No UK or EU regulator issues a licence called “aircraft broker” or “charter broker”. We looked, and found no such credential. That does not mean there are no rules. In the UK, a broker who sells flights can need an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) unless an exemption applies. And whoever flies the trip must hold the right authority. Neither is a broker licence, and no training certificate, including IABI’s, replaces them.
This page covers the UK and the EU. It sets out what the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the EU text say, and where we could not find a regulator’s answer. It is not legal advice. For the US position, see our US licence guide and what Part 295 requires you to disclose.
Key points
- No UK or EU regulator issues an “aircraft broker” or “charter broker” licence. The CAA calls its broker categories industry terms that are not legally defined.
- In the UK the question is what you do. A broker who is not a party to the contract and only introduces buyer and seller does not need an ATOL, in the CAA’s view. A broker who contracts to supply seats generally does, unless an exemption applies.
- The Whole Plane Sales exemption (06/2012) lets a broker sell the entire capacity of an aircraft without an ATOL, if the buyer does not resell any of it. It does not apply to packages.
- The aircraft must be flown by an operator with the right authority. A 2015 Air Charter Association letter says a paid charter, other than one paid by the owner, must run under an Air Operator Certificate (AOC).
- In the EU, the licensing rule we found applies to “air carriers”, meaning undertakings with an operating licence. It does not mention brokers. Check your national authority.
- Training shows you completed a course. It is not a government licence.
The UK: ATOL is the rule that matters
The CAA’s own note for brokers says the ATOL Regulations apply to all air travel sales in the UK. That covers flight-only and package sales, by travel agents, tour operators and airlines, in person or online. Unless exempt, selling flights or flight packages without complying is an offence, and the CAA enforces it (CAA information note for brokers, February 2023).
The rules list the capacities in which a business may sell air travel: aircraft operator, ATOL holder, agent of an ATOL holder, airline ticket agent, or an exempted person. The CAA states that “if you are not an airline or you are not acting in an exempt capacity, you must hold your own ATOL” (CAA: Do I need an ATOL?).
Commission brokers and contracting brokers
The CAA draws a practical line between two kinds of broker, while noting the terms are not legally defined:
- Commission broker. Not a party to the contract with the seat supplier or the buyer. It introduces them and earns commission. The CAA’s view is that this broker is not making flight accommodation available and does not need an ATOL.
- Contracting broker. Enters into a contract to supply seats to a buyer. If the buyer intends to use the seats, the broker needs a Standard ATOL unless the sale is exempt. If the buyer is itself an ATOL holder reselling the seats, a Trade ATOL is the appropriate licence.
Which one you are depends on how your contracts are written, not on what your website calls you. That is a question for a UK aviation solicitor before your first deal.
Exemptions that matter to charter brokers
The CAA publishes class exemptions in its Official Record Series 3. Its broker note summarises three that affect brokers:
| Exemption | What it allows | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Plane Sales (06/2012) | Contract to sell the entire capacity of an aircraft without an ATOL | The buyer must not sell any of the capacity on to other consumers |
| Overseas (04/2013) | Contract to sell seats without an ATOL | The first leg must start outside the UK (the Republic of Ireland is excluded) |
| Small aircraft and sporting events (01/2018) | Seats on aircraft with 19 or fewer seats, and some other listed cases | Not available if the buyer makes seats available more than three times a month, or advertises them as scheduled flights |
None of the first three exemptions applies if the customer uses the seats as part of a “package” under the ATOL Regulations and the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. A private jet trip sold with a hotel is the obvious example.
Telling customers when you are exempt
The CAA says ATOL rules require anyone making air travel available to disclose the capacity in which they act. If you rely on an exemption, it expects contract documents and invoices to say the sale is exempt and that the customer is not ATOL protected, using the CAA’s suggested wording or an equivalent the CAA has approved.
The operator must hold the right authority
Brokering is not flying. The CAA’s note describes the aircraft operator as one holding an appropriate Air Transport Licence or Operating Licence, selling seats on flights it will operate under that licence.
In 2015 the Air Charter Association wrote to its members that, for any paid charter other than one paid by the aircraft owner, the aircraft must operate under an AOC. Without one, the paid flight is an illegal charter and may void insurance cover (Air Charter Association letter, 9 March 2015). That letter is a trade body’s view and is dated. Check the operator’s AOC on the CAA’s own list before you quote a flight.
Consumer-protection duties in the UK
ATOL is financial protection. Separate consumer law still applies to how you describe and price a trip. The CAA’s 2023 note cites the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Those regulations were revoked on 6 April 2025, and unfair-commercial-practice rules now sit in Part 4, Chapter 1 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
See Part 4, Chapter 1 of the 2024 Act. Misleading a customer about who flies the trip, the full price or the protection they have is the kind of conduct those rules target. The CAA enforces consumer law as well as ATOL.
A code of conduct is not a licence
Trade bodies set voluntary standards for their members. None of them is law, and none replaces ATOL or the operator’s AOC.
