OnAir offers three different ways to obtain the use of an aircraft:
Rentals, Leasing, and Purchasing.
Each method serves a different purpose and comes with its own costs, intended use cases, and advantages.
This page explains each option in detail so you can choose the most profitable approach for your company.
Renting is ideal for players who need short-term access to a specific aircraft, or for casual players who make only a few flights per week.
| Aircraft Class | Minimum Daily Flight Hours |
|---|---|
| Glider | 1 hour |
| Single Engine Piston | 1 hour |
| Multi Engine Piston | 1 hour |
| Single Engine Turbo Prop | 1 hour |
| Multi Engine Turbo Prop | 1 hour |
| Jet | 2 hours |
| Heavy Jet | 4 hours |
| Helicopters | 1 hour |
You can reduce minimum hours by selecting an Aircraft Rent Level:
What this all means is that if you take out a rental on an aircraft, you will be paying by far the highest operating cost per hour, but you can essentially end the rental contract at any point. The only restriction is that there are a minimum number of daily flight hours given during a rental agreement (This may be 0, particularly on Thunder world!).
If you try to end a rental without reaching the minimum number of daily hours and the aircraft is otherwise serviceable, you will have to pay out the difference in rental hours for that day.
If the aircraft is unusable due to deteriorated condition or requires an Annual / Workshop Inspection, any penalties are waived for ending the rental.
All aircraft require a Workshop Inspection every:
If the aircraft is serviceable but not:
you will be charged a penalty to reposition and refuel it — usually more expensive than doing it yourself.
Renting an aircraft and not flying it is a guaranteed loss, unless you are on Thunder World where minimum flight hours are always 0.
Leasing is intended for players who plan to use the same aircraft regularly, but cannot (or do not want to) purchase it yet.
Leasing fees are paid weekly and smaller companies will not be able to lease large airliners sustainably unless they operate a significant number of flight hours per week.
Purchasing is intended for situations where you regularly use the same aircraft and have enough funds to justify owning it.
Large airliners are usually too expensive for early-game companies.
A weekly ownership fee must be paid, meaning smaller companies must operate their aircraft for a significant number of hours to remain profitable.