How Safe Are Private Jet Charters? Here's What the Data Shows

Aviation safety data is reported by FAA regulatory category, and the three categories relevant to private aviation clients perform very differently. Being direct about where charter actually sits, rather than implying it matches an airline's safety record, is the only honest way to present this.

Charter under Part 135 is a genuinely safer category than private, owner-flown flying, and the gap is real: owner-flown Part 91 aircraft account for the large majority of private aviation accidents. At the same time, Part 135 as a regulatory category has not closed the safety gap with major airlines, and pretending otherwise would not serve any client well. That gap is precisely why the operator behind a specific Part 135 certificate, not the certificate alone, is what a client should be evaluating.

In August 2024, the National Transportation Safety Board completed a special investigation into more than 500 fatal and non-fatal Part 135 accidents from 2010 to 2022. The investigation identified specific, recurring safety gaps, including inconsistent use of certificated dispatchers for operational oversight, insufficient flight data monitoring programs, and unsafe loading conditions tied to missing weight and balance documentation. 

The NTSB's core finding was direct: Part 135 as an industry has not closed the accident-rate gap with Part 121 scheduled airlines, and targeted operational changes, not just existing regulation, are needed to close it.

This is not a reason to avoid charter. It is the reason operator-level vetting exists and matters. The NTSB's findings describe where the industry average falls short; a specific, well-run operator can and does exceed that average by a wide margin.

Safety Management Systems, structured internal programs for identifying and managing safety risk before an incident occurs, have historically been voluntary for Part 135 operators in the US, adopted through frameworks like IS-BAO. That is changing. 

The FAA's 14 CFR Part 5 SMS mandate is now in a period of expanded implementation, with operators actively rolling out formal SMS programs through 2025 and 2026 in response. An operator with a mature, independently reviewed SMS, whether through formal FAA Part 5 compliance, IS-BAO registration, or both, is operating meaningfully ahead of the regulatory minimum, not just at it.

Beyond the operator's Part 135 certificate itself, three independent organizations audit operators against their own safety standards: ARGUS, Wyvern, and IS-BAO. None is legally required, and none replaces FAA oversight, but each adds an independent layer of verification beyond the regulatory floor. See Hogani Jets' full ARGUS vs. Wyvern vs. IS-BAO guide for exact tier requirements, pilot-hour minimums, and renewal cycles.

These audits also extend to the pilots themselves, not just the operator. As part of their review process, ARGUS and Wyvern evaluate individual pilot qualifications, training currency, and flight-hour history against minimum experience standards, so a client can ask whether the specific pilot assigned to a trip, not only the operator, has been reviewed this way.

Beyond sourcing ARGUS, Wyvern, or IS-BAO rated operators where appropriate, Hogani Jets independently confirms each operator's Part 135 certificate, current insurance coverage, and operational history before placing any aircraft with a client, a review that also weighs fleet age, aircraft presentation, and any third-party ratings the operator holds. 

Insurance coverage is not standardized across the industry the way FAA certification is: liability limits, exclusions, and per-passenger caps vary by operator, and a valid Part 135 certificate alone does not guarantee coverage at the level a specific trip requires. Hogani Jets confirms that an operator carries liability insurance appropriate to the aircraft category and passenger count before it is placed with a client, and can provide confirmation of current coverage for a specific trip on request.

Hogani Jets does not treat any single rating as a blanket requirement for every charter; many safe, well-run operators fall outside formal third-party programs and are vetted directly through this certificate, insurance, and history review instead.

Not everything below is a hard red flag. Some are simply nuances worth understanding rather than assuming one operator is automatically safer than another.

Contracted pilots vs. employed pilots. Some operators fly with a roster of employed, full-time pilots; others rely more heavily on contracted pilots brought in for specific trips. Neither model is inherently unsafe, contracted pilots can be highly experienced and well vetted, but an operator with little consistency in who is actually flying its aircraft is worth asking more questions about.

Employee turnover. High turnover among pilots, dispatchers, or maintenance staff often reflects deeper operational issues, rushed scheduling, thin margins, inconsistent training, that don't always show up in a certificate or safety rating. A stable, longer-tenured team is generally a good sign.

Fleet composition and reputation. The specific aircraft types an operator flies, and that model's broader safety and reliability reputation, matter as much as the operator's paperwork. A well-maintained aircraft with a strong track record is a meaningfully different risk profile than an older or less-supported airframe.

What the operator prioritizes. Some operators are built around a high volume of trips; others intentionally take on fewer flights to protect scheduling flexibility, crew rest, and maintenance windows. An operator's stated priorities, growth and trip volume versus consistency, are a reasonable, if less quantifiable, signal of how it will handle a specific trip.

Clients are not limited to taking Hogani Jets' word on any of this. An operator's Part 135 certificate can be independently confirmed through the FAA's public certificate holder records, and current ARGUS, Wyvern, or IS-BAO ratings can be confirmed directly through each organization's own operator lookup tools. Hogani Jets provides the specific operator name and certificate number for any trip on request, precisely so a client can verify it independently before departure.

Vetting an operator before booking is only part of the picture. Hogani Jets also stays actively involved in the operational details of a trip once it is booked.

Before departure, Hogani Jets monitors weather along the planned route and at the departure and arrival airports, and stays in contact with the operator on any developing conditions that could affect the schedule. Throughout the flight, Hogani Jets tracks the aircraft's status and timing and stays reachable to clients for real-time updates.

If a mechanical issue, crew scheduling conflict, or weather delay puts the original aircraft or timing at risk, Hogani Jets works with its operator network to identify backup aircraft or alternate scheduling options rather than leaving a client to manage a disruption alone. This contingency planning, not just the initial operator vetting, is a meaningful part of what a broker does throughout a trip.

• Which specific operator, not just which broker, is flying this trip, and what is that operator's Part 135 certificate (sometimes called an Air Operator Certificate, or AOC, outside the US) number?
• Does the operator hold an ARGUS, Wyvern, or IS-BAO rating, and if so, which specific tier?
• What is the age of the specific aircraft assigned to this trip?
• How does the operator handle operational control and flight following, the exact area the NTSB has flagged as a recurring gap across the industry?
• Can the operator confirm current liability insurance coverage appropriate to this aircraft and trip?
• Has the specific pilot assigned to this trip been reviewed under ARGUS or Wyvern's pilot qualification standards, not just the operator as a whole?

Learn more about why choose Hogani Jets for private charter coordination, operator sourcing, and safety-focused trip planning

Hogani Jets coordinates each charter through licensed Part 135 operators.

Contact Hogani Jets at charter@hoganijets.com or +1-855-660-0573.