Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Escalating conflicts, civil unrest, and increasingly complex criminality are converging in a toxic pool of risk that can make companies and individuals question whether some trips are worth taking. Eric Schouten, a former aviation intelligence liaison officer with the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service, says the business aviation industry has good reason to be concerned about the dangerous world in which they operate, but that safe travel is possible with the right preparation.
“People are now more scared, and that can make them freeze [in making travel decisions], but mitigation is possible with intelligence, preparation, and training,” Schouten told AIN. At EBACE 2025, he is part of a conference session on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. entitled Navigating the Chaos, and his company, Dyami Security Intelligence, is <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2025-05-18/ibac-teams-dyami-offer-bizav-security-training">collaborating with IBAC</a> to provide training for the business aviation community.
In Schouten’s view, the flip side of the serious security risks is opportunity, in the sense that those who are willing to manage the risk can be rewarded for getting to places their rivals avoid. Similarly, charter flight operators who invest in a comprehensive security plan can market this as a premium product for nervous flyers. He thinks business aviation has tended not to take security seriously enough in the past, but he believes this is now changing.
<h2>How To Be Your Own Security Manager</h2>
“With the right preparation, flight crew at small companies can be their own security managers,” Schouten explained. Dyami offers operators, including Shell Aircraft, global oversight of security risks to give them the foresight they need to safely plan trips.
“We give them a template to use for their operations, including checklists covering how to deal with FBOs, hotels, and ground transportation services,” he said. “Security preparation is about much more than just overflight risks; it now extends to risks like espionage. You need to establish a baseline for travel risk management.”
Aircraft operators planning flights into or close to conflict zones, such as the disputed territory of Kashmir, “have to think through what happens if something goes wrong, how we can help crews who get into trouble, and what might happen if an aircraft gets stuck somewhere,” said Schouten.
Part of the preparation equation is well-trained people, and that process can seem daunting for operators who struggle to free up their crew to learn what they need to know to stay safe. The new Dyami Academy now offers immersive training and tests through a mix of remote and in-person settings that use a virtual reality (VR) platform to run through security scenarios.
According to chief operating officer Charlotte Bakker, the VR training conducted on clients’ own devices keeps staff engaged and reduces the amount of time that they will be away from their day jobs. It does not replace the face-to-face sessions in which Dyami’s experts help trainees build the confidence they need to stay on the right side of the risk.

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