How to verify a private jet operator before you book

A broker arranges the charter. An operator flies it. The operator is the company that holds operational control of the aircraft and the certificate that allows it to carry paying passengers. Jettura, powered by Certified Jets LLC, is an air charter broker. We don't own or operate aircraft. (More on the difference in Private jet broker vs operator.)

That split is why verification matters. A polished website or a well-known aircraft type tells you nothing about whether the operator behind the flight is approved. The aviation authority's records do.

Do these five steps before you pay the operator or sign its charter contract.

1. Get the operator's legal name. Not a brand, not a salesperson's name. The company that will hold operational control of the flight.
2. Get its certificate number. In the US this is the Part 135 air carrier certificate. Elsewhere it is the AOC number. Ask for a copy of the certificate and its operations specifications.
3. Look the operator up on the issuing authority's list. Use the country sections below. Match the legal name exactly.
4. Check the aircraft, not just the company. The operator's authority is tied to specific aircraft. In the US, the FAA list shows which aircraft are authorized for charter, searchable by N-number. Ask for the registration of the aircraft that will fly you and confirm it is on the certificate.
5. Ask who has operational control. The answer should be the certificated operator. If the answer is "the owner" or "the pilot's own arrangement", stop and read Private jet charter scams.

If any step fails, don't pay the operator. Ask the operator to explain, then check again with the authority.

Registers differ. Some authorities publish a searchable list. Some publish only a PDF. Some, as far as we could find, publish no public list at all. Where there is no list, ask the authority directly and ask the operator for a copy of its certificate. Lists change, so look at the date on each one.

United States: FAA Part 135

On-demand charter in the US requires an FAA Part 135 certificate. The FAA publishes two tools:

• The FAA list of certificated Part 135 operators and aircraft is a spreadsheet you can search by operator name or by aircraft N-number. The FAA says to use it to verify that an operator is certificated for charter and which aircraft are authorized for charter. If an operator or aircraft isn't on it, the FAA says to contact your local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).
• The FAA Air Operator search (AVInfo) lets you look up an operator by name or by the name it does business under, and see the aircraft listed for it. Choose Part 135 for charter and air taxi.

The FAA's Safe Air Charter page explains the risks of illegal charter and gives a hotline for reporting rogue operators. If a list is unavailable when you check, call a FSDO instead of skipping the check.

For brokers, the US Department of Transportation's rule in 14 CFR Part 295 says an air charter broker may not sell charter on an operator that lacks the required DOT economic authority and FAA safety authority. A broker's advertising must say that it is a broker and not a direct air carrier, and that the flight will be provided by a properly licensed carrier.

United Kingdom: UK CAA

UK operators need an Air Operator Certificate and an Operating Licence from the Civil Aviation Authority. The CAA publishes lists on its holders of air operator certificates page, as PDFs.

Two UK specifics:

• The CAA says the company that sold you a flight can be a different entity from the operator, and that by law you must be told the operator's name. See the CAA's Making sure your flight is legal guidance.
• A non-UK operator flying commercial services to, from or within the UK needs a CAA foreign carrier permit rather than appearing on the UK AOC list. See About foreign carrier permits.

European Union: national authorities and EASA

In the EU, the AOC is normally issued by the national aviation authority of the country where the operator has its principal place of business. In some cases that responsibility has been transferred to EASA. EASA explains this on its air operator certificate page. So for an EU operator, check the list of the issuing state. France is covered next.

An operator from outside the EU that flies commercial flights into, within or out of the EU (or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) needs an EASA third-country operator (TCO) authorization. EASA explains the scheme on its third-country operators page and publishes a TCO status report (PDF) and a TCO site.

France: DGAC

The French civil aviation authority, the DGAC, issues the certificat de transporteur aérien (CTA), France's AOC. The ministry publishes lists of French operators holding a valid CTA on its public or private air transport page, including airplane operators, helicopter operators, and the airlines that hold both an AOC and an operating licence. The lists carry a date and a warning that they can change at any time, so check the date and confirm with the operator or the regional authority (DSAC) shown in the list.

United Arab Emirates: GCAA

Commercial operators based in the UAE need an AOC from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The GCAA describes how an AOC is issued in its advisory publication CAAP-08. We could not find a public list of UAE AOC holders on the GCAA site. So ask the operator for a copy of its AOC and operations specifications and ask the GCAA to confirm it. If the flight goes to or from the EU, the operator also needs the EASA TCO authorization described above.

