The letters painted on a jet’s tail – 9H, OE, G or N – decide where it may legally carry paying passengers. Two aircraft of the same type, at the same price, can face very different rules: one flies Paris to Nice tomorrow, the other may not fly that leg at all. A good charter partner checks the registration and the operator’s certificate before quoting, so your trip is legal, insured and on time.
What a registration is
Every aircraft carries a nationality mark showing the country it is registered in. 9H is Malta, OE Austria, D Germany, F France, HB Switzerland, G the United Kingdom and N the United States.
The registration alone does not decide what a charter flight may do. Two things work together:
- The state of registry – sets airworthiness and maintenance standards for the aircraft.
- The operator’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) – the licence to fly paying passengers, issued by the operator’s home country.
In Europe the two usually match: an EU charter operator flies EU-registered aircraft under an EU AOC. When we say “EASA aircraft”, “G-reg” or “N-reg” below, we mean an aircraft flown by an operator from that same jurisdiction. Traffic rights – where it may pick up and drop off passengers – follow the operator’s nationality.
EASA (EU) registrations: the most flexible in Europe
An aircraft flown by an EU charter operator benefits from the EU’s single aviation market. It can fly between any two EU airports – including domestic legs such as Paris → Nice or Milan → Rome – without a traffic-rights permit. This freedom to fly inside another country is called cabotage, and only EU operators have it inside the EU.
That is why so many business jets now carry 9H (Malta), OE (Austria) or other EU marks. After Brexit, the number of UK-registered business jets fell by about 20% between February 2020 and October 2022, as aircraft moved to EU registers and certificates (AIN).
EU operators can also fly between the EU and Switzerland without a Swiss permit (see Switzerland below). Flights to the UK, the Middle East or further afield still need the destination country’s charter permit.
G-registered (UK) aircraft after Brexit
Since 1 January 2021, every non-scheduled charter flight between the UK and the EU needs a permit, while overflights do not (The Air Charter Association). In practice:
- UK ↔ EU flights are fine – rights to fly between the UK and the EU are agreed, but each flight needs the EU country’s permit unless the operator holds a block permit for it.
- Flights inside the EU are the problem – a UK operator generally cannot fly a domestic or intra-EU leg such as Paris → Nice or Nice → Geneva without special permission, which is rarely granted.
- The reverse applies in the UK – EU operators may fly to and from the UK, but not London → Edinburgh.
Some countries add their own hurdles. Greece, for example, was reported in 2021 to refuse UK-registered aircraft access to its islands (AIN).
What it means for you: a G-reg jet is often ideal for a round trip from London. For a multi-stop European tour, we usually propose an EU-operated aircraft.
N-registered (US) aircraft
US operators fly paying passengers under an FAA Part 135 certificate. To fly commercially into Europe they need two layers of approval:
- An EASA Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation – a one-time safety approval of the operator. EASA confirms that Part 135 operators flying commercially to Europe must hold one (EASA), and it covers Switzerland and the other EFTA states too (NBAA).
- A charter permit from each country – the TCO is only a safety approval; landing and traffic permits are still needed country by country (OPSGROUP).
Like UK operators, US operators cannot sell domestic European legs, so an N-reg jet suits a flight from the US or Middle East into one European city and back out.
A note on “Part 91” flights: an owner flying his own N-reg jet privately does not need a TCO (OPSGROUP), but he may not sell seats or charge for the trip. Be wary of any offer to “fly privately” on a jet you are paying for – that is illegal charter, and your insurance may not cover it.
Switzerland: inside EASA, outside the EU
Switzerland applies EASA safety rules and has an aviation agreement with the EU, so the rules sit between the EU and everyone else. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA):
- EU and EFTA operators need no Swiss permit for flights between the European Economic Area and Switzerland, e.g. Paris → Geneva or Geneva → Nice (FOCA).
- Domestic Swiss flights – Geneva → Zurich or Geneva → Sion – are cabotage and always need a FOCA permit, even for EU operators.
- Flights between Switzerland and countries outside the EEA, such as Geneva → London or Geneva → Dubai, by a non-Swiss operator need a separate application.
- UK, US and other non-EU/EFTA operators need a FOCA permit for charter flights to and from Switzerland. Occasional operators get a single permit per flight; frequent operators can hold an operating permit (FOCA).
What it means for you: for the ski season and Geneva business trips, an EU or Swiss-operated jet avoids most paperwork. For an internal Swiss hop, allow time for a permit or choose a Swiss operator (HB registration).
Permits and block permits explained
A charter (landing) permit is a country’s permission for a foreign operator to carry paying passengers to or from its airports. It is requested per flight, with the passenger list, and can take hours or days.
A block permit is a standing permission covering many flights, so the operator doesn’t apply each time. After Brexit the UK CAA issued block permits to EU operators, but only for aircraft with 19 seats or fewer, and only for flights to and from the UK. Only a limited number of EU countries, including France and Italy, offer block permits to UK operators in return (The Air Charter Association). Without one, a single flight permit can take up to 48 hours from the UK CAA.
| Flight | EU operator (e.g. 9H, OE) | UK operator (G) | US operator (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris → Nice (inside one EU country) | Allowed, no permit | Generally not allowed | Generally not allowed |
| Geneva → Nice (EU ↔ Switzerland) | Allowed, no permit | Swiss + French permits | TCO + Swiss + French permits |
| Geneva → Zurich (inside Switzerland) | Swiss cabotage permit | Swiss cabotage permit | Swiss cabotage permit |
| London → Nice (UK ↔ EU) | UK permit or UK block permit | French permit or block permit | TCO + UK and French permits |
| London → Edinburgh (inside the UK) | Not allowed | Allowed | Not allowed |
| Dubai → Geneva | UAE + Swiss permits | UAE + Swiss permits | TCO + UAE + Swiss permits |
This is a simplified guide; exceptions and bilateral deals exist. We confirm the exact permits for every quote.
What it means for your trip
- A European tour with several stops (London → Nice → Geneva → Paris): an EU-operated jet can fly every leg; a G or N aircraft may be blocked on the legs inside Europe.
- A last-minute departure: an operator with a block permit, or one that needs no permit at all, can launch within hours. One that has to apply flight by flight may lose half a day.
- The cheapest quote is not always the best: a lower price on the wrong registration can mean a refused permit, a last-minute aircraft swap or an illegal flight that insurance won’t cover.
- Price and availability: fewer aircraft can legally fly some legs, which affects price – especially for UK domestic and intra-EU flights.
How LindaJets handles it: every flight we arrange is operated by FAA Part 135 or EASA-certified air operators, with verified, experienced crews. For each quote we match the operator’s certificate and registration to your itinerary, check that the permits can be obtained in time, and tell you up front if a leg needs a different aircraft.
Last reviewed: November 2026. Sources: Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), EASA, NBAA, OPSGROUP, The Air Charter Association, AIN.
