Fly-in fly-out flying differs from one-off charter in one crucial respect: it repeats. That changes how it is contracted, how it is priced, and where the commercial risk sits. A FIFO programme is a schedule an operator commits capacity to, not a series of independent bookings.
Three common structures
**Ad hoc charter.** Individual flights booked as required. Highest unit cost, maximum flexibility, no commitment on either side. Appropriate for shutdowns, surge crews, project mobilisation and irregular rosters.
**Programme or series charter.** A repeating schedule, for example a fixed rotation each swing, contracted for a defined term. The operator plans crew, maintenance and aircraft utilisation around your schedule, and the unit price falls accordingly. This is the standard structure for established rosters.
**Dedicated aircraft.** An aircraft assigned to your operation, sometimes with your livery and configuration. Highest commitment and highest total cost, but the strongest availability and schedule control. Justified at high utilisation.
How the pricing is built
Programme flying is generally priced per rotation or per block hour against an agreed schedule, with a defined aircraft type and seat configuration. Typical components are the aircraft and crew cost, fuel (often with a pass-through or review mechanism because fuel moves independently of the contract), airport and en-route charges, ground handling, and any positioning or crew accommodation the roster requires. Where an aircraft is committed to you, a minimum guaranteed utilisation is usually part of the deal, the operator has taken that aircraft out of the open market.
Clauses that decide whether the contract works
**Schedule change notice.** How much notice is required to add, move or cancel a rotation, and what each costs. Rosters change; the contract should assume they will.
**Load factor and seat commitment.** Whether you pay for the aircraft or the seats, and what happens when a rotation flies light. Aircraft-based pricing is simpler and usually cheaper at high load factors.
**Recovery and disruption.** What happens on a technical delay or weather event: standby aircraft arrangements, sub-charter rights, accommodation liability and rescheduling obligations. This clause has more effect on real-world performance than the headline rate.
**Fuel adjustment.** The mechanism and review period for fuel movements.
**Term, extension and termination.** Contract length, renewal mechanics and notice periods.
**Compliance and audit.** Operator certification, safety management system, insurance levels, drug and alcohol programmes, and the client's right to audit. Most resource-sector clients apply their own contractor management standards to aviation, and it is far better to align on those before award.
Operational detail that belongs in the contract
Configuration and seat count, baggage and freight allowance per passenger (tools, cores and samples add up), check-in and manifest process, remote aerodrome capability including runway surface and lighting, refuelling arrangements at the site end, and duty-time planning for early departures and late returns. Combi arrangements, passengers plus freight on the same rotation, need to be agreed up front because they affect aircraft choice.
How we structure it
Send the roster pattern, ports, headcount per rotation, baggage and freight profile, aerodrome details and contract term. We return an aircraft recommendation, a schedule and a pricing basis you can compare against your current arrangement. See FIFO air charter, mining air charter and oil and gas charter.
