In our ongoing efforts to educate today’s jet charter consumer, we would like to share with you another technical aspect of jet charter flying, and how it relates to your charter flight experiences with us.

Overflight and International Travel

“Overflight” refers to an aircraft flight over a foreign country or territory. Overflights and/or landing, technical, commercial or traffic clearances (permits) are required in many countries prior to an aircraft entering their airspace or landing at an airport.

All (non-IASTA*) international private and charter aircraft arriving into the United States must furnish a notice of crossing and land at a designated airport for U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection. This typically means stopping at one of a select few major ports of entry to go through customs. However, it is possible to request a border overflight exemption (BOE) and avoid a major first port of entry when arriving in the United States, and proceed to a much larger list of airports when granted.

An approved exemption allows the aircraft to overfly the border and go directly to their home base or any other intended destination where customs clearance is available, without having to make an extra stop to clear. This means you can proceed to a much expanded list of airports with a BOE. Flying directly to your destination without the extra stop in your itinerary greatly increases the convenience to you and reduces your flight time, thus lowering the costs of your charter flight as well.

Requests for BOEs are typically required 15 days in advance for single charter flights, and require detailed information about the plane, passengers and crew that will be making the trip.

Because of this, many large fleet operators and fractional jet programs offered by competitors such as Net Jets, Flex Jet and Delta Air Elite have difficulty in obtaining overflight privileges. This is because they cannot schedule the crew and aircraft with enough advanced notice to provide the precise flight details necessary to apply for an exemption.

As a Stratos Jets client, we offer you a flexibility that these competitors can’t offer. We have the ability to arrange your international charter flight through a Part 135 management company with a smaller fleet, who can schedule the crew and aircraft with enough advanced notice to qualify for the overflight exemption.

We are very familiar with the various permissions, diplomatic clearance and traffic rights for any country and how to acquire them, with more expertise than most other air charter providers. We can also utilize airports with customs offices that experience the least amount of traffic, which means less waiting for you and your fellow travelers to clear customs when you arrive.

Whether time is essential or you are planning well-ahead, our experience will make sure that flight clearances and traffic rights are something that you don’t have to worry about when you travel internationally. Stratos Jets is always here to assist you with any unfamiliar requirements and regulations, using up-to-the-minute information on developments which may affect your itinerary. Give us a call and one of our air charter experts will be able to advise you immediately and accordingly.

When you work with Stratos Jets, you have the option to work with a jet charter broker who can find the most appropriate aircraft at the best price who can also offer you overflight services. Wherever you are, wherever you want to go in the world, Stratos Jets can help you.

*Some countries are part of the International Air Services Transit Agreement (IASTA) which does not require special overflight authorizations of other member nations. However there are many large, strategically located countries in the world (most importantly for the majority of fliers in North America, including Canada) that are not a part of IASTA. Countries like Canada negotiate transit agreements with other countries on a case-by-case basis, and overflight exemptions are necessary to those coming back and forth between the two.