Private jet glossary.

• Empty legAn empty leg flight is a private jet flight with no passengers booked on it, flown to reposition the aircraft, either back to base after a one-way charter or onward to collect its next client.
• Dead legA dead leg is an industry term for a charter flight sector flown without revenue passengers, usually the return or positioning sector after a one-way booking.
• DeadheadA deadhead, in air charter, is a flight sector operated with no revenue passengers on board, typically to reposition the aircraft or crew.
• Ferry flightA ferry flight is a flight made to move an aircraft from one place to another without passengers or cargo, for example to return it to base, deliver it to a customer, or take it to a maintenance facility.
• Positioning flightA positioning flight is a non-revenue sector flown to place an aircraft at the airport where its next revenue flight begins, or to return it to base afterwards.
• RepositioningRepositioning is the movement of an aircraft, without paying passengers, from where its last flight ended to where its next flight begins.
• One-way charterA one-way charter is a private aircraft booking for a single sector from A to B, with no return flight by the same passengers.
• Round-trip charterA round-trip charter is a private aircraft booking that departs from and returns to the same airport with the same passengers, usually within a defined period.
• Air charter brokerAn air charter broker is a company or individual that arranges charter flights on behalf of customers but does not operate aircraft or hold an air operator certificate.
• Aircraft operatorAn aircraft operator, in charter, is the company that holds the air operator certificate, employs the crew, maintains the aircraft and has operational control of each flight.
• Air operator certificate (AOC)An air operator certificate (AOC) is the approval issued by a national aviation authority that permits an operator to conduct commercial air transport with specified aircraft.
• FAA Part 135FAA Part 135 is the section of Title 14 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations that governs commuter and on-demand operations by certificate holders, including on-demand air charter.
• FAA Part 91FAA Part 91 is the section of Title 14 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations that prescribes general operating and flight rules for aircraft within the United States.
• EASAThe European Union Aviation Safety Agency, EASA, is the EU body responsible for civil aviation safety regulation across its member states.
• UK CAAThe UK Civil Aviation Authority, UK CAA, is the statutory body that regulates civil aviation in the United Kingdom, covering safety, security, airspace, consumer protection and the ATOL scheme.
• ARGUS ratingAn ARGUS rating is an independent safety assessment of a charter operator issued by ARGUS International, a United States audit company.
• Wyvern WingmanWyvern Wingman is a voluntary safety certification for charter operators administered by WYVERN, an aviation safety auditing company founded in 1991.
• IS-BAOIS-BAO, the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, is a voluntary safety standard for business aviation operators published by the International Business Aviation Council, IBAC.
• FBO (fixed-base operator)An FBO, or fixed-base operator, is a business granted the right by an airport to provide aeronautical services on the airfield, such as fuelling, hangarage, parking, ground handling and passenger and crew facilities.
• General aviation terminalA general aviation terminal is the building at an airport set aside for non-airline traffic, including private jets, business aircraft and their passengers and crew.
• SlotA slot is a permission granted by an airport slot coordinator to use the airport's infrastructure for take-off or landing at a specific date and time.
• PPR (prior permission required)PPR, prior permission required, is a condition at some airports and airfields that an aircraft operator must obtain approval from the airport before arriving or departing.
• Handling agentA handling agent is a company contracted to service an aircraft and its passengers on the ground at an airport, providing ramp services such as marshalling, towing, ground power and baggage loading, together with passenger, crew and administrative services.
• Block timeBlock time is the elapsed time from the moment an aircraft first moves under its own power for the purpose of flight until it comes to rest at its parking position after landing.
• Flight timeFlight time, in the United States regulatory definition, is pilot time that begins when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when it comes to rest after landing.
• Nautical mileA nautical mile is a unit of distance used in aviation and at sea, defined internationally as exactly 1,852 metres, which is about 6,076 feet or 1.151 statute miles.
• Great-circle distanceGreat-circle distance is the distance between two points on the surface of a sphere, measured along the great-circle arc through both, which is the minimum path over that surface.
• RangeRange, for an aircraft, is the distance it can fly between take-off and landing on the fuel it can carry, after allowing for required reserves.
• Cabin classCabin class, in private aviation, is the informal size category used to group business aircraft by cabin volume, seat count and range.
• Very light jet (VLJ)A very light jet, or VLJ, is the entry class of business jet, typically certified for single-pilot operation and seating up to about seven people.
• Light jetA light jet is a business jet class seating roughly six to eight passengers, with industry summaries giving an average range of about 1,953 nautical miles.
• Midsize jetA midsize jet is a business jet class seating around eight or nine passengers, with industry summaries giving an average range of about 2,540 nautical miles.
• Super-midsize jetA super-midsize jet is a business jet class positioned between midsize and heavy jets, typically seating up to 10 or 11 passengers with a wider cabin and an average range of roughly 3,420 nautical miles.
• Heavy jetA heavy jet, also called a large-cabin jet, is a business jet class with a wide stand-up cabin, typically seating 12 to 19 passengers in separate zones, and a range that permits transatlantic and some intercontinental sectors.
• Ultra-long-range jetAn ultra-long-range jet is a large-cabin business jet designed for intercontinental sectors of roughly 6,500 nautical miles or more without stopping, with a cabin arranged in multiple living areas for flights lasting many hours.
• TurbopropA turboprop is an aircraft powered by a gas turbine engine that drives a propeller.
• VIP airlinerA VIP airliner, also called a bizliner or corporate airliner, is a commercial airliner such as a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 family aircraft completed with a private cabin instead of airline seating.
• Jet cardA jet card is a prepaid private aviation product under which the customer buys a block of flight hours on a specified aircraft category at an agreed fixed hourly rate, with assured availability at a set notice period.
• Fractional ownershipFractional ownership is an arrangement in which several owners hold shares of an aircraft and share its use and costs, with a programme manager operating the fleet.
• Membership programmeA membership programme, in private aviation, is a subscription or fee-based scheme that gives members access to charter flights, empty legs or shared flights at published rates, usually without buying a block of hours in advance.
• Semi-private flightA semi-private flight is a scheduled or semi-scheduled service sold by the seat on a business jet or small airliner, departing from private terminals rather than main airline terminals.
• Shared charterA shared charter is an arrangement in which two or more parties travelling together, or on the same route, split the cost of one chartered aircraft.
• Charter agreementA charter agreement is the contract for a private flight, setting out the aircraft type and registration, the itinerary, the price and what it includes, payment terms, cancellation charges and liability.
• Wet leaseA wet lease is an arrangement in which one operator provides an aircraft together with at least one crew member, and usually crew, maintenance and insurance, to another party that pays by the hour.
• Dry leaseA dry lease is an arrangement in which an aircraft is leased without crew, and the lessee provides its own crew and maintenance and holds operational control.
• De-icingDe-icing is the removal of ice, snow and frost from an aircraft on the ground before take-off, usually by spraying heated fluid, so that no contamination remains on critical surfaces such as wings and tail.
• Tech stopA tech stop, or technical stop, is an intermediate landing made for operational reasons such as refuelling, a crew change or a minor technical check, during which passengers normally remain on board and do not begin or end their journey.
• ICAO codeAn ICAO code is a four-letter location indicator assigned by the International Civil Aviation Organization to airports and other aviation facilities, published in ICAO Document 7910.
• IATA codeAn IATA code is a three-letter code assigned by the International Air Transport Association to airports, cities and metropolitan areas, for example LHR for London Heathrow and JFK for New York John F.
• Tail numberA tail number is the registration mark that uniquely identifies a civil aircraft, consisting of a national prefix and a unique suffix, for example N for the United States and G for the United Kingdom.

Last reviewed 20 September 2026 by Empty Leg Exclusive Editorial Team.