FAA Grounds 800 Aircraft Due to Registration Violations
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded approximately 800 general aviation aircraft on January 13, 2026. This drastic measure was taken after it was determined that the UK-based Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc. (SACI) violated U.S. citizenship requirements when registering aircraft through trust agreements. The FAA has since notified SACI that all aircraft registration certificates issued in the company’s name are invalid and must be surrendered within 21 days.
This action has immediate repercussions, grounding hundreds of privately-owned aircraft registered through SACI’s Non-Citizen Trust arrangements. This primarily affects owners in the UK and continental Europe. To register an aircraft using a trust agreement, the trustee must be either a U.S. citizen or resident alien, requirements that the FAA found SACI did not meet.
In response to this, SACI announced that the U.S.-based company Valiair would take over operations. Their aim is to restore compliance and get the affected aircraft back in the air. Aircraft owners are now required to reregister their aircraft either through another country’s registry or submit a new U.S. registration application. This must be accompanied by evidence of ownership and a $5 registration fee.
The National Business Aviation Association has called on the FAA to provide clarity on the situation. They noted the significant impact this has on business aviation operations.
Source: Flying Magazine