Operations
What Is an FBO?
In short
An FBO, or Fixed Base Operator, is the private terminal at an airport that handles general and business aviation aircraft, crew and passengers — providing ramp parking, fuelling, hangarage, catering and passenger lounges. Charter clients pay for FBO services indirectly through handling fees, which appear as a separate line on many invoices.
How it works
An FBO is a commercial facility based at an airport that services private and business aircraft, as distinct from the terminal used by scheduled airlines. A charter passenger arriving for a private flight will usually check in at an FBO lounge rather than a main terminal, and the aircraft will taxi to the FBO's ramp rather than an airline gate.
The FBO itself does not fly or crew the aircraft. It is a ground-services business, separate from the charter operator that owns or operates the jet under its Air Operator Certificate. The FBO's role is to arrange fuelling, marshal the aircraft on the ramp, provide de-icing where needed, coordinate catering and ground transport, offer crew rest facilities, and — on international trips — liaise with customs and immigration or border security staff who may be present at or near the facility.
Some airports have a single FBO, often because the airport authority grants one company an exclusive concession; others, particularly larger general aviation hubs, have two or more FBOs competing for business. Ownership ranges from large international chains, such as Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation, to independent, single-site operators and, at some airports, the airport authority itself.
The term FBO originated in the United States, where airport sponsors set out "minimum standards" that a company must meet to operate as an FBO on the field, rather than the Federal Aviation Administration licensing FBOs directly. In the United Kingdom and the European Union, the equivalent function is more often described as ground handling or executive handling, provided by a handling agent, though the word FBO is now used informally at many business aviation airports across both regions. This entry describes general practice as it stood in September 2026; the exact commercial and regulatory arrangements at any given airport should be checked directly, since they are set locally rather than by a single national regulator.
Cost impact
FBO charges appear on a charter invoice as handling fees, ramp fees, or occasionally as a de-icing or overnight parking fee, and they are distinct from the airport's own landing fee, which is charged by the airport authority rather than the FBO. Whether these are itemised separately or folded into the operator's all-in quote depends on the operator's contract and pricing model, so a buyer comparing two quotes should check whether ground handling is included or added afterwards.
FBO pricing structures vary widely by airport and by company. Some FBOs waive or reduce their ramp fee if the aircraft buys a minimum quantity of fuel; others charge a flat handling fee regardless of fuel purchase. Fees tend to be higher at airports with only one FBO, since there is no competing facility to hold prices down, and higher again at congested or slot-restricted airports, or for larger aircraft that need more ramp space and ground equipment. Overnight hangarage, extra de-icing in winter, and out-of-hours staffing (for very early or very late arrivals) are common additional charges.
Because these figures are set by each FBO and each airport, no single fee can be quoted as typical across the industry. A buyer or broker checking a quote should ask specifically whether ground handling and any FBO-related charges are included in the headline price, and, for international or short-notice trips, whether customs or immigration facilitation carries its own separate charge.
Example
Suppose, for illustration, a light jet arrives at a business aviation airport that has two competing FBOs. FBO A quotes an illustrative ramp fee of £250, waived if the aircraft buys at least 500 litres of fuel; FBO B charges a flat illustrative handling fee of £180 regardless of fuel purchased, plus an illustrative £75 for arranging ground transport.
If the aircraft needs a full fuel uplift for its return leg in any case, choosing FBO A and buying the required 500 litres there would mean the ramp fee is waived, leaving only the cost of the fuel itself. Choosing FBO B without arranging transport separately would add the flat £180 handling fee to the invoice, with the £75 transport charge added if used.
The difference between the two — an illustrative £180 to £255 depending on which FBO and which services are taken — would ordinarily appear as a distinct handling-fee line on the charter invoice, separate from the operator's hourly flying charge and from any landing fee billed by the airport itself.
Related terms
- Deadhead
A deadhead flight is a leg flown with the aircraft's crew aboard but no paying, revenue passengers, usually to reposition the aircraft before or after a paying charter. Charter clients are commonly billed for this leg, so a one-way trip often costs close to what a round trip would cost.
- Empty Leg Flight
An empty leg flight is a one-way charter repositioning leg that an aircraft must fly with no paying passenger aboard, which an operator or broker then offers for sale at a reduced price. Because the aircraft is flying anyway, empty legs are typically priced well below a standard one-way charter, but the schedule and route are fixed, not chosen.
- Handling Fees
Handling fees are charges levied by an FBO or airport ground handler for services provided to a private aircraft on the ground, such as ramp parking, fuelling coordination, catering and de-icing. Operators bill these costs through to the charter client, usually as a separate line item added to the flight invoice.
- Slot Restrictions
Slot restrictions require an aircraft to hold an allocated take-off or landing time, a 'slot', before operating at a congested airport, to manage runway capacity. In the United States, the FAA designates slot-controlled airports such as JFK, LaGuardia and Reagan National under 14 CFR Part 93; the UK and EU allocate slots through national coordinators under Regulation 95/93.
- Air Operator Certificate (AOC)
An Air Operator Certificate (AOC) is the certificate a commercial air operator must hold, issued in the UK by the Civil Aviation Authority and in EU member states under EASA rules, authorising it to carry fare-paying passengers or cargo. The United States uses a different certificate, issued under 14 CFR Part 119, and does not call it an AOC.
- Federal Excise Tax
Federal Excise Tax (FET) is a United States federal tax, imposed under 26 U.S.C. § 4261, on amounts paid for taxable air transportation, including most Part 135 charter flights. It adds roughly 7.5% of the charter cost plus a flat per-segment fee, collected by the operator and shown as a separate line on the invoice.