Cabotage

In our educational series for our valued clients, we would like to quickly discuss another concept of international aviation, the time “cabotage”.

Cabotage refers to transporting passengers and/or goods between two points in the same country by an aircraft registered in another country. An example of this situation pertaining to the U.S. would be if a service between Orlando and Boston was offered by a non-U.S. carrier, without continuing service to a foreign destination. While this situation is virtually nonexistent in scheduled service, certain charter flights are allowed under U.S. rules.

Especially important to us here in America, the cabotage rules in Canada require special attention. Non-Canadian registered charter operators are prohibited from carrying passengers between two points in Canada. This is obviously of critical importance when chartering private transportation. Stratos Jets can provide you with information and options regarding aircraft-operator nationalities that are other than U.S.-origin when the need arises.

Every country has their own rules and restrictions regarding cabotage within their own borders. We should quickly note that there are no cabotage restrictions for private non-revenue operations as long as the owner, a guest of the owner, or employees are onboard and aren’t paying for the flight.
Because cabotage regulations can differ greatly from country to country, jet charter brokers and operators should routinely verify cabotage restrictions before all international flights. With our extensive experience and knowledge of private jet charter, this is just one of the “little things” that Stratos Jets does to ensure that every flight we arrange is hassle and stress-free.

It’s the exclusive right of a country to control use of its airspace. Your jet charter broker MUST know the rules related to cabotage in all regions you’re operating to in order to avoid major issues. This is just another advantage that the clients of Stratos Jets already enjoy.