How Empty Legs Are Reshaping the Business Aviation Ecosystem

The business aviation sector has seen significant shifts due to the growing utilization of empty leg flights. These repositioning flights, occurring when a business jet flies without passengers to a destination for its next booked leg, present both opportunities and challenges for flight operators. Their impact spans operational planning, ground handling, and resource allocation, fundamentally altering how operators approach efficiency and revenue generation.

What Are Empty Leg Flights?

Empty leg flights, also known as repositioning flights or deadhead flights, occur when a private or business jet must fly empty to reposition for its next scheduled flight or return to its base after dropping off passengers. Since the aircraft is already scheduled to fly a particular route without passengers, it presents an opportunity for operators to benefit from discounted pricing to potential clients while maximizing operational efficiency.

 

Approximately 40% of private jet flights operate as empty return legs. However, passengers looking to book these flights often have limited flexibility in choosing the departure time, date, and location. Despite this, they can secure discounts of up to 50%, as operators aim to offset costs for these otherwise unused flights.

Characteristics of Empty Leg Flights

• Pre-Scheduled Routes: Empty legs operate on fixed routes determined by the primary passenger’s travel requirements. This limits flexibility in terms of origin and destination for potential clients looking to book these flights.
• Limited Customization: Unlike standard private charter flights, empty legs often do not allow modifications to departure times, intermediate stops, or routing, as these are dictated by the operational requirements of the aircraft.
• Cost Efficiency: The availability of empty legs provides significant cost-saving opportunities for both the operator and any passengers filling the vacant seats. Operators offset costs associated with fuel, crew, and airport fees, while passengers enjoy rates lower than typical private charters.
• Short Notice Availability: Empty leg flights are often announced with short lead times, typically 1–7 days before departure. This makes them suitable for clients with flexible travel schedules.

Types of Empty Leg Flights

Return Empty Legs

• These occur when an aircraft completes a one-way charter and must return to its base or starting location without passengers.
• A Gulfstream G550 flies from Miami (MIA) to Teterboro Airport (TEB) with passengers and then returns empty to its base in Miami.

Repositioning Empty Legs

• These flights reposition an aircraft to a different airport for its next charter.
• A Bombardier Challenger 350 completes a charter from Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS) but needs to reposition to San Francisco (SFO) for its next scheduled passenger pickup.

One-Off Empty Legs

• These are created when an aircraft is repositioned for ad-hoc or unscheduled reasons, such as maintenance or fulfilling a last-minute passenger request.
• A Cessna Citation Longitude moves from Zurich (ZRH) to Farnborough (FAB) for scheduled maintenance after completing a charter.

Seasonal Empty Legs

• Common in regions with peak travel seasons, such as the Caribbean in winter or Europe in summer. Aircraft are repositioned to cater to increased demand in these locations.
• A Falcon 8X is repositioned from New York (JFK) to St. Barts (SBH) during the winter holiday season to handle seasonal charter requests.

Maintenance Positioning Legs

• Aircraft must fly to a specific facility for inspections, overhauls, or repairs. These repositioning flights typically operate without passengers unless cargo can be utilized.
• A Global 7500 flies from Doha (DOH) to Montreal (YUL) for a scheduled heavy maintenance check.

Importance of Empty Legs in Business Aviation

Empty legs are a critical component of the business aviation ecosystem, benefiting operators and clients alike. They:

 

• Enhance Aircraft Utilization: By filling otherwise empty flights with paying passengers or cargo, operators maximize the revenue potential of their fleet.
• Reduce Operational Costs: Offering empty legs for sale offsets costs like fuel, crew salaries, and airport fees.
• Increase Accessibility: Clients who may not typically afford private charters gain access to discounted rates for premium services.
• Support Operational Flexibility: Operators can efficiently reposition their aircraft to meet dynamic scheduling requirements, ensuring timely readiness for upcoming charters.

 

By understanding the various types of empty leg flights and their operational implications, flight operators can better plan resources, optimize scheduling, and capture revenue opportunities effectively.

Operational Scenarios for Empty Leg Operations in Business Aviation

These scenarios showcase how flight operators can utilize strategies and advanced operational planning to optimize empty legs. By integrating predictive technologies, detailed flight planning, and collaborative ground handling with the support of Just Aviation, operators can reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and transform empty legs into valuable assets within the business aviation ecosystem.

1. Optimized Route Planning Using Advanced Airspace Management

An empty leg from New York Teterboro (TEB) to Los Angeles Van Nuys (VNY).

 

Challenge: Minimizing fuel burn while navigating congested airspace along a transcontinental route.

 

Solution: Modern flight planning systems integrated with global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and Traffic Flow Management (TFM) data must be leveraged.

 

• The planned route avoids high-congestion zones near Chicago and Denver airspaces, preferring the ZBW-BOS-DTW-ZLC-ZLA route sequence.
• Dynamic weather inputs, such as jet stream alignment over the Midwest, are used to calculate optimum altitude transitions via step climbs. For example, the system may recommend an initial cruising altitude of FL350 for the first 1,200 nautical miles and then a climb to FL410 once favorable winds decrease fuel penalties.
• RNP AR (Required Navigation Performance – Authorization Required) procedures are utilized to access optimized routing in congested terminal areas, such as the SLAPP TWO STAR approach into VNY.

