FAA Part 135 Certification
FAA Part 135 is the federal regulation governing non-scheduled commercial air transportation in the United States. Every legitimate private jet charter and empty leg flight is operated under a Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate — the single most important safety standard in private aviation.
Also known as: Part 135 certification, FAA Part 135, 14 CFR Part 135, Part 135, Part 135 certificate
Part 135 of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR Part 135) is the FAA's rulebook for non-scheduled commercial aviation. It sets mandatory minimums for pilot certification, aircraft maintenance, operational control, and passenger safety for every air taxi, private jet charter, and empty leg flight in the United States.
For travelers, Part 135 is the single most important safety filter in private aviation: it is illegal to accept payment for flying passengers on a private aircraft without holding a valid Air Carrier Certificate issued under Part 135. A flight arranged without a certificate — known as a 'gray charter' — is a federal violation that exposes the operator to civil and criminal penalties and typically voids the aircraft's insurance coverage, leaving passengers unprotected.
Part 135 mandates three safety layers that directly affect every U.S. charter passenger. First, pilot standards: minimum flight-time thresholds, medical certification, type ratings for complex jets, and mandatory recurrent simulator training. Second, aircraft maintenance: every aircraft on the certificate follows an FAA-approved inspection program, with airworthiness records tracked and auditable by FAA inspectors at any time. Third, operational control: the certificate holder — not a broker, not a booking platform, not the aircraft owner — bears final go/no-go authority on every flight, including the authority to cancel or delay for weather, maintenance, or crew-fatigue reasons.
On top of the Part 135 regulatory floor, many operators voluntarily pursue third-party safety audits — ARGUS ratings (Gold, Gold Plus, Platinum) and Wyvern audits (Registered, Wingman) — which audit safety management systems and pilot qualifications beyond the minimum FAA standard. These are pay-for signals that a given operator has opened its records to independent review.
International operators must hold the equivalent authority issued by their home jurisdiction: an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) under EASA for European operators, a Transport Canada AOC for Canadian operators, a CAA-issued AOC for UK operators, and so on. Marketplaces that include non-US inventory should verify each operator's local certificate independently.
How SkyAccess Uses This Standard
SkyAccess verifies every operator's Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate before allowing them to list flights on the platform. Each operator's certificate number is displayed on their profile page, and SkyAccess cross-checks active certificate status against the FAA Safety Assurance System (SAS) database on an ongoing basis. Operators that lose, suspend, or voluntarily surrender their certificate are removed from the platform immediately. International operators are verified against their home jurisdiction's equivalent authority.
Frequently asked questions
- What is FAA Part 135 certification?
- FAA Part 135 is the federal regulation governing non-scheduled commercial air transportation in the United States. It sets minimum standards for pilots, aircraft maintenance, and operational safety for every private jet charter and on-demand flight. An operator must hold a Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate to legally accept payment for flying passengers.
- How do I verify a charter operator is Part 135 certified?
- Ask the operator for their Air Carrier Certificate number and look it up in the FAA's Safety Assurance System (SAS) database at av-info.faa.gov. Reputable marketplaces — including SkyAccess — display the certificate number on operator profile pages and verify active status before allowing operators to list flights.
- Do empty leg flights operate under Part 135?
- Yes. Every legitimate empty leg flight in the United States is operated under the charter operator's Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate — the same certificate, crew standards, and maintenance requirements that apply to full-price charters. The discount reflects the operator's schedule constraints, not a reduced safety standard.
Related terms
- Part 135 Operator
A Part 135 operator is an FAA-certificated company authorized to fly paying passengers on private (non-scheduled) charter aircraft under 14 CFR Part 135. Every legitimate private jet charter flown in the United States — including every empty leg — is operated under a Part 135 certificate; operators based elsewhere fly under the equivalent authority in their own jurisdiction.
- Wyvern Rating
Wyvern is a private safety-audit firm that rates Part 135 charter operators on two main tiers (Registered, Wingman). Wyvern is the second-largest third-party charter safety auditor in the US after ARGUS; ratings are voluntary and reviewed annually.
- ARGUS Rating
ARGUS is a private safety-audit firm that rates Part 135 charter operators on three tiers (Gold, Gold Plus, Platinum). An ARGUS rating is a voluntary third-party signal that the operator has passed an independent audit of pilot qualifications, safety management, and operational history.
- FBO (Fixed-Base Operator)
An FBO (Fixed-Base Operator) is a private aviation terminal at an airport that provides fuel, hangar, ground handling, and passenger services to private jets — including every empty leg flight. FBOs are where private jet passengers actually arrive and depart; they don't use the commercial terminal.
- Empty Leg Flight
An empty leg flight is a one-way private jet flight sold at a discount because the aircraft has to fly without passengers to its next paid booking. Empty legs are typically priced 25–75% below retail charter, with the discount widening as the departure window narrows.
Keep exploring
Sources
Looking for live empty leg inventory?
SkyAccess indexes live empty leg flights from 900+ certified charter operators across 5,000+ airports. Search by route, date, and aircraft category — most travelers find empty legs 25–75% below retail charter.
Search empty legs