Explainer · Private Aviation
What does a private jet broker do?
Broker, charter broker, or dealer — who does what?
Three different businesses share the word “broker” in private aviation. An acquisition or sales broker represents one side of a purchase for a disclosed fee; a charter broker books flights, not ownership; a dealer buys and resells its own aircraft on the spread. Knowing which you are dealing with changes everything:
- Acquisition / sales broker — represents a buyer or seller in an ownership transaction: sourcing, technical diligence, negotiation, closing. Paid a disclosed fee by the side it represents
- Charter broker — arranges individual flights on aircraft operated by others. A travel function, not a transaction function. Most companies ranking for "private jet broker" are charter brokers
- Dealer — buys aircraft into its own inventory and resells them; the margin lives in the spread, and the dealer's interest is its inventory, not your mission
If you are buying or selling an airframe, you need the first one.
| Acquisition / sales broker | Charter broker | Dealer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What they transact | Aircraft ownership | Individual flights | Their own inventory |
| How they're paid | Disclosed fee from one side | Margin on the charter | The spread on resale |
| When you need them | Buying or selling an airframe | Flying without owning | When their stock happens to fit |
What a buyer's broker does
- Defines the mission profile — routes, passengers, geography — before any aircraft is discussed
- Maps the market: comparable transactions and realistic pricing for the category
- Sources candidates from listings and from operators and owners who never list
- Coordinates records review and the pre-purchase inspection at a facility acceptable to your side
- Negotiates price, inspection remedies, and delivery terms without exposing your identity or urgency
- Sequences contract, escrow, title, registration, and delivery to closing
The full process: How to buy a private jet, step by step →
What a seller's broker does
- Prepares the records position before any buyer asks — logbooks, program status, title
- Values the aircraft against closed transactions, not listing optimism
- Approaches qualified buyers privately; the aircraft never accumulates visible market age
- Manages offers and the buyer's inspection process
- Coordinates escrow, de-registration, and delivery
How are private jet brokers paid?
A disclosed commission or fixed engagement fee, agreed in the mandate, paid by the side the broker represents. The question that separates representation from trading: "Exactly how are you compensated on this transaction, and by whom?" If the answer is vague, the intermediary is positioned between you and the deal — not beside you.
Frequently asked questions
Jet broker vs charter broker?
Charter brokers arrange flights; transaction brokers handle ownership. Different licenses, different skills, different economics. Buying or selling an airframe is transaction work.
Do I need a broker if I already know the aircraft I want?
Knowing the model is a quarter of the work. The specific airframe's records, program status, and inspection findings — and a negotiation that does not reveal your eagerness — are where representation pays. Verification-only scopes exist for exactly this case.
How much does a private jet broker charge?
Seller-side aircraft brokerage typically runs 3–5% of the sale price; buyer-side acquisition mandates run lower. Our published schedule is 2–3% to acquire and 4–5% to sell — success-based, confirmed in writing, and never collected from both sides of one deal. A broker who won't state the number plainly is the warning.
How does a broker get paid?
A disclosed commission or fixed fee, in writing, from the side it represents. Anything undisclosed from the other side should end the conversation. Fee norms in detail: our aircraft brokerage.
Private Aviation
One side. Disclosed fees. Verified airframes.
That is the entire model. If you are buying or selling an aircraft, the first conversation defines the mandate.