 

Outcome: Approximately 4–6%, fuel efficiency and reducing operational costs are achieved while adhering to FAA airspace efficiency mandates.

2. Collaborative Ground Handling and Slot Management

A Gulfstream G650 repositioning flight from London Farnborough (FAB) to Paris Le Bourget (LBG).

Challenge: Ensuring a seamless turnaround at a high-traffic airport while complying with A-CDM (Airport Collaborative Decision Making) protocols.

 

Solution

• Pre-arrival procedures must be coordinated with the FAB and LBG ground handling teams. The aircraft’s departure slot at FAB must be synchronized with Paris ATC via the Network Operations Portal (NOP) to secure a preferred arrival window at LBG, avoiding peak traffic times that would increase taxi-in delays.
• Ground support services at LBG, including refueling, cabin cleaning, and pre-positioned tug assistance for rapid towing, must be reserved in advance. Dual bowser trucks are deployed by the LBG team to enable simultaneous wingtip refueling, cutting refueling time by 25%.
• The estimated on-ground duration must be integrated into the dispatch system for accurate crew duty management, ensuring regulatory compliance with EASA Flight Time Limitations (FTL).

 

Outcome: The turnaround process is completed in under 45 minutes, allowing the operator to maintain an on-time departure for the next scheduled passenger flight.

3. Crew Duty and Rest Optimization for Long-Haul Repositioning

Repositioning a Bombardier Global 7500 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD).

 

Challenge: Managing crew duty times across a transpacific journey to comply with regulatory requirements and ensure operational safety.

 

Solution

• Operators must consider augmented crew scheduling, where a third pilot is onboard to enable inflight rest periods. This requires strategic placement of rest intervals to comply with FAA Part 135 or EASA FTL (Flight Time Limitations).
• Pre-planning includes designating crew rest facilities onboard to minimize fatigue. The operator ensures that the aircraft’s operational manual includes rest zone configurations, such as the forward crew rest bunk or designated cabin seats converted for this purpose.
• Contingency planning for a potential ETOPS (Extended Twin Operations) diversion en route ensures sufficient crew duty hours remain available for safe operation, even with a 2-hour deviation to Honolulu (HNL).

 

Operational Insight: Effective crew management is vital for long-haul repositioning. Operators lacking detailed crew scheduling protocols risk compliance violations, flight delays, and potential safety compromises.

 

 

 

FAQs

1. How can operators ensure seamless operations for empty legs when coordinating with multiple ground handling teams across airports?

Effective coordination with ground handling teams is crucial to minimizing delays and optimizing costs during empty leg operations. Misalignments in GPU readiness, refueling services, or slot timing can disrupt schedules and lead to higher turnaround times. Operators must anticipate potential service bottlenecks and communicate requirements early to ensure that the ground crew is prepared to meet specific operational demands for the arriving aircraft.

 

2. What strategies can operators implement to maintain regulatory compliance when adjusting flight plans for empty legs?

Empty leg operations often involve route or schedule changes due to last-minute requirements. Operators need to ensure their adjusted flight plans remain compliant with airspace restrictions, slot allocations, and international regulatory frameworks like ICAO Annex 6. Overlooking these compliance factors can result in fines, delays, or denied clearances. Integrating continuous monitoring of NOTAMs and real-time flight data with operational workflows can mitigate these risks.

 

3. How can operators balance cost efficiency with on-ground support for empty legs at high-traffic airports?

Operating at congested hubs during empty legs often involves higher landing fees, parking costs, and ATFM restrictions. Selecting alternate airports with lower operational costs or negotiating flexible handling packages can help reduce expenses. However, operators must weigh these cost-saving measures against the potential risks of longer taxi times, reduced service availability, or extended crew duty hours.

 

4. How can operators minimize the risk of underutilized payload capacity during empty legs?

Underutilized payload capacity represents a lost opportunity for generating incremental revenue during repositioning flights. Operators must consider proactive engagement with freight forwarders or passengers on high-demand routes. Incorporating detailed weight-and-balance calculations and ensuring cargo compartment readiness for specialized loads can maximize the use of available capacity while maintaining operational safety.

 

5. How do operators ensure proper crew management when handling consecutive empty leg flights with complex itineraries?

Mitigating operational safety risks for business jet cabin crew during repositioning flights can be challenging when considering duty hour limitations, rest requirements, and the need for operational efficiency. Failure to account for regulatory requirements like EASA FTL can lead to delays or even grounded flights. Strategic pairing of augmented crews, pre-arranged rest facilities, and standby personnel can ensure uninterrupted operations for multi-leg missions while maintaining compliance with duty regulations.

 

Seamless empty leg operations require meticulous planning, from routing and slot coordination to efficient ground handling. Ensuring cost-effective and timely execution is vital for optimizing operations. With the expertise of Just Aviation, operators gain access to comprehensive support, ensuring every detail is managed—whether it’s precise scheduling, regulatory compliance, or handling logistical complexities. Trust in tailored solutions that keep empty leg flights efficient, profitable, and aligned with operational goals.