Saudi Arabia: GACA

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) certifies air operators. Its e-services catalog includes Air Operator Certification under GACAR Part 135, and the site has a page called licensed aviation service providers, in Arabic. We could not confirm from the page itself whether it lists charter operators. Ask the operator for its GACA certificate and ask GACA to confirm it.

Singapore: CAAS

Singapore operators must hold an AOC from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). CAAS explains the process on its Air Operator Certificate page. We did not find a public list of holders there, and the page points to CAAS contact details. Ask the operator for its AOC and ask CAAS to confirm it.

Hong Kong: Civil Aviation Department

Hong Kong's CAD publishes a short list of AOC holders with their AOC numbers on its Air Operator's Certificate page. Hong Kong-registered aircraft may not fly for public transport unless the operator holds an AOC. If the operator you were quoted isn't on the list, ask which authority issued its certificate.

Anywhere else

Ask for the AOC, find the issuing country's civil aviation authority, and ask that authority to confirm it. If the operator is foreign, also ask whether it holds the permit needed to fly to or within the country you are flying to (for example a UK foreign carrier permit or an EU TCO authorization).

The short list is below. Each warning sign, with how to check it, is in Private jet charter scams: 9 red flags.

• Nobody will name the operator before you pay the operator or sign its charter contract. A broker may keep the operator's identity until its own fee is paid. But the name, certificate and aircraft should be in front of you before any money goes to the operator and before you sign its contract.
• The quote comes from an "owner's pilot" or "owner's aircraft" with no charter certificate behind it. This is often called grey charter.
• The company that sells the flight won't say whether it is a broker or an operator.
• The price is far below everything else, with a large deposit up front.
• Pressure to pay now, in cash or crypto, or to a personal account.
• The aircraft's registration is missing, or doesn't match the certificate.
• You are told you, as the passenger, will be the one in operational control of the flight. The FAA lists "am I liable for the flight?" as a red flag in its Safe Air Charter guidance.

Read the charter contract before you sign it. Check that:

• The operator is named by legal name, with its certificate number.
• The aircraft is identified by type and registration, and the contract says what happens if a substitute aircraft is needed.
• The contract is with the operator and says it holds operational control, not with a vague "management company" that disclaims responsibility for the flight.
• The payment terms are clear: who you pay, into which account, how much, and when. Payment goes to the account on the operator's contract, not to a personal account.
• Cancellation and refund terms are written down, including what happens if the operator cancels.
• Insurance is stated: ask for proof of the operator's liability insurance.
• Taxes and third-party charges (landing, handling, fuel, parking) are explained, so the final price is not a surprise.

Be wary of any clause that asks you to sign away safety or insurance rights.

A normal private charter is one whole aircraft chartered by one party. Individual seats sold to strangers need a specific legal structure behind them, such as a public charter or a scheduled service run by a certificated carrier. In the UK, the CAA describes a separate category called cost sharing, where a non-commercial pilot shares direct costs with passengers; the CAA says these are private arrangements that do not meet the same safety standards as AOC flights, and the pilot must deal directly with the passenger (see the CAA guidance above).

Jettura doesn't sell individual seats. A shared flight on Jettura is one whole aircraft chartered and shared between parties, arranged only with the operator's approval. See shared flights.

• Pay the operator on the operator's own contract and documents.
• If payment details change by email, call the company on a number you already had, or find the number yourself. Don't use a number in the email.
• Keep the contract, the certificate copy and every receipt together.
• Never pay a deposit by cash, crypto or to a personal account.

If you think you have been offered an illegal flight in the US, you can report it to the FAA hotline (1-866-835-5322 at hotline.faa.gov). In the UK, the CAA asks you to report it to iet@caa.co.uk.

Jettura is an air charter broker. Before you pay anything, we confirm the operator holds a valid AOC for the aircraft flying you.

Here is how the money and the paperwork work:

• You pay Jettura a flat USD 999 fee, by card, on our own checkout page. There is no markup on the operator's price.
• The operator's name and contact details come with the introduction, after the fee is paid, as our Terms of Service set out. On a shared flight, the introduction comes once every party has paid.
• You pay the operator directly, under its contract.
• The price on the board is an estimate until the operator confirms it, and the operator confirms availability.

You don't have to take our word for the operator's status. Use the steps above on the operator we introduce, before you pay it. See how it works and, if a flight is canceled, what happens if an empty leg is canceled.