ACMI leasing and freighter capacity programmes
ACMI lease freighters for scheduled cargo programmes
Submit a requirement any time — no account needed · first response usually within 60 minutes · 24/7 for AOG and time-critical. Optional: business account for status tracking
Under ACMI the operator provides Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance; you fly the aircraft under your own commercial control and pay per block hour. It suits airlines, integrators and large forwarders who need a freighter on a network for months, not a single flight. CCN compares ACMI providers and terms.
Capacity on lease
Aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance — your network, someone else's metal.
CCN is an independent broker and operates no aircraft. Each mission is placed with a regulated operator after comparing several options. How independent brokerage works.
What CCN handles on an ACMI programme
- Defining the programme: base, routes, block hours per month, start and term
- Requesting ACMI offers from operators with suitable types
- Comparing rate per block hour, minimum guaranteed hours (MGH) and positioning
- Clarifying who carries fuel, fees, handling and crew accommodation
- Checking traffic rights and the operator's AOC for the planned routes
- Supporting contract negotiation through to the first rotation
The differences between ACMI, wet and dry lease are explained in what is ACMI wet lease.
For short-notice cover of a fleet gap see wet lease cargo aircraft.
When ACMI is the right choice — and when it is not
A good fit when
- — You need regular capacity on a network for several months
- — You hold the traffic rights and sell the capacity yourself
- — Utilisation will reliably reach the minimum guaranteed hours
Usually not the right choice when
- — A single movement or a short burst — an ad-hoc charter is simpler
- — Utilisation is uncertain — unused MGH are still paid
- — You want your own registration and crew — that is a dry lease
For one-off flights, a cargo charter avoids hour commitments.
If you operate under your own AOC, look at dry lease freighters.
Block-hour versus per-flight pricing is compared under cargo charter cost.
What the desk needs for an ACMI request
- 01Base and planned route network
- 02Block hours per month and minimum you can commit
- 03Start date and term (months)
- 04Required payload and range per sector
- 05Preferred types and main-deck configuration
- 06Who provides handling, fuel and overflight at base and outstations
Freighter types offered under ACMI (indicative)
Narrow-body freighters dominate express and regional networks; wide-bodies serve long-haul trunk routes.
- Boeing 737-800BCFPayload: 21,450 kgMain deck door: 3.40 m × 2.16 m (side)
- Airbus A321P2FPayload: up to 28,100 kg
- Boeing 757-200FPayload: ≈ 39,000 kgMain deck door: 3.40 m × 2.18 m (side)
- Boeing 767-300FPayload: 53,977–54,884 kg (by engine)Main deck door: 3.40 m × 2.54 m (side)
- Boeing 777FPayload: ≈ 102,000 kgMain deck door: 3.72 m × 3.05 m (side)
Indicative — depends on route, fuel, density and operator. CCN operates no aircraft; types shown are examples operators offer, not a fleet.
Limits to check before an ACMI programme
- Traffic rights for the lessee on each planned route
- Crew basing, rest rules and accommodation at the base
- Maintenance windows and the provider's spare-aircraft cover
- Positioning cost at programme start and end
- Termination and early-exit conditions
From requirement to first rotation
- 01You define base, network, hours and term.
- 02The desk requests and compares ACMI offers on rate, MGH and inclusions.
- 03Shortlisted providers are checked for routes, AOC and maintenance cover.
- 04Contract is signed; positioning and the first rotation are planned.
What an ACMI offer contains
- Aircraft type, operator and registration where already allocated
- Routing, technical stops and planned timings (local times)
- Usable payload and volume for your cargo on this routing
- Price basis (per flight, per block hour or per rotation), currency and validity
- Inclusions and exclusions — handling, fuel, permits, insurance, positioning
- Subject-to conditions: availability at signature, permits, slots, operator acceptance
- Rate per block hour and minimum guaranteed hours per month
- Split of costs between operator (aircraft, crew, maintenance, insurance) and lessee (fuel, fees, handling)
Questions
Frequently asked questions
See all questionsAircraft type or category, route or network, start date, duration, guaranteed monthly block hours, frequency and sectors, payload profile, crew base, handling split and regulatory context.
ACMI and wet lease describe the same structure in practice: the lessor supplies aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance, the lessee pays fuel, airport, handling and permits. In a dry lease only the aircraft is provided and the lessee operates it under its own AOC with its own crew.
Peak-season cover typically runs one to six months, network gap cover six to twelve, and fleet-replacement programmes longer. Short ad-hoc needs of a few rotations are usually cheaper as charter than as an ACMI contract.
ACMI stands for Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance. The lessor provides those four elements and operates the flights under its own certificate, while the lessee pays for fuel, airport and ATC charges, ground handling and permits.
It is the standard structure when an airline, integrator or forwarder needs capacity for a period rather than a single flight, and it is usually contracted against guaranteed monthly block hours.
In a wet lease the aircraft comes with crew, maintenance and insurance, and the flights are operated under the lessor's air operator certificate. In a dry lease only the aircraft is supplied, and the lessee crews, maintains, insures and operates it under its own certificate.
A wet lease can start in weeks, a dry lease requires the lessee to hold the operational and regulatory capability itself, so the choice is driven as much by licensing as by economics.
A damp lease sits between the two: the lessor supplies the aircraft and flight crew, while the lessee provides cabin crew or certain operational elements. In freighter operations the term is used loosely, so the important step is defining exactly which crew, maintenance and insurance obligations sit on each side.
We put that split in writing before the contract, not after.
From a few weeks of seasonal peak cover to multi-year programmes, subject to regulatory scope in the operating jurisdictions and to the lessor's own fleet planning. Short-term cover is typically priced with a higher hourly rate and a lower guaranteed block hour commitment, while long programmes trade rate against volume and duration.
European operations additionally sit under wet-lease approval rules that must be checked for the specific routing.
Guaranteed block hours are the minimum number of flight hours per month the lessee pays for, whether or not they are flown. They exist because the lessor commits an aircraft, a crew rotation and maintenance capacity to your operation and cannot resell that capacity. Setting them realistically against your planned frequency is the single biggest lever on ACMI economics.
Aircraft type or capacity category, route or network, planned start date and duration, guaranteed monthly block hours, frequency and sector pattern, required payload, crew basing and rotation assumptions, the split of handling and fuel responsibilities, and the regulatory context in the countries involved. With that we can approach operators that hold the right approvals rather than testing the whole market.
Send an RFP document if you already have one.
Yes. Airlines and integrators use us for sub-charter and ad-hoc capacity when their own fleet is committed, a rotation goes technical or a peak exceeds planned capacity. The requirement is handled with the same confidentiality as any other mandate, and operator identities are not disclosed to third parties.
