Private Jet Charter Safety: 12 Things to Check Before You Pay

Private aviation is statistically safe, but the market has a structural quirk worth understanding: the company that sells you the flight is often not the company that flies it. Illegal or “grey” charter — aircraft operated for hire without the proper certification — is a real and documented problem that regulators warn about by name. The checks below take about an hour and separate legitimate operators from the rest.

Two things this guide is not: it is not a safety certification of any operator, and it is not legal advice. It is a practical, educational checklist. For what the flight itself costs, see our private jet charter cost guide.

Broker vs operator — know who flies you

When you book through a broker or a membership programme, you are buying arrangement services. The operator — the company holding the air carrier certificate, employing the crew and maintaining the aircraft — is the party your safety depends on. Everything below is about the operator.

This matters because of grey charter: flights operated for compensation without holding the proper commercial certificate. In the US, regulators describe these as aircraft advertised for charter while actually operating under Part 91 (private, non-commercial) rules, which carry fewer requirements than commercial Part 135 operations. The FAA runs a “Safe Air Charter” campaign specifically warning passengers about it.

Operator certification

In the United States, commercial charter flights operate under FAA Part 135 certification, which brings stricter oversight than private flying: enhanced pilot training standards, structured maintenance programmes, duty-time limitations and ongoing operational surveillance.

How to verify, per published FAA guidance:

1. Ask for a copy of the Part 135 certificate. The FAA’s own guidance to passengers says to ask the operator for its certificate.
2. Ask for the operations specifications (the “D-085”). The FAA advises that the D-085, in conjunction with the certificate, tells you the company is a legitimate air carrier and that the specific aircraft is authorised for charter.
3. Check the FAA’s public resources. The FAA’s Safe Air Charter website includes a searchable list of certificated Part 135 operators, searchable by operator name or aircraft registration (N-number). If you do not find the operator listed, the FAA says to contact your local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) to verify charter status.
4. Outside the US, ask which authority issued the certificate — and verify with that authority. Do not assume one country’s paperwork covers another’s airspace.

Insurance

Ask for proof of insurance before you pay. At minimum, you want to see that the operator carries liability coverage appropriate to the aircraft and operation. A legitimate operator produces this without drama; hesitation is information.

Ask specifically whether the policy covers the aircraft you are flying on (by tail number), the type of operation (charter, not just private use), and the geographical area of your trip. If a broker arranged the flight, ask whether the broker also carries contingent liability cover — that does not replace the operator’s insurance, but it is one more layer. Keep copies of every certificate with your booking documents; in the unlikely event of an incident, you do not want to be reconstructing paperwork from memory.

Also check your own position: confirm what the operator’s policy covers for passengers, and consider whether your own travel insurance covers private aviation — some policies exclude it or require an add-on.

Pilot experience and crew rest

You are entitled to ask about the people in the cockpit. Published industry guidance (Aviation Pros) reports the following as reference points — treat them as questions to put to the operator, not as rules:

• The FAA requires charter pilots to have logged between 1,000 and 1,500 flight hours in their professional career, per that guide.
• Reputable charter companies are reported to require around 2,500 hours.
• Industry best practice cited in the same guide recommends both pilots have at least 3,000 hours each, with the captain holding 300 hours in the aircraft type to be flown.

Beyond hours, ask about recurrent training: how often pilots do simulator-based emergency training (published safety guidance notes top operators do this at least twice a year), and when each assigned pilot last completed it. And ask about crew rest and duty-time limits for your specific itinerary — long days and minimum-rest turnarounds are exactly what you want the operator to have a clear policy on. Do not accept vague answers here.

Aircraft details and age

Confirm the exact aircraft before you pay: tail number, make and model, and year of manufacture or last major refurbishment. Then check that this specific aircraft — not just the operator — appears on the certificate and operations specifications.

Age alone does not determine safety; maintenance does. But you should know what you are boarding, and a 30-year-old airframe with documented, current maintenance is a different proposition from one whose records the operator is reluctant to discuss. Ask who maintains the aircraft — an in-house team or a contracted facility — and whether maintenance records are available for review.

Safety audit ratings

Beyond the legal minimum, independent auditors assess operators against higher standards. The main names you will encounter, all cited in published safety guidance:

Indicative figures. Source: Tourism Review, BJT Online, Icarus Jet published safety guidance. Data collected: 13 October 2026.

An audit rating is a genuine positive signal — but it is a snapshot, not a guarantee. Ask when the last audit was completed, not just whether the operator “has” a rating. And note that a good rating on the operator does not automatically cover every aircraft it flies; tie the audit to your specific tail number.

Substitution policy

Charter contracts often include a substitution clause letting the operator replace your aircraft. That is sometimes unavoidable (a mechanical issue the morning of the flight), but the terms should protect you:

• Must the operator get your approval before substituting?
• Will the replacement be of equivalent or better standard — same category or better?
• What happens to the price if the replacement is a smaller or older aircraft?
• What happens if no suitable replacement is available — full refund, and on what timeline?

Get the answers in writing. A verbal “we’ll take care of you” has no standing when you are standing on the tarmac.

Your pre-payment folder should contain: the operator’s air carrier certificate, the operations specifications page listing your aircraft, the insurance certificate, the crew experience summary or minimum standard, the substitution clause, and the full cancellation and refund schedule. If any of these is missing a week before the flight, chase it — documents get harder to obtain, not easier, once money has moved.

Get it in writing

Everything above is worthless as a conversation. Before money moves, you should hold documents showing: the named operator and its certificate, your aircraft’s authorisation, the insurance position, the crew assigned (or the minimum experience standard), the substitution terms, and the cancellation and refund terms. Our private jet cost guide covers what a fair quote looks like — this guide covers whether the company behind the quote is one you should fly with.

Your 12-point checklist before you pay

1. The broker has named the operating company (not just the brand that sold you the flight).
2. You have the aircraft tail number, make, model and year.
3. You have seen the operator’s air carrier certificate (Part 135 in the US; the equivalent authority elsewhere).
4. You have confirmed your aircraft is listed on the certificate / operations specifications (D-085 in the US).
5. You have checked the FAA public operator list or contacted the local FSDO (US), or verified with the issuing authority elsewhere.
6. You know the operator’s third-party audit status (ARGUS / Wyvern / IS-BAO / ACSF) and the date of the last audit.
7. You have asked for pilot total hours and hours in type for the assigned crew.
8. You have asked about recurrent simulator training frequency and currency.
9. You have seen proof of insurance covering the operation.
10. You have the substitution policy in writing, including price protection.
11. You have asked about crew rest and duty limits for your itinerary and received a clear answer.
12. Cancellation, refund and payment terms are in the contract you signed — not in an email thread.

This guide is general information, not professional advice. Prices are indicative and change with season, route and availability. Spotted a mistake? Our contact email is coming soon.