The two words are used as if they meant the same thing. They do not, and the difference decides what you sign, what you pay and who carries the aeroplane. Here is how to tell them apart in a minute - and which of the two we arrange.
REQUEST A QUOTEIf you need an aircraft for a journey - a date, a route, a number of seats - that is a charter, and that is what we arrange. If you need an aircraft at your disposal for months at a time, with a minimum number of hours and an operating commitment, that is a lease, and we do not offer it. Most people who type the word "lease" into a search box turn out to need the first one.
You book a specific aircraft for a specific flight. The operator provides the crew, the fuel, the insurance and the handling; you provide the dates, the passengers and the bags. You pay for that flight and nothing else, and when you land the arrangement is over.
A lease puts an aircraft at your disposal for a defined term. It comes in two shapes, and the difference between them is who runs the aeroplane.
| Dry lease | Wet lease | |
|---|---|---|
| What you receive | The aircraft alone | Aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance |
| Who employs the crew | You, or an operator you appoint | The lessor |
| Who holds the operating certificate | You need one, or a partner who has one | The lessor |
| Typical term | Months to years | Weeks to months |
| Suits | Airlines and operators adding capacity | Operators covering a gap or a seasonal peak |
Four questions settle it without any aviation vocabulary at all.
| Question | Charter | Lease |
|---|---|---|
| How often will the aircraft fly? | A trip, or a handful of trips | Continuously, over a term |
| Do you want the aircraft standing by when you are not using it? | No | Yes - that is the point |
| Are you prepared to commit to a minimum number of hours? | No | Yes |
| Do you want anything to do with crew rosters, maintenance and insurance? | No | Possibly, on a dry lease |
Three answers in the left column mean you are looking for a charter. If you are not sure, tell us the trip you have in mind and we will say plainly which of the two it is - including when the honest answer is that a lease suits you better and we are not the right people.
In everyday English "lease", "rent" and "hire" all mean paying to use something that belongs to somebody else, so a traveller reaches for whichever comes first. In aviation the words are not interchangeable: a lease is a term arrangement with obligations attached, a charter is a flight. Neither is a better deal than the other in the abstract - they answer different questions.
If you arrived here having searched for a jet to lease and what you actually pictured was flying somewhere next month, the pages below are the ones you want.
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are. Your dedicated flight advisor will come back with aircraft options and a firm price.
These are the questions that bring people to this page. The answers are the same ones we give on the telephone.