Matt Gould, Senior Aviation Broker at Dashwood Brewer & Phipps, explains the reasons behind partnering with aviation’s first insurance marketplace, Flycovr, and focuses on 3 key areas.

Tell us about yourself and your experience in the aviation market

I’ve been in the insurance industry for 18 years, and 15 specifically in aviation. I began working in all aspects of aviation claims, from general operators to large manufacturers such as Textron and Hartzell Propeller.

After around three years I moved over to the broking and production side. I’ve been with Dashwood for approximately 18 months (at the time of recording in September 2022) and have enjoyed expanding our business footprint across the globe. Dashwoods has been an independent broker for over 100 years and strives for excellence in its field.

Why are you working with Flycovr, and what common things do you see in the market that flycovr can address?
flycovr are taking a fresh approach by creating a much-needed aviation insurance marketplace. They’ve come to Dashwoods to create a partnership which is a great opportunity to harness our extensive knowledge of aviation insurance. The two organisations complement each other immensely with flycovr helping to make our solutions accessible.

At Dashwoods we handle all areas of the aviation market, from small commercial operations to any service provider, product manufacturer and airport, all around the world.

One of the biggest challenges in the market is for the insured to know what level of cover they need. flycovr and Dashwood will be in a position to reduce mistakes and any gaps clients have in this insurance area.

How common is it for there to be gaps, or for clients to think they are insured when they aren’t?

It’s very common for us to see insurance contracts that do not provide the correct level of cover – and in some circumstances there’s no cover at all for the exposure. As a specialist aviation team we pride ourselves in providing the correct cover for each and every client.

Unfortunately some insurers do find difficulty after a claim has been denied or not covered, which can result in clients either having to settle commercially, or more seriously going into liquidation.

Dashwoods want our clients to be able to sleep at night, by being sure they are protected for any unforeseen circumstances. After all that’s ultimately what all clients buy insurance for – to have the benefit of cover in the event of something happening.

What areas of the aviation market can FlyCovr customers get support on?

We cover all aspects and areas. It’s such a wide spread, from a private owned aircraft to somebody that manufactures widgets. We also look after companies that provide a service on the airfield whether it’s catering, ground handling or refuelling. It’s anything that you may see at an airport.

Flycovr are perfectly placed to recommend these service part providers or manufacturers to us – we review all the details here at Dashwoods and provide them with the correct cover.

What is product liability insurance and how does it work?

Product liability is designed to protect the insured against third party bodily injury and/or property damage caused by an aviation product that the insured has provided to a customer. For example, if a manufacturer makes a fan blade in an engine which causes an aircraft to crash, they could be sued by a third party for the damage caused.

What is premises liability insurance?

Premises liability cover is designed to protect the insured from third party bodily injury and property damage whilst at that insured location. For example, if a customer comes to your factory and they fall over an item that was left on the floor – that customer could sue you for the injury they sustained.

What is Hangar Keepers Liability insurance?

This is where we do get a lot of questions because of the name. People think this is only relevant if you own a hangar. But this cover actually caters for any third-party aviation equipment whilst it’s in the custody or control of the insured. It doesn’t need to be inside a hangar – it could be in a factory where you’re working on parts. If your customer sends you a part to provide repairs on, that part is deemed to be in your care, custody or control and it falls under the Hangar Keepers Section.

Say a customer’s aircraft is damaged whilst it’s in your care – that customer could then sue you for the damage caused.

All the products we’ve mentioned are legal liability policy coverage, which means the insured needs to be found legally liable in a court. There are so many contractual agreements that clients have with their customers – it’s very important each insured makes sure they review and understand what they are asking their customers to sign.

What last words do you have on aviation insurance?
From my experience and discussions with the insurers over the years I cannot stress enough how important it is for businesses to protect themselves. Please double check the cover you have in place and make sure it does provide you with all the protection you need.

Flycovr recommends Dashwoods to review clients’ documents – we will take a look and explain what we feel is needed to provide you with the correct cover.