What does wet-lease mean?

A wet-lease is an arrangement where one operator leases not just an aircraft, but a complete package of Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance from another operator. This is why wet-leases are also commonly referred to as ACMI leases.

This is distinct from a dry-lease, where only the aircraft itself is leased — typically from a leasing company — with the lessee providing its own crew, maintenance and insurance.

Why do operators use wet-leases?

Airlines and operators use wet-leases for a variety of commercial and operational reasons, including:

• Taking advantage of the lower cost structures offered by regional carriers
• Adding permanent or seasonal capacity without committing to additional owned or dry-leased aircraft
• Operating an aircraft type that the operator does not wish to crew or maintain itself

A real-world example

United Airlines wet-leases capacity from regional carrier SkyWest Airlines, which operates hundreds of Bombardier regional jets on United's behalf under the United Express brand and United flight numbers. Passengers see a United product, while the flights are physically operated by SkyWest.

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