight crews. Flexjet is committed to serving as a leader in flight safety in every aspect of its operations, and we are proud to be recognized with the FAA’s Diamond Award of Excellence for Aviation Maintenance Technician Training for the 24th year in a row.” 

The qualifying standards for the FAA Diamond Award have become more demanding through the years, ensuring that achieving Diamond status has become progressively challenging. Many private jet travel companies fail to achieve these standards with their in-house teams, instead relying on third-party contractors with a makeshift mix of maintenance facilities, technicians and expertise.

Not only has Flexjet maintained its Diamond Award-winning status for 24 years, but it has done so in the face of growth in recent years, including a 40 percent increase in its fleet during 2022, and has continued to meet every safety standard and requirement, including those associated with the FAA Diamond Award. Through its apprenticeship program, Flexjet instills this strong safety ethic in its newest technicians. Last year, Flexjet graduated its first class of apprenticed Airframe and Powerplant technicians. 

The acquisition of Constant Aviation added scheduled and unscheduled maintenance capabilities including complete airframe, engine and avionics maintenance functions, heavy maintenance, engine and component overhaul and damage repair and composite and sheet metal repairs. Constant Aviation has earned the FAA Diamond Award every year since its first successful attempt in 2016.

Flexjet now has maintenance facilities throughout the U.S. in Ohio, New York, West Virginia, Texas, Arizona and Florida and its nationwide AOG mobile response network, with teams deploying from 28 U.S. locations and the capacity to serve the entire continental U.S., including those in airports lacking dedicated maintenance facilities. In addition to the FAA Diamond Award, Flexjet also holds the highly respected ARG/US Platinum Safety Rating. The biennial Platinum rating results from independent evaluations and a multi-day, onsite examination that measures companies against leading industrywide best practices for safety.

Flexjet is compliant with the IS-BAO at level 2, based upon a global, voluntary code of best practices with a safety management system. IS-BAO conforms with the standards and practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization, and compliance is viewed as comparable to achieving an international standard of safety excellence.

Flexjet also was the first fractional jet ownership program to meet the exacting Industry Audit Standard of the Air Charter Safety Foundation, perhaps the most difficult standard for Part 135 providers. Flexjet also participates in the FAA’s innovative Part 5 Safety Management System and has achieved active conformance with the FAA’s Safety Management System, ranking it in the top one percent of the nation’s private jet providers.