Specialized insurance programs engineered for the demands of revenue-generating and mission-critical aviation operations.
Commercial operators face higher utilization rates, stringent regulatory requirements, and catastrophic loss potential that standard aviation policies are not designed to address.
Whether you operate a Part 135 charter fleet, an aerial application business, or a helicopter utility company, your insurance program must reflect the scale, complexity, and specific exposures of your operation. Off-the-shelf policies leave dangerous gaps. Commercial aviation demands specialized program structures, higher liability towers, and underwriters who understand the operational realities of revenue flight.
Aviation Management Insurance Services, Inc. builds tailored commercial aviation insurance programs that satisfy regulatory requirements, meet contractual obligations, and protect your business from the financial consequences of a serious loss. We work with domestic and international specialty markets to deliver coverage that general brokers simply cannot access.
A properly structured commercial aviation program addresses each of these critical exposures.
We build insurance programs for the full spectrum of commercial aviation operations.
On-demand charter, air taxi, and scheduled commuter operations requiring regulatory-compliant liability limits, passenger coverage, and fleet hull programs.
Crop dusting, herbicide and fertilizer application, and mosquito abatement operations with chemical drift liability, environmental coverage, and ag-specific hull programs.
Mapping, photogrammetry, LiDAR, pipeline patrol, and aerial inspection operations with equipment coverage and commercial liability programs.
Utility, HEMS (air ambulance), offshore oil and gas support, power line construction, and external load operations under Part 133 and Part 135.
Dedicated freight, express cargo, and on-demand air cargo operations with cargo legal liability, contingent cargo coverage, and fleet hull programs for freighter aircraft.
Banner towing, skydive operations, aerial firefighting, flight testing, and other specialty commercial uses that require niche underwriting expertise and market access.
Commercial aviation operators face exposures that go well beyond those encountered in personal or recreational flying.
Commercial aviation insurance is not a commodity product. The regulatory environment, operational complexity, and catastrophic loss potential of commercial flight demand a broker with deep domain expertise and direct access to specialty underwriters. Here is what we bring to your operation:
Understanding these terms will help you evaluate your current program and make informed decisions.
A combined single limit (CSL) is a single liability limit that applies to all bodily injury and property damage claims arising from a single occurrence, rather than splitting limits between per-person and per-occurrence amounts. Commercial aviation policies are almost universally structured on a CSL basis. For example, a $10 million CSL policy would pay up to $10 million total for all claims arising from one accident, regardless of the number of injured parties.
Some charter and air taxi policies include per-seat sublimits that cap the amount payable per passenger in a single occurrence. For example, a policy may provide $10 million CSL with a $1 million per-seat sublimit. If four passengers are injured, the maximum payable for passenger bodily injury would be $4 million (4 seats × $1 million), even though the overall CSL is higher. Understanding your per-seat structure is critical for evaluating whether your program provides adequate passenger protection.
Admitted carriers are licensed by the state department of insurance and their policy forms and rates are filed with and approved by the state. Admitted carriers participate in state guaranty funds, providing a financial safety net if the insurer becomes insolvent.
Non-admitted (surplus lines) carriers are not licensed in the state where the policy is issued but are permitted to write coverage through surplus lines brokers. These carriers offer greater flexibility in policy forms and pricing, which is often necessary for complex commercial aviation risks. However, they do not participate in state guaranty funds. Many commercial aviation risks are placed in the surplus lines market due to the specialized nature of the exposures.
A per-occurrence limit is the maximum the insurer will pay for any single accident or event. A annual aggregate limit caps the total amount the insurer will pay across all claims during the policy period. Some commercial policies include both — for example, $10 million per occurrence with a $20 million annual aggregate. If your operation has multiple losses in a single policy year, the aggregate limit becomes a critical factor. High-utilization operators should carefully evaluate whether their aggregate provides sufficient capacity.
Standard aviation policies exclude losses caused by war, hijacking, terrorism, and related perils. War risk coverage is purchased separately and is typically required for international operations, government contracts, and by aircraft lessors and lenders. War risk policies are often written on a 7-day cancellation basis, meaning coverage can be terminated on short notice during periods of elevated geopolitical risk. Operators with international routes or government mission support must maintain active war risk programs.
Many aviation underwriters offer premium credits or discounts for operators that maintain a formal Safety Management System (SMS). An SMS is a structured approach to managing safety, including policies, risk assessments, reporting systems, and continuous improvement processes. Operators with documented SMS programs, voluntary safety reporting participation (such as ASAP or FOQA), and strong loss histories may qualify for meaningful premium reductions. We help operators present their safety programs to underwriters in a way that maximizes available credits.