What is a virtual carrier?

A virtual carrier is a company that markets and sells flights under its own brand but does not hold its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC). Instead, it outsources all flight operations to third-party carriers, who operate the flights under their own AOC.

In practice, virtual carriers function much like airlines — operating on fixed schedules and presenting services under their own brand name — but without owning or operating any aircraft themselves.

How is a virtual carrier different from a tour operator?

The distinction can be subtle. ch-aviation includes a company in its Operators listings as a virtual carrier when it meets the following criteria:

• It predominantly sells flight-only packages rather than bundled holidays
• It operates on a fixed schedule
• It markets flights under its own brand name, not under the name of the aircraft operator carrying out the flight

Tour operators that do not meet these criteria — for example, those primarily selling package holidays where flights are incidental — are not listed as operators on ch-aviation.

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