ACMI / Lease · 25 September 2026

ACMI, wet lease, dry lease – what do they mean, and when is each the right choice?

Behind the technical terms of airline capacity leasing lies a simple question: what does the lessor provide, and what does the lessee bring?

In aviation, the two basic forms of aircraft leasing are the dry lease and the wet lease. The difference lies not in the aircraft, but in what “comes” with it.

ACMI – the complete wet lease package

The acronym ACMI covers four elements:

• A – Aircraft: the aircraft itself,
• C – Crew: the complete crew (pilots and flight attendants),
• M – Maintenance: maintenance and the management of continuing airworthiness,
• I – Insurance: hull and liability insurance.

Under an ACMI arrangement, the lessor – in this case BASe Airlines – flies under its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC), while the lessee provides the commercial side: the route, ticket sales, passengers, fuel, and airport and handling charges. The four letters summarise the elements provided by the lessor.

Dry lease – the aircraft only

In a dry lease, the lessee operates the aircraft under its own AOC, flies it with its own crew and takes care of maintenance itself. It suits long-term fleet expansion and requires substantial organisational resources on the lessee’s side.

Which one, and when?

Situation	Recommended form
Seasonal peak, a few months	ACMI / wet lease
Own aircraft under maintenance, replacement needed	ACMI / wet lease
Testing a new route before expanding one’s own fleet	ACMI / wet lease
Fleet expansion over several years under one’s own AOC	Dry lease

Why a regional turboprop?

The 30-seat Embraer 120 ER can be the solution on routes and for group sizes where the capacity of a larger aircraft would remain unused. It can also use smaller regional airports, making it a good choice for regional connections and for carrying smaller groups.

What should an ACMI enquiry cover?

• The length of the period and the expected monthly flight hours (minimum guaranteed hours).
• The base airport and the planned route network.
• How the crew will be accommodated and rotated.
• The expected level of on-board service.

With this information, our sales team will get back to you with an individual quote.