An ACMI agreement (also known as a wet lease) helps airlines stay flexible, but sharing crew data gets a bit complicated. The airline flying the aircraft must send this data to authorities, but it often doesn’t have all the details—especially for crew.
This article explores a smarter approach to CREW data transfers for ACMI lease operations, one that saves time and helps both the lessor and the lessee stay compliant with data reporting requirements around the world.
Aircraft lease: Advantages of ACMI
ACMI, which stands for Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance, is a popular option for airlines worldwide to quickly boost capacity without the cost of buying new aircraft or long-term leasing. It’s a simple solution for handling busy travel seasons, unexpected fleet downtime and crew shortages, or route expansion. Carriers “borrow” a fully operated aircraft from another airline, along with the cockpit and cabin crew, and maintenance teams certified for that specific ACMI aircraft type. But there is a catch…
Data gap in ACMI lease operations
While ACMI offers great flexibility, it can also cause headaches—especially when it comes to sharing the flight crew (API CREW) data. The flight operator is legally responsible for submitting this data to authorities but often doesn’t have full access—particularly to crew details, which usually stay with the ACMI provider. This leads to either back-and-forth data exchange between the two parties or partial data submissions from the ACMI provider—both of which are usually manual, error-prone, and risky.
Many flight operators don’t realize this aspect should be clearly defined in the ACMI lease agreement. But even when roles are agreed on, that’s only the first step to improving the overall process. What if PAX data from the flight operator and CREW data from the ACMI provider could be automatically combined and submitted to the right authorities—on time, with the correct scope, and in full compliance with local rules?
Automated PAX and CREW data transfers for ACMI flights
Automating PAX and CREW data transfers saves time, reduces the risk of error, and helps to ensure compliance. PnrGo is the world leader in PAX and CREW data compliance solutions for aviation, cooperating both with ACMI flight operators and aircraft owners. With fully and semi-automated solutions, we can meet your needs in a flexible way.
Are you an ACMI flight operator?
To effectively meet your legal obligation of reporting the CREW data, you may need a solution that combines your PAX data with the CREW data held by your ACMI provider and submits everything to the relevant authorities on your behalf. Check with your ACMI provider whether they use a flight management system (FMS)—common for providers operating their own flights—or prefer to share CREW details via CSV, Excel, or Type B messages.
PnrGo can extract the required data directly from a file or an integrated FMS, and format it into an automated message to the authorities. The submission is made under your flight number (including your ICAO/IATA code), and contains an additional note on the source of the CREW data for full clarity.
Are you an ACMI service provider?
If handling CREW data submissions is something you wish to add to your wet leasing service, PnrGo is your go-to solution. It automates data transfers on your end, while you can assure your clients that this part of the agreement is well covered. The API CREW message is submitted using the flight number provided by your client, ensuring their ICAO/IATA code is visible to authorities for full compliance. This way, you can offer a more complete ACMI service, without any extra workload on your side.
Are you interested in the automated PAX and CREW data transfer for ACMI? Schedule a call with one of our Sales Representatives to discuss your needs.