The Air Charter Association (ACA). The UK trade body for charter brokers and operators was called the Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) until it rebranded as The Air Charter Association on 4 July 2019. Member companies must agree to its Code of Practice. Among other things, charter broker members undertake to declare “whether their role is to be as Principal or Broker”, to avoid advertising “which suggest[s] that the broker is an aircraft operator or owner when they are not so”, and to carry out due diligence so that any operator they use is “properly licenced, insured, documented and competent”. A company must have traded in air charter for at least 12 months to join.
ARGUS broker audits. In July 2014 BACA endorsed the ARGUS charter broker programme, which then had two levels. A Registered broker gave documented proof of specific requirements and an annual pledge, for which ARGUS used the BACA Code of Practice. A Certified broker did the same and also had an on-site audit every two years. Trade press reported in June 2015 that BACA had endorsed a European version, with two European-based auditors. ARGUS’s current page describes only the Certified Charter Broker audit, still with an on-site audit every two years. We could not confirm that the Registered level still exists.
Wyvern. Wyvern certifies some brokers under a Wingman Broker designation, which it says requires “a comprehensive virtual audit”. Both ARGUS and Wyvern audit the company, not an individual. They are compared with other credentials in aircraft broker certifications compared.
EBAA. The European Business Aviation Association represents more than 700 companies. Search results point to a Charter Brokers Committee within its associate members’ council, but EBAA’s own pages returned errors when we tried to read them, so we could not confirm its remit, its membership rules or whether it publishes a broker code.
Europe: the EU and EASA position
At EU level, Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 licenses “air carriers”. It defines an air carrier as an undertaking with a valid operating licence, and an air service as a flight or series of flights carrying passengers, cargo or mail for remuneration or hire (Article 2, as adopted).
The text we read does not use the word “broker”. Our reading, not a regulator’s statement, is that a company that only arranges flights and does not operate them is not the “air carrier”, and the licensed carrier is the operator. We found no EU-level broker licence. Member states have their own consumer, package-travel and company rules, so ask the national aviation authority where you plan to trade.
Article 23 requires publicly available fares to show the final price, including unavoidable taxes and charges (Article 23, as adopted). It is written for published fares, so it may not govern a private whole-aircraft quote. Confirm that with a lawyer rather than assume.
Post-Brexit, UK and EU rules diverge. A UK broker selling to EU customers, or an EU broker selling to UK customers, can be caught by both.
Where training fits
Training teaches the job: reading an AOC, pricing a trip, quoting, handling a client. It does not give you permission to broker. For what each side of the business involves, see our air charter broker training and aircraft sales broker training guides. IABI, which publishes this guide, sells a charter broker course. Its certificate is a private training credential, not a licence.
How this compares to the US (Part 295)
The US has one written rulebook for charter brokers, 14 CFR Part 295. It requires disclosures and bans deceptive practices, and creates no licence. The UK puts the weight on ATOL, which is financial protection, plus the operator’s authority and general consumer law. Neither system licenses the broker as a person. Read the US detail in our US licence guide and what Part 295 requires you to disclose.
Free from IABI · IABI publishes this guide
Want to talk it through before you spend anything?
IABI runs a free webinar on how to become an aircraft broker, and offers a free one-to-one consultation. Both are a way to ask questions and judge the teaching for yourself before paying for any course.
Other country guides: United States, UK and Europe, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Canada, India and Australia.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an ATOL to broker private jet charters in the UK?
It depends on your role and the sale. A commission broker who is not a party to the contract does not, in the CAA’s view. A contracting broker generally does unless an exemption such as Whole Plane Sales applies. Ask the CAA or a solicitor about your own contracts.
Is there an EU licence for charter brokers?
We found none. The EU licensing rule we read applies to air carriers with an operating licence. Check your national authority for local rules.
Does the Air Charter Association qualification make me licensed?
No. It is a private industry credential, not a government licence.
Sources
Regulator and statute pages are listed first. Every page below was checked on 17 October 2026. Where a regulator page could not be read, the claim is worded cautiously in the text and flagged to the site owner.
- UK CAA, Information note for brokers about the ATOL Regulations and the ATOL scheme (ATOL Policy and Regulations 2022/02, February 2023)
- UK CAA, Do I need an ATOL?
- UK CAA, Selling flight only
- legislation.gov.uk, Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Part 4, Chapter 1
- Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008, Article 2 (as adopted)
- Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008, Article 23 (as adopted)
- Air Charter Association, illegal charter letter (9 March 2015), trade body, not a regulator
- The Air Charter Association, Code of Practice (2022)
- The Air Charter Association, History (BACA renamed 4 July 2019)
- ACA news, BACA endorses ARGUS Certified Charter Broker Program (29 July 2014)
- Air Cargo Week, Broker programme is OK: BACA (8 June 2015), trade press
- ARGUS, Certified Charter Broker Audit
- Wyvern, Wingman Broker certification press release (2 April 2025)