Dry lease: the aircraft without crew, maintenance or insurance
Dry lease freighters: aircraft only, under your own AOC
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
In a dry lease you lease the aircraft without crew. You operate it under your own air operator certificate (AOC), on your register or with approval for a foreign one, with your own continuing airworthiness organisation (CAMO), crew and insurance.
CCN's role is limited: we can help identify lessors and structure enquiries, but the technical and regulatory work stays with you and your advisers.
Lease desk
Aircraft only — the AOC, crew and maintenance stay with you.
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 can — and cannot — do on a dry lease
- Passing your requirement to lessors and operators with available aircraft
- Collecting offers on lease rate, term, maintenance reserves and return conditions
- Coordinating information between you and the lessor during selection
- Not in scope: technical inspection, records review, registration or CAMO work
- Not in scope: legal or tax advice on the lease contract
If you have no AOC for the type, ACMI leasing provides aircraft with crew.
The models are compared in wet lease, dry lease and ACMI explained.
When a dry lease is the right choice — and when it is not
A good fit when
- — You hold an AOC that covers or can add the type
- — You have crew, maintenance and CAMO capacity for it
- — The capacity is needed for years, not months
Usually not the right choice when
- — You do not operate the type yourself — ACMI or wet lease avoids the set-up
- — The need is seasonal or short-term
- — You need the aircraft in days — registration and approval take longer
For short-term cover, a wet lease includes crew.
How CCN works as an intermediary is set out under air cargo charter broker.
What the desk needs to pass on a dry lease enquiry
- 01Type and variant, including freighter conversion if relevant
- 02Required delivery date and term
- 03Your AOC state and intended register
- 04Configuration and engine preferences
- 05Who will perform CAMO and heavy maintenance
Freighter types commonly dry leased (indicative)
Converted narrow-body freighters are frequently placed on dry lease with operators that already fly the passenger version.
- 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)
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 a dry lease
- AOC variation and authority approval for the type
- Registration transfer and export/import formalities
- Maintenance status, reserves and redelivery conditions
- Insurance requirements set by the lessor
- Crew type ratings and training lead time
From enquiry to delivery
- 01You define type, term and delivery date.
- 02CCN passes the requirement to lessors and collects offers.
- 03You and your advisers inspect the aircraft and records and negotiate the lease.
- 04Registration, approval and delivery are handled by you and the lessor.
What a dry lease offer typically 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
- Monthly lease rate and maintenance reserves
- Delivery and redelivery conditions
Questions
Frequently asked questions
See all questionsThe lease of an aircraft without crew, maintenance services or insurance. The lessee operates the aircraft under its own air operator certificate and carries full operational responsibility.
A wet lease provides aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance and is flown on the operator's AOC. A dry lease provides the airframe only; everything else is supplied by the lessee.
Yes. Without an operator certificate and registration of the type, a dry-leased aircraft cannot be used commercially. Companies without an AOC should look at wet lease or charter instead.
In cargo, usually three to six years, occasionally from twelve months. Shorter periods rarely pay off because registration, training and acceptance absorb several months.
We broker. Cargo Charter Network owns no aircraft and is not a lessor; we search the market for available airframes and connect you with the owner.
Monthly rent depends on type, age, maintenance status and term, and is supplemented by reserves per flight hour. We quote figures only once a specific airframe has been checked in the market.
