Private jet insurance on a charter flight: who actually covers you
Search for private jet insurance and almost every result is written for someone who owns an aircraft: hull cover, premiums. If you are chartering, your question is simpler: if you step on board a jet you have chartered, who is insured, for what, and under which rules? At JETAURA we arrange private jet charter flights through a network of aviation partners and operators, and the answer starts with the same point every time: who actually operates the flight.
Who holds the insurance when you charter a private jet?
When you charter a private jet, the insurance required by law sits with the air operator that flies the aircraft, not with you as the passenger. EU Regulation 785/2004 obliges air carriers and aircraft operators to insure their liability towards passengers, baggage, cargo and third parties. What a policy covers beyond that legal minimum depends on the operator.
JETAURA acts as a private jet broker: "The flight itself is operated by the respective air operator." We explain how to find out who operates your flight in a separate article, because that name is the starting point for every question below.
Which rules apply depends on where you fly and who operates.
What the regulations require
The figures below are quoted from the primary texts. They are legal minimums and limits.
| Rule | Who it applies to | What it sets for passengers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU Regulation 785/2004 | "all air carriers and to all aircraft operators flying within, into, out of, or over the territory of a Member State" | Minimum insurance cover of 250,000 SDR per passenger; baggage 1,288 SDR per passenger | European Commission |
| Regulation 785/2004, UK version | Air carriers and aircraft operators under the retained UK text | Article 6(1): 250,000 SDR per passenger | legislation.gov.uk |
| 14 CFR 205.5 (United States) | US air taxi operators | $75,000 for any one passenger; per aircraft, $75,000 times 75 percent of the installed passenger seats | U.S. Department of Transportation |
| Montreal Convention 1999 | The carrier, where the convention applies | Liability for death or bodily injury; up to 151,880 SDR per passenger the carrier cannot exclude or limit it (since 28 December 2024) | ICAO |
SDR stands for Special Drawing Rights, the unit in which both the EU regulation and the Montreal Convention express their amounts.
Insurance minimum or liability threshold: why there are two numbers
Regulation 785/2004 answers one question: how much insurance must an operator hold? The Montreal Convention answers another: when is the carrier liable to you, and can it limit that liability?
Article 17(1) of the convention is short. "The carrier is liable for damage sustained in case of death or bodily injury of a passenger upon condition only that the accident which caused the death or injury took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking." Article 21 then sets an amount below which the carrier cannot exclude or limit that liability.
That amount moves. According to ICAO's 2024 revision, the Article 21 figure is 151,880 SDR, "effective as of 28 December 2024". The UK statute still prints the original 100,000 SDR in Schedule 1B, so if you read it there, read the ICAO revision next to it.
If you compare the documents: the EU baggage minimum of 1,288 SDR is the same figure ICAO lists for the Montreal baggage provision from 2019. The current ICAO figure for that provision is 1,519 SDR. They are two different instruments, and the numbers should not be mixed.
What this means in practice for your charter enquiry
Take a hypothetical enquiry: four passengers, a departure from an EU airport, golf bags. Regulation 785/2004 applies, because it covers operators flying out of a Member State. What it does not tell you is whether the operator's cover goes beyond the minimum, or how the golf bags are handled.
Four questions to have answered before you confirm:
- Which operator will fly this trip? The name comes first. Every other answer depends on it.
- Under which rules is the flight operated?
- Does the operator's cover go beyond the legal minimum? Only the operator can answer that for its own policy.
- How is baggage handled, including sports equipment or valuables? Baggage capacity depends on the aircraft, and special baggage depends on the aircraft and operator.
For the enquiry itself, the details we need stay the same: departure, destination, date and number of passengers. Tell us about special baggage or requirements at that stage, because they influence which aircraft fit.
What the operator's private jet insurance does not replace
Article 4(1) of Regulation 785/2004, in the UK text, describes the insurance as covering "aviation-specific liability in respect of passengers, baggage, cargo and third parties." That is liability cover. Cancelling a trip or a missed meeting is not among those four categories.
Rebooking and cancellation on a charter depend on the respective operator and the conditions of your booking. Whether you want your own travel insurance for those risks is a question for your insurer. The same applies to entry and customs: we explain how customs on a private jet works, but the responsible authority decides.
Frequently asked questions
Does a charter passenger need their own private jet insurance?
The private jet insurance required by EU, UK and US rules is held by the air operator, not by the passenger. That cover is liability insurance. Risks such as trip cancellation are outside those rules, so whether you want your own travel insurance is a question to discuss with your insurer before you fly.
Is my luggage insured on a private jet?
Under EU Regulation 785/2004, operators must hold baggage insurance of at least 1,288 SDR per passenger. Where the Montreal Convention applies, ICAO lists 1,519 SDR for its baggage provision since 28 December 2024. Cover above that, and rules for valuables or sports equipment, depend on the operator.
Has the Montreal Convention passenger liability amount changed?
Yes. ICAO revises the amounts. For passenger injury under Article 21, the amount rose from 100,000 SDR in the original text to 128,821 SDR in 2019 and to 151,880 SDR, effective 28 December 2024. Up to that amount the carrier cannot exclude or limit its liability.
What insurance does EU law require of a private jet operator?
EU Regulation 785/2004 applies to all air carriers and aircraft operators flying within, into, out of, or over an EU Member State. It sets a minimum insurance cover of 250,000 SDR per passenger for passenger liability. What an operator's policy covers beyond that minimum depends on the operator.
For questions about the booking process itself, see our FAQ.
Planning a charter flight
Private jet insurance is one of the questions where the honest answer is "that depends on the operator". We would rather tell you that than give you a certainty that belongs to someone else.
About this article Written by JETAURA's Aviation Team. JETAURA arranges private jet charter flights through a network of aviation partners and operators. The flight itself is operated by the respective air operator. This article explains regulations for information only and is not legal or insurance advice. Last updated: 15 September 2026.
Sources
- European Commission, Mobility and Transport: Insurance (retrieved 15.09.2026)
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EC) No 785/2004, consolidated version 30.07.2020 (retrieved 15.09.2026)
- The National Archives (UK): Regulation (EC) No 785/2004, Article 4 (retrieved 15.09.2026)
- The National Archives (UK): Regulation (EC) No 785/2004, Article 6 (retrieved 15.09.2026)
- The National Archives (UK): Carriage by Air Act 1961, Schedule 1B (retrieved 15.09.2026)
- ICAO: 2024 Revised Limits of Liability Under the Montreal Convention of 1999 (retrieved 15.09.2026)
- U.S. Government Publishing Office: 14 CFR 205.5 Minimum coverage (1 January 2025 edition, retrieved 15.09.2026)
- European Commission, DG MOVE
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EC) No 785/2004, consolidated 30.07.2020
- The National Archives (UK), Regulation 785/2004 as retained
- The National Archives (UK), Regulation 785/2004 as retained, Article 6
- The National Archives (UK), Carriage by Air Act 1961, Schedule 1B
- ICAO
- U.S. GPO / Department of Transportation, 14 CFR 205.5