Best Jets International has received supplemental Part 121 certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing the business aviation operator to expand its charter activities with Embraer E170 regional jets.
The Minnesota-based company announced the certification on August 27 following a process that included FAA proving runs completed earlier in the month. Best Jets had previously operated under Part 135 regulations, commonly used in the United States for business aviation and on-demand charter services.
Follow Air Data News: WhatsApp | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
The new supplemental Part 121 authority allows Best Jets to conduct larger charter operations under regulations also used by US scheduled airlines, although the company is not launching scheduled passenger services.
Best Jets plans to operate four E170s, split between two different configurations. Two aircraft have 30-seat executive interiors and have been used for charter operations under the company's existing Part 135 certificate. Two additional E170s will have 60 seats and are intended for Part 121 operations.
The company is targeting customers including professional and collegiate sports teams, corporate groups, entertainment organizations and government customers. The E170s are expected to be based in the US Midwest and Florida.
Best Jets completed its Part 121 supplemental proving runs on August 6. At the time, the company said all four E170s were expected to complete FAA conformity inspections by November 1, indicating that certification of the operator does not necessarily mean the entire planned fleet is already available for Part 121 service.
Three E170s can currently be identified in public fleet databases as associated with Best Jets: N175RS, N176RS and N177RS. All three are approximately 20 years old and are also linked to Aurora Anguilla, which helps explain differences in how the aircraft are attributed among flight-tracking and fleet databases.
N175RS and N176RS joined Best Jets operations in 2021, while N177RS was added in August 2025. Publicly available fleet information lists all three with 30-seat configurations. Best Jets has not identified the registrations of the two 60-seat aircraft in its certification announcement.
From business jets to E-Jets
Best Jets is not a new airline created around the Embraer aircraft. Founded in 1995 and based at St. Paul Downtown Airport in Minnesota, the company has traditionally focused on aircraft management and private charter operations.
Its fleet has included business jets such as the Gulfstream V, Dassault Falcon 900DX and Cessna Citation Sovereign, with the E170 giving the operator a considerably larger aircraft for group transportation.
The E170 typically carries around 70 to 78 passengers in airline service, making the 30-seat Best Jets aircraft unusually spacious versions of the regional jet. The planned 60-seat configuration will retain a lower seating density than conventional airline layouts while substantially increasing capacity compared with traditional large-cabin business jets.
Best Jets began pursuing Part 121 certification in 2025. Documents filed with the US Department of Transportation show that the company submitted its Preapplication Statement of Intent to the FAA in April of that year.
The certification expands the relatively small secondary market for early-generation Embraer E-Jets in the United States. The E170 entered commercial service in 2004 and has gradually been displaced at major airlines by larger E175s and newer regional aircraft, while used examples have found roles with smaller carriers, charter operators and specialized aviation companies.
