Air operator certificate
The operator holds a current AOC from its national authority for the category of flight you are buying. Private, non-commercial arrangements dressed up as charter are refused outright, whatever the saving.
Safety and operators
We do not fly the aircraft.
We choose who does.
A broker arranges; a certificated operator flies. What we control is which operators we put in front of you, and we control it strictly.
The distinction
Who is responsible for what.
This deserves to be said plainly, because the industry often blurs it.
SkyCourtage is an air charter broker and a travel intermediary. We are not an air carrier and we operate no aircraft. When you charter through us, the contract of carriage is between you and a certificated operator, and that operator is the air carrier responsible for the conduct of the flight. When you buy a scheduled cabin through us, the carrier is the airline.
What we are responsible for is the choice we put in front of you, and the accuracy of what we tell you about it. We name the operator and the aircraft registration before you commit, never after.
The standard
What an operator must satisfy
Independent audit
We look for a current third-party rating (ARGUS, Wyvern or an IS-BAO registration), and we read the audit report itself. Where an operator holds none, we say so on the quote and explain what stands in its place.
Insurance that covers you
Certificates checked for each flight: hull, and third-party and passenger liability at a limit appropriate to the aircraft and the route. We will tell you the limit if you ask, and you should ask.
Crew experience, on this type
Total hours matter less than hours on the aircraft you are boarding, into the field you are using. Short runways, high elevation and difficult approaches raise the bar we apply.
Maintenance and age
Maintenance programme, last inspection and airframe hours. Age alone tells you little; a well-kept twenty-year-old airframe outranks a neglected new one.
History, honestly read
Accident, incident and enforcement history, and what the operator changed afterwards. An operator that has had an event and fixed it properly can be a better bet than one with nothing on file.
Every single flight
Checked for every booking.
An operator approved in March can have let a certificate lapse by September. So the file is re-read for each booking, not filed once and trusted.
- Certificate and insurance validity confirmed against the dates you are flying
- The specific aircraft and its registration confirmed
- Crew duty and rest checked against your schedule, especially on long days and late returns
- The field itself checked: runway length, elevation, approach, hours of operation, fuel and handling
- Weather and slot constraints reviewed before we call the price firm
The other half
What we will refuse.
Saying no is a large part of the job. We will decline, and tell you why:
- Any flight offered outside the operator’s certificate, or by a broker who will not name the operator
- A price that is only achievable by cutting crew rest or fuel reserve
- A field, an approach or a weather picture the aircraft or the crew is not suited to
- Pressure to depart against an operator’s own judgement. The commander’s decision is final, and we will not lean on it for you
Now and then this loses us a booking.
Want the operator’s certificate, audit rating or insurance certificate before you decide? Ask, and we will send them.
Ask us anything about an operator.
We will name the operator and the aircraft before you commit.