Aviation - Air Operations

Aviation – Ground Operations

Kinsale’s Aviation Division has several options available for Ground Operations coverage, including Hangarkeepers’, Grounding coverage, General Liability, and Products Liability.

Our Aviation team can consider your aviation-only risks, as well as manufacturers and contractors with partial aviation exposures or UAS/drone exposures. We can consider these risks on a primary, quota share, or excess basis.

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Aviation – UAS/Drone Operations

Kinsale’s Aviation Division can offer Drone Operator Liability and Drone Hull coverages for drone and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) accounts.

Our Aviation team can consider your UAS operation-only risks and your accounts with ancillary UAS exposures and can offer coverage on a primary or excess basis.

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Submission Requirements:

• Signed & dated aircraft/pilot supplemental application
• Five-year currently-valued company loss runs
• Copies of the following:
  • FAA licenses and endorsements held by all operators flying for insured
  • Any FAA authorizations or waivers held by insured, including any amendments or special certificates of waiver
  • Any FAA or NTSB reports involving insured’s operations
  • Operational manual or standard
  • Operating procedures
• Website information or brochure

• What Aviation insurance products does Kinsale offer for air operations?

  For air-based operations, we offer Aircraft Hull and Liability coverage for a wide range of general aviation aircraft and pilots on a primary, excess, and quota share basis.

  We target private, recreational, corporate, and commercial operations, flying clubs, and unique or hard-to-place Aviation classes, including older aircraft and pilots, owner-flown aircraft, aircraft-type transitions, and many more.

• Who needs Aviation insurance, and is it required by law?

  Technically, private aircraft owners are not required by federal regulations to carry hull or liability coverage. Yet the fact is, if you’re operating an aircraft, you’re going to need it, especially because many lenders, airports, hangar operators, and commercial operations require proof of coverage.

  Commercial operators, however, face a more structured set of obligations. While the FAA doesn’t impose a universal insurance mandate, federal rules such as 14 CFR Part 205 require specific liability limits for air carriers, and most commercial operations must also meet insurance requirements set by airports, contracts, and service partners. These regulatory and contractual demands make liability coverage an essential protection for commercial aviation.

  Kinsale’s Aviation team specializes in building customized coverages for both private and commercial aviation risks, even for those that are hard to place or have challenging characteristics, including:

  • Pilots who are transitioning aircraft types or have low times
  • Older pilots or aircraft
  • Experimental or modified aircraft
  • Gap in prior coverage or a claims history
  • Operations too specialized for the standard market
  • Much more

• What types of aircraft and operations does Kinsale insure?

  As an E&S carrier, Kinsale can underwrite challenging accounts that other carriers may not even consider. Our air operations team specializes in small to midsize general aviation accounts, including private, recreational, corporate, and commercial operations, flying clubs, and hard-to-place aircraft and pilots, including: 

  • Aircraft with retractable gear
  • Emerging technologies & experimental aircraft
  • Older aircraft
  • Older pilots
  • Rotorcraft