Is my flight legal?
A paid flight in France must be flown by an operator holding an air operator certificate. The DGAC publishes the list of French holders, so you can check any operator in a minute.
- Regulator
- DGAC
- Certificate
- CTA (AOC)
- Aeroplane list
- 13 January 2026
- Helicopter list
- 2 December 2025
What makes a charter flight legal
Ask for the name of the operator flying you and its air operator certificate number, then find it on the DGAC list of French operators with a valid certificate (certificat de transporteur aérien, CTA). EU law requires anyone selling the flight to tell you the operator's identity when you book.
Under EU law, no company established in the EU may carry passengers by air for payment without an operating licence, and that licence is only valid while the company holds a valid air operator certificate (AOC). In France the AOC is called the certificat de transporteur aérien, issued by the Direction générale de l'aviation civile (DGAC).
The certificate confirms that the operator has the professional ability and organisation to fly the operations it covers safely. A company selling you a seat or a whole aircraft without one, or using an aircraft its certificate does not cover, is not running legal commercial air transport.
Every flight we arrange is flown by an operator we have checked, named on your quote. Read how on our our operators page and in our broker disclosure.
Sources:Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 on common rules for the operation of air services in the Community, articles 2, 3, 4 and 6 (EUR-Lex)DGAC (Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile): French aeroplane operators holding a valid air operator certificate, list of 13 January 2026 (PDF)DGAC (Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile): French helicopter operators holding a valid air operator certificate, list of 2 December 2025 (PDF)
The DGAC lists of certified operators
The DGAC's Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile publishes two lists of French companies holding a valid air operator certificate: one for aeroplanes, updated on 13 January 2026 with 63 operators, and one for helicopters, updated on 2 December 2025 with 36 operators.
Each entry gives the company name, its certificate number in the form FR.AOC.0061, the aircraft types it operates with their number, and the DGAC unit that oversees it. The DGAC notes that the lists can change at any time and show the companies certified on the date printed.
Sources:DGAC (Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile): French aeroplane operators holding a valid air operator certificate, list of 13 January 2026 (PDF)DGAC (Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile): French helicopter operators holding a valid air operator certificate, list of 2 December 2025 (PDF)
Tell us the dates and passengers. A specialist replies with aircraft options and an all-in price, around the clock.
What a broker must tell you
- Under Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005, anyone who sells you a flight counts as an air carriage contractor and must tell you the identity of the operating air carrier when you book, whatever the booking channel.
- If the operator is not yet known when you book, the seller must name the carrier or carriers likely to fly you and confirm the operator as soon as it is known.
- These rules apply to scheduled and non-scheduled flights alike, including charters departing from an EU airport.
- The same regulation sets up the EU air safety list of carriers banned from operating in the EU.
- Altivo Jets is a broker: we arrange the flight and the operator flies it. The operator's name and certificate are on every quote.
How to check an operator in France
- 01Ask who operates the flight
Get the operator's full company name, which may differ from its trading name or from the company selling the flight.
- 02Ask for the certificate number
French operators hold a certificate numbered FR.AOC followed by four digits.
- 03Find it on the DGAC list
Open the aeroplane or helicopter list and look for the company and its number.
- 04Match the aircraft
Check that the aircraft type you are offered appears against that operator on the list.
- 05Foreign operators
An operator from outside the EU generally needs DGAC authorisation, or for some intra-European flights a notification, for each non-scheduled commercial flight to France. Ask for its certificate and the authority that issued it.
Sources:DGAC (Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile): French aeroplane operators holding a valid air operator certificate, list of 13 January 2026 (PDF)DGAC (Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile): French helicopter operators holding a valid air operator certificate, list of 2 December 2025 (PDF)French AIP, GEN 1.2 entry, transit and departure of aircraft (SIA eAIP, AIRAC 1 October 2026; text valid from 26 May 2016)
Questions, answered
Still deciding? A charter specialist will talk you through aircraft, airports and price, with no obligation.
Ask a specialistWho regulates charter flights in France?+
The Direction générale de l'aviation civile (DGAC). Its safety directorate issues the air operator certificates (CTA) and publishes the lists of French holders.
Where can I find the DGAC list of air operators?+
The DGAC publishes two PDF lists of French operators with a valid certificate, one for aeroplanes (13 January 2026) and one for helicopters (2 December 2025). Our guide to private jet companies in France links to both.
Does a broker need to tell me who operates my flight?+
Yes. EU Regulation 2111/2005 treats any seller of a flight as an air carriage contractor and requires it to tell you the operating carrier when you book.
Can a non-EU operator fly me to France?+
Non-scheduled commercial flights to France by operators from outside the EU generally need prior DGAC authorisation, or a notification for some intra-European flights. We check the permissions before we offer such an aircraft.
Fares, dates and rules on this page were checked on 19 October 2026. Official fares and schedules change every season; the operator or authority named in each source has the final word.
- 1.Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 on common rules for the operation of air services in the Community, articles 2, 3, 4 and 6 (EUR-Lex)
- 2.DGAC (Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile): French aeroplane operators holding a valid air operator certificate, list of 13 January 2026 (PDF)
- 3.DGAC (Direction de la sécurité de l'aviation civile): French helicopter operators holding a valid air operator certificate, list of 2 December 2025 (PDF)
- 4.Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005: the EU air safety list and informing passengers of the operating air carrier, articles 2, 3, 10 and 11 (EUR-Lex)
- 5.French AIP, GEN 1.2 entry, transit and departure of aircraft (SIA eAIP, AIRAC 1 October 2026; text valid from 26 May 2016)
Know who flies you.
A specialist replies around the clock with aircraft options, the operator's name and an all-in price.