Industry data · Updated May 24, 2026
Empty Leg Flight Statistics 2026
Empty leg flights have moved from an industry curiosity to a multi-billion-dollar segment of US private aviation. This page collects the figures that matter for understanding the market in 2026 — live inventory, pricing depth, corridor concentration, and aircraft mix — sourced from public regulators, trade bodies, and aggregated SkyAccess marketplace data. Each figure is dated and cited; the page is regenerated daily as live values change.
Marketplace size and inventory
Empty-leg inventory is the supply-side anchor of the segment. SkyAccess aggregates live inventory from FAA Part 135 operators across the United States; the numbers below are pulled from live marketplace data at render time.
Live empty-leg flights indexed
150,000+
All published empty legs across SkyAccess partner operators
FAA Part 135 partner operators
800+
US-certificated charter operators publishing inventory
Airports served
5,000+
Unique departure / arrival airports across all live inventory
Active Part 135 certificates (US)
~2,100
Total FAA-certificated on-demand commercial operators, 2024
Pricing and discount depth
The economics of empty legs are driven by operators recovering committed positioning costs. The figures below reflect the discount distribution observed across SkyAccess marketplace activity in 2025-2026.
Typical discount range
25–80%
Off equivalent on-demand retail charter rate
Median discount at 14 days out
~38%
Off retail; varies by corridor density
Median discount inside 72 hours
~58%
Off retail; reflects operator repricing
Federal excise tax on charter
7.5%
FET applied to all domestic charter, including empty legs
Busiest empty-leg corridors (2025-26)
Empty leg inventory clusters on a small number of high-traffic corridors where operators reposition aircraft repeatedly. The top 10 corridors below account for a disproportionate share of all US empty-leg activity.
Top corridor (winter)
KTEB ↔ KOPF
Teterboro ↔ Miami-Opa-Locka — densest US winter corridor
Top corridor (summer)
KTEB ↔ KHTO
Teterboro ↔ East Hampton — densest US summer corridor
Top year-round corridor
KVNY ↔ KLAS
Van Nuys ↔ Las Vegas — highest year-round volume
Top ski-season corridor
KVNY → KASE
Van Nuys → Aspen — densest winter ski corridor
Aircraft mix on empty-leg inventory
Empty-leg supply mirrors the Part 135 fleet mix on each corridor. Light jets dominate by leg count; super-midsize and heavy jets account for a larger share of total spend.
Light jet share of all empty legs
~46%
Citation CJs, Phenom 300s, Learjet 75s, etc.
Midsize jet share
~22%
Citation XLS+, Hawker 800XP, Praetor 500, etc.
Super midsize share
~14%
Citation Sovereign+, Challenger 350, Praetor 600
Heavy + ULR share
~10%
G450/550, Falcon 7X/8X, G650, Global 7500
Turboprop share
~8%
King Air 350, Pilatus PC-12, TBM 940
Regulatory context
Every legitimate empty-leg flight in the United States is operated under 14 CFR Part 135 by an FAA-certificated air carrier. The figures below give the regulatory backdrop.
Active US Part 135 air carrier certificates
~2,100
On-demand commercial operators authorized to carry passengers for hire
Civil penalty per illegal (Part 91 "gray") charter
Up to ~$32,000
Maximum FAA civil penalty per violation, 2024
Part 295 broker disclosure rule
Effective 2018
DOT rule requiring charter brokers to disclose agent status + actual operating carrier
Frequently asked questions
- How many empty leg flights are available right now?
- SkyAccess indexes 150,000+ live empty leg flights across 800+ FAA Part 135 partner operators at any given time. Live inventory changes hourly as operators publish new positioning legs and existing legs are booked.
- What is the average discount on an empty leg flight?
- Typical empty leg discounts range from 25–80% off equivalent on-demand retail charter rates. Median discount at 14 days out is roughly 38%; inside the 72-hour departure window, median discount widens to ~58% as operators reprice unsold inventory.
- What are the busiest empty leg corridors?
- Teterboro ↔ Miami (Opa-Locka) is the densest US winter corridor; Teterboro ↔ East Hampton is the densest summer corridor; Van Nuys ↔ Las Vegas is the highest-volume year-round corridor; Van Nuys → Aspen leads the ski-season corridors.
- What aircraft categories dominate empty leg inventory?
- Light jets account for roughly 46% of all SkyAccess empty leg inventory, followed by midsize jets (~22%), super midsize (~14%), heavy + ultra-long-range (~10%), and turboprops (~8%). Aircraft mix varies by corridor.
Methodology
Live marketplace figures are pulled at render time from the SkyAccess public stats endpoint and recomputed daily. Regulatory and industry constants are sourced from the FAA, DOT, NBAA, NATA, and IRS as cited inline. SkyAccess marketplace percentages reflect aggregated 2025-26 activity across all partner operators and should be considered point-in-time. For questions about data provenance, contact editorial@skyaccess.com.
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Every figure on this page reflects activity on the SkyAccess marketplace. Search the live inventory directly by route, date, and aircraft category.
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