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By Pat Sinnott, Founder of Peak Aviation Solutions. Holds a BS in Flight Operations and Aviation Management and a commercial pilot certificate with multi-engine and instrument ratings; 21 years in aviation; NBAA member.
When someone asks me how to lease a private jet, I don't start with lease terms.
I start with three questions. How many hours a year do you fly? What routes, and how often? And what do you expect that to look like in two or three years?
The answers decide everything. Leasing, fractional ownership, whole ownership and charter are all real options, and each one wins at a different level of flying. Here's how they work and where the lines fall.
Quick Answer: Can You Lease a Private Jet?
Yes. You can lease a private jet through a dry lease, a wet lease from a certificated operator, or a structured program lease from a fractional provider. Leasing makes financial sense mainly for people who fly well over 100 hours a year. Below that, chartering by the trip usually costs less, because you pay only for the flights you take and carry no fixed monthly costs.
The Three Ways to Lease a Private Jet
"Leasing a jet" means different things depending on who provides the pilots and who's in charge of the flight. That second part, called operational control, is what the FAA cares about most.
Operational control is the authority over starting, conducting and ending a flight, and the party that holds it carries legal responsibility for that flight under FAA rules.
Dry lease
A dry lease is an aircraft lease in which the lessee receives the aircraft only and supplies its own flight crew, taking operational control of every flight.
The flights run under Part 91 as private operations, with you responsible for crew, maintenance oversight and compliance (AOPA Pilot Protection Services). This is how many companies operate a corporate aircraft without owning it outright.
Wet lease
A wet lease is an aircraft lease in which the lessor provides both the aircraft and the crew and keeps operational control of the flights.
Because the lessor controls flights it's being paid for, it needs an FAA air carrier certificate to do this legally (AOPA). A "wet lease" offered by someone without that certificate is one of the most common ways illegal charter gets disguised.
Program lease from a fractional provider
Large fractional companies offer structured leases on a share of an aircraft. Flexjet, for example, describes a jet lease with a minimum 1/16 interest, a typical 60-month term, a refundable security deposit, a fixed monthly lease payment, a management fee, an occupied hourly rate and a variable fuel charge (Flexjet). NetJets also offers a lease program (NetJets).
These behave much like fractional ownership without the capital purchase: predictable access, a fixed fleet and a long commitment.
The Legal Trap in Some "Jet Leases"
Here's the warning I give anyone shopping for a lease online.
If someone offers you an aircraft and pilots together for a single price, calls it a lease, and isn't a certificated Part 135 operator, stop. The FAA looks at who actually controls the flights, not what the contract calls it. In the words of AOPA's legal team, "the FAA is not bound by those terms when it is making an operational control determination."
If you end up holding operational control without realizing it, you can be responsible for a flight you had no ability to run safely. The FAA's own warning signs for illegal charter include being asked whether you're liable for the flight (FAA, Safe Air Charter). Our guide to ARGUS, Wyvern and the D085 covers how to confirm an operator is legal.
Leasing vs Chartering: Where the Hours Fall
Utilization decides this more than anything else. Here's the ladder I use with clients:
| Hours flown per year | What usually makes sense |
|---|---|
| Under 50 | On-demand charter. Leasing or fractional costs far too much for the flying you do |
| 50 to 100 | Charter, or a jet card if your trips cluster on peak days and short notice |
| 100 to 250 | Fractional ownership or a program lease starts to make real financial sense, and on-demand charter still works well for many flyers |
| 250 and up | Whole aircraft ownership, or a long-term dry lease, is the honest answer |
Source: Peak Aviation Solutions utilization guidance, 2026.
The utilization ladder is Peak Aviation Solutions' rule of thumb for matching annual flight hours to the most cost-effective way to fly: charter under 50 hours, charter or a jet card from 50 to 100, fractional, a program lease or charter from 100 to 250, and ownership above 250.
A lease only pays off when you use it. Every month you don't fly, you still pay the lease, the management fee and often insurance. Charter has none of those fixed costs. You pay for the trip you approve.
For the full comparison of cards, shares and deposit programs, see our private jet membership guide and charter vs jet card vs fractional.
Questions to Ask Before You Lease
- Who holds operational control? On a charter or a wet lease, the certificated operator and the pilot in command hold operational control. On a dry lease, you do, which means crew, maintenance oversight and insurance under your own name.
- Is the lessor certificated? Any lease that includes crew should come from a Part 135 or Part 121 certificate holder.
- What's the total monthly cost if you don't fly? Add lease, management, insurance, hangar and crew.
- What's the term and exit? Many program leases run about five years. Know the early termination terms.
- What happens when the aircraft is down for maintenance? Ask whether a replacement is guaranteed.
- How do your real hours compare? Pull your last two years of flying before you sign anything.
Why Most Flyers Still Charter
When we add up a caller's actual hours, the number is often lower than they expected. Below 100 hours, a lease is a large fixed commitment for flying that charter covers well, often with a better-fit aircraft for each trip.
That's not a sales line. When a client's hours climb past 250 a year, I tell them to look seriously at owning. Right-sizing goes both ways.
The other thing charter gives you is choice. With a lease you fly the aircraft you leased. With charter, a family ski week can go on a super-midsize and a solo business day trip on a light jet. That flexibility is a big part of what a private jet broker does.
Supplemental Lift: Why Owners and Share Holders Still Need a Broker
Even with a fractional share, a lease or your own airplane, you'll still need charter from time to time. We provide that supplemental lift whenever it's needed, and it matters more than most owners expect:
- A more efficient aircraft for the trip. Your share might be a midsize jet, but a short hop suits a light jet and a family trip may need a bigger cabin. Chartering the right aircraft can cost less than using your own hours.
- A sick crew member. If a pilot can't fly, a flight department or program may not have a replacement ready in time.
- Scheduling conflicts. Two people in the company need to travel on the same day, or your program is short on aircraft during a peak period.
- A last-minute mechanical. When your own airplane goes into maintenance the morning of a trip, a backup charter keeps the schedule.
- Scheduled maintenance. An owned aircraft can spend weeks a year in inspections and upgrades.
Having a broker who already knows how you like to fly means that backup comes together in hours, not days.
Private Jet Leasing Questions
Can you lease a private jet?
Yes. Private jets can be leased through a dry lease, where the lessee provides crew and holds operational control, through a wet lease from a certificated operator that provides aircraft and crew, or through a program lease offered by fractional providers such as Flexjet and NetJets. Each structure carries different legal responsibilities and fixed costs.
What is the difference between a dry lease and a wet lease?
In a dry lease, the lessee receives only the aircraft, supplies its own pilots and holds operational control, so flights run under Part 91. In a wet lease, the lessor supplies both aircraft and crew and keeps operational control, which requires the lessor to hold an FAA air carrier certificate.
Is leasing a private jet cheaper than chartering?
Leasing is usually cheaper than chartering only at high utilization. Under about 100 flight hours a year, on-demand charter generally costs less because it carries no fixed monthly lease, management, insurance or crew costs. Between 100 and 250 hours, a program lease, fractional share or charter can make sense, and above 250 hours ownership often does.
How long is a private jet lease?
Private jet lease terms vary by structure. Program leases from fractional providers commonly run around five years; Flexjet, for example, describes a typical 60-month term for its jet lease. Dry leases between companies can be shorter or longer depending on the agreement between lessor and lessee.
What is operational control in aircraft leasing?
Operational control is the authority over initiating, conducting and terminating a flight. The party holding it is legally responsible for the flight under FAA rules. The FAA determines operational control from how flights actually operate, not only from the wording of the lease, which is why mislabeled leases can amount to illegal charter.
Who should lease a private jet?
Leasing generally suits individuals or companies that fly well over 100 hours a year on predictable routes, want consistent access to one aircraft type, and can carry fixed monthly costs whether or not they fly. Travelers flying fewer hours or varied trips usually get better value from on-demand charter.
Count the Hours Before You Sign
Can you lease a private jet? Absolutely.
Should you? That depends on a number most people have never actually added up: their real annual hours. Get that number first.
Let's run your numbers before you commit
Send me your last year or two of trips and I'll tell you honestly where you sit on the ladder: charter, card, share, lease or ownership. If charter fits, we'll plan the flights; if it doesn't, I'll say so and point you the right way. There's one number in that review that surprises almost everyone who runs it.
Grab a time on Pat's calendar to go through it, or request a quote for an upcoming trip.
Related guides
- What Does a Private Jet Broker Do? A Pilot-Broker Explains
- Can You Book a Seat on a Private Jet? Seats vs the Whole Aircraft
- Are Private Jets Safe? A Pilot's Honest Answer
Related services
- Request a charter quote, all-in pricing on any trip
- Empty leg alerts and live inventory, free subscription, pay only when you fly
- Meet Pat Sinnott, the pilot who vets every operator
Peak Aviation Solutions, Private Jet Charter Broker
Peak Aviation Solutions is a pilot-founded private jet charter broker headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, arranging charter flights nationwide and worldwide. Pilot-founded, simply exceptional.
Founder: Pat Sinnott, commercial multi-engine rated pilot with 21 years in private aviation. Helped grow Summit Aviation’s flight department from one airplane to 21 before founding Peak. NBAA member.
Services: private jet charter brokerage, empty leg flights and free empty leg alerts, business travel, personal travel, group travel, and event charter. No membership fees; clients pay per trip. Third-party safety vetting on every flight.
Coverage: roughly 5,000 public-use airports across the United States, only about 500 of which have commercial airline service (FAA), plus Canada. About 80 percent of Peak’s flying happens outside Montana.
Contact: charter@flypeak.com · (406) 296-3256 · flypeak.com · Instagram @peakaviationsolutions
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