# Own vs Charter

> Private jet ownership vs charter, with fractional and jet card: five questions on hours, mission length, passengers, notice and charter revenue decide the model.

## Key facts

- There is no published breakeven figure for owning versus chartering a private jet. No regulator, statistical agency or trade body publishes one, and the rules of thumb repeated in the market cannot be traced to a primary source.
- A fractional ownership program is a defined regulatory structure under 14 CFR 91.1001, requiring a single program manager, two or more airworthy aircraft, at least one aircraft with more than one owner, and a dry-lease aircraft exchange under multi-year agreements.
- Under 14 CFR 119.1, carrying passengers for compensation or hire generally requires an air carrier or operating certificate, which is why placing an owned aircraft on a charter certificate changes the rules the aircraft flies under and who holds operational control.

## Key pages

- [Private jet ownership vs charter: which fits your flying?](https://ownvscharter.com/): the main tool, answer above the fold.
- [Fractional vs jet card: what you are actually buying](https://ownvscharter.com/fractional-vs-jet-card/): A fractional share is an asset with a defined regulatory structure. A jet card is prepaid hours with a service promise. The differences that matter in practice.
- [Putting your jet on a charter certificate: what changes](https://ownvscharter.com/charter-certificate-part-135/): Charter revenue offsets fixed costs, and changes the rules the aircraft flies under, who has operational control, and what your insurer charges.
- [The breakeven hours figure, and why we will not quote one](https://ownvscharter.com/breakeven-hours/): Everyone repeats a breakeven number for owning versus chartering. Nobody publishes one. Here is what actually determines it, and how to work out your own.
- [Own, fractional, jet card or charter: what each factor points to](https://ownvscharter.com/#data): original data table, updated 2026-08-15.
- [Full site content as markdown](https://ownvscharter.com/llms-full.txt)

## Data

- Own, fractional, jet card or charter: what each factor points to. Methodology: Built from the structural characteristics of each access model rather than from prices. No regulator, statistical agency or trade body publishes private aviation operating costs, charter rates or a breakeven hours figure, so this table deliberately states directions of travel rather than numbers. Regulatory rows are grounded in 14 CFR 91.501, 14 CFR 91.1001 and 14 CFR 119.1 for the United States and in UK Air Operations Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 Part-NCC for the United Kingdom.
- Last updated: 2026-08-15. Every figure cites its source inline.
- Source: eCFR. 14 CFR 119.1, applicability of certification requirements: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-119.1
- Source: eCFR. 14 CFR 91.501, part 91 subpart F applicability, time sharing, interchange and joint ownership: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-91.501
- Source: eCFR. 14 CFR 91.1001, fractional ownership programs: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-91.1001
- Source: eCFR. 14 CFR part 135, commuter and on-demand operations: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-G/part-135
- Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority. Part-NCC: https://www.caa.co.uk/commercial-industry/aircraft/operations/types-of-operation/part-ncc/part-ncc/
- Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority. Make a Part-NCC declaration: https://www.caa.co.uk/commercial-industry/aircraft/operations/types-of-operation/part-ncc/make-a-part-ncc-declaration/

## Citation

Cite as: "Own, fractional, jet card or charter: what each factor points to", Own vs Charter, https://ownvscharter.com/ (updated 2026-08-15).

## About

- Own vs Charter is an information site operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. It is not affiliated with the Federal Aviation Administration, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, EASA or any operator, programme, broker or manufacturer, and nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice. Whether an arrangement amounts to carriage for compensation or hire is a legal question with criminal and insurance consequences, take aviation counsel before structuring anything.
- Operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. Contact: enquiries@ownvscharter.com