When you book a private jet through a broker, you are not buying a flight from that broker. You are buying a seat on an aircraft operated by a company you have probably never heard of, under a certificate you have never seen, covered by an insurance policy nobody has shown you. Most charter customers never ask about any of it, and most of the time it does not matter. The point of asking is the time it does.
Here is what a charter operator is actually required to carry, what the serious buyers insist on well beyond that minimum, and the four things worth confirming before you sign for a trip.
Part 91 and Part 135: the distinction everything rests on
An aircraft flying under Part 91 is in private, non-commercial operation. The owner flies themselves and their guests, nobody pays for the seat, and the insurance is a private policy written for that use.
The moment money changes hands for carriage, the flight falls under Part 135, and a different world of obligation opens up: an air carrier certificate, an approved operations manual, FAA-defined crew duty and rest limits, maintenance under a continuous airworthiness programme, drug and alcohol testing, and commercial insurance filed with the government.
This is why “my friend has a jet and will fly us for the fuel cost” is a legal problem rather than a bargain. Paid carriage on a Part 91 aircraft is an illegal charter, and a common consequence is that the insurance is void exactly when it is needed, because the policy covers private use and the flight was commercial.
What a charter operator must carry
US charter operators file proof of insurance with the Department of Transportation on Form OST 6410. It is a condition of holding the certificate, not an optional extra, and the statutory minimums are set out in the regulations:
- $300,000 per person for third-party bodily injury in any one occurrence.
- $20 million per aircraft per occurrence in total — reduced to $2 million for aircraft with no more than 60 seats or 18,000 lb maximum payload, which covers essentially every business jet in charter.
In practice, operators carry far more than the floor, and the limits scale with the aircraft. A piston or small aircraft operation might sit around $1 million per occurrence with $300,000 per passenger; a turboprop typically $2–5 million per occurrence with $500,000 per seat. A policy usually bundles passenger liability, third-party and property damage liability, hull coverage both in flight and on the ground, and crew coverage.
The number that actually matters, and it is not the minimum
Here is the part most charter customers never learn: the legal minimum is far below what an experienced buyer accepts.
Corporate flight departments, family offices and brokers who take risk management seriously look for liability limits in the region of $50 million for a light jet, rising into the hundreds of millions for larger aircraft carrying more passengers. The reasoning is straightforward and slightly grim: liability is driven by who is on board and what a court would award. A $2 million limit does not go far when the aircraft is carrying eight executives.
So the question to ask is never “are they insured?” — they must be, or they would not hold a certificate. The question is “what are the limits, and am I named on the certificate?”
The broker is not the operator
This trips up more people than any other part of charter. A broker arranges your trip; a certificated operator flies it and holds operational control. Your contract may be with the broker, but the aircraft, crew, certificate and insurance belong to the operator, and the operator can change after you book if the original aircraft goes technical.
Which means a certificate of insurance you were shown last month may describe an aircraft you are no longer flying on. Ask for confirmation of the operator flying your specific leg, not the broker’s general assurances.
Safety ratings: what the three names mean
You will see three credentials quoted, and they are not interchangeable.
- ARGUS audits the operator’s history and documentation — accident and incident record, pilot backgrounds, certificate standing. Ratings run up to Platinum.
- WYVERN certifies the operator and, usefully, can validate at trip level: the specific aircraft, the specific crew, on your specific flight. That is the Wingman standard.
- IS-BAO, run through IBAC, registers an operator’s safety management system and is about sustained safety culture rather than a one-off inspection.
Used together they give layered evidence: history and paperwork, operational certification plus trip validation, and an embedded safety system. Each can be checked independently — ARGUS, WYVERN and IBAC all maintain their own records — so you never have to take a broker’s word for a rating.
What about your own exposure?
If you charter often, or your company does, the operator’s policy is not your only consideration. Non-owned aircraft liability covers you or your business for claims arising from aircraft you use but do not own. For corporate travel it is inexpensive relative to the exposure, and it exists precisely because a claim can reach past the operator toward whoever arranged and paid for the flight.
Four things to confirm before you sign
- Who is the actual operator, and what is their certificate number? Not the broker. The company with operational control of your leg.
- What are the liability limits, in numbers? Compare against the aircraft and passenger count, not against the legal minimum.
- Are you or your company named on the certificate of insurance for this trip? Where it is appropriate, the relevant parties should appear on it.
- Which safety ratings does this operator hold, and are they current? Verify through ARGUS, WYVERN or IBAC directly rather than accepting a logo on a brochure.
None of this is adversarial, and a good operator will answer all four without hesitation — they are proud of the answers. An operator who becomes vague about limits or about who is actually flying you has told you something useful.
If you are looking at this from the ownership side instead, our complete guide to private jet insurance covers hull and liability coverage, what premiums actually cost and what drives them. And for the operational side of what happens once you are airborne, see what actually happens when lightning hits a plane.
Frequently asked questions
What insurance is a private jet charter operator required to have?
US Part 135 operators must file proof of insurance with the DOT on Form OST 6410 as a condition of their certificate. The statutory minimum is $300,000 per person for third-party bodily injury and $20 million per aircraft per occurrence, reduced to $2 million for aircraft of 60 seats or fewer or 18,000 lb payload or less.
How much liability coverage should a charter operator actually carry?
Well above the minimum. Experienced buyers look for around $50 million in liability for a light jet, scaling higher for larger aircraft and more passengers, because the statutory floor bears little relation to what a serious claim would cost.
What is the difference between Part 91 and Part 135 insurance?
Part 91 is private, non-commercial flying insured for that use. Part 135 is commercial carriage, requiring an air carrier certificate, regulated crew duty limits, a continuous airworthiness programme and commercial insurance filed with the DOT. Paying for a seat on a Part 91 aircraft is an illegal charter and can leave the policy void.
Do I need my own insurance when chartering a private jet?
Frequent charterers and companies often carry non-owned aircraft liability, which covers claims arising from aircraft they use but do not own. It is inexpensive relative to the exposure.
How do I verify a charter operator’s safety rating?
Check directly with the issuing body. ARGUS, WYVERN and IBAC each maintain their own records, so a rating can be confirmed independently of the broker, and you should confirm it for the operator flying your specific leg.
Sources: 14 CFR Part 135 and DOT insurance filing requirements (Form OST 6410); ARGUS, WYVERN and IBAC published rating criteria; aviation insurance brokers’ published guidance on charter liability limits.
