Aircraft leasing & ACMI
Capacity without acquisition
Dry lease, wet lease, and ACMI arrangements structured around how the aircraft will actually be operated — and who carries which responsibility.
Which structure applies
These are not interchangeable terms. The difference decides who holds operational control, and it carries regulatory weight.
Dry lease
The lessee takes the aircraft alone and provides its own crew, maintenance, and insurance. Operational control sits with the lessee, which means the lessee must be in a position to hold it.
Wet lease
The aircraft is provided with crew. Operational control and the operating certificate remain with the lessor, and the aircraft flies under the lessor’s authority.
ACMI
Aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance provided as a package. The lessee covers variable costs such as fuel, handling, and airport charges.
Getting it wrong
A lease labelled dry but operated as wet is a regulatory problem, not a paperwork one. We structure to what will actually happen rather than what is convenient to sign.
Taking an aircraft on lease
Requirement
- Routes and utilisation
- Capacity and configuration
- Duration and flexibility
- Base and positioning
Sourcing
- Available aircraft identified
- Operator and lessor vetting
- Condition and records review
- Commercial comparison
Terms
- Structure selection
- Rate and utilisation minimums
- Maintenance and return conditions
- Insurance and liability allocation
Delivery
- Registry and regulatory steps
- Crew arrangements where applicable
- Technical acceptance
- Handover and start of term
Placing your aircraft on lease
If you hold an aircraft that is under-utilised, leasing can cover fixed costs without selling.
Lessee screening
We assess the counterparty’s operating capability and financial position before a term sheet is drafted, not after.
Return condition
Return conditions are where lease disputes originate. We define them precisely at the outset, in technical terms rather than general ones.
Commercial terms
Rates, minimums, and duration agreed case by case against the aircraft, the market, and the lessee.
Alternatives
Where leasing is not the right answer, we will say so — management with a charter programme, or sale, may serve you better.
Explore a lease
Tell us whether you are seeking capacity or placing an aircraft, and an advisor will work through the structure with you.
