SkyWest Charter (CW, St. George Municipal) has urged the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a final order granting it commuter air carrier authorisation, despite ongoing opposition from several unions which argue that approving the certificate could pose safety risks, regulatory gaps, and oversight challenges.
In a response to the DOT, SkyWest Charter defended its application arguing that the objections raised by labour unions and organisations are irrelevant to the key issue of fitness to operate. The DOT found the charter specialist fit to conduct scheduled passenger operations as a commuter air carrier in February 2025 but has not issued its final order granting the certification.
According to SkyWest, unions are trying to limit competition rather than address real safety concerns. It said at least one other charter carrier, Aero (United States of America) (5E, San Francisco), has been granted its commuter carrier certificate under similar conditions and did not face objections.
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), the union representing employees charged with oversight responsibilities at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), argued that the FAA lacks adequate staffing and resources to properly oversee SkyWest Charter's operations and does not have clear guidance for scheduled commuter operations under Part 135, which would create regulatory ambiguity.
Overall, the unions claim that Part 135 has less stringent safety, training, and operational requirements than Part 121, which is typically used for scheduled passenger airlines. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) argued that allowing SkyWest to operate larger aircraft (up to 30 seats) under Part 135 creates an uneven safety playing field compared to other regional carriers and bypasses pilot labour agreements.
Nonetheless, SkyWest Charter has argued (and the DOT has acknowledged this) that it intends to adopt voluntary measures exceeding Part 135 minimum operating requirements, such as dual captains with ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) certificates, implementing Part 117 rest and fatigue rules, using TSA-screened airports, and implementing Safety Management Systems (SMS) and Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) training, ch-aviation reported.
SkyWest Charter plans to launch operations with a single aircraft in its first month, gradually expanding by adding three to four more and introducing services to four to five new markets each month. Currently, its fleet consists of eighteen CRJ200 aircraft, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. Over the first year, it aims to serve 25 destinations, primarily targeting small and underserved communities, including former Essential Air Service (EAS) locations. Many of these markets were previously served by its parent company, SkyWest Airlines (OO, St. George Municipal), under Part 121 but lost service due to pilot shortages and financial challenges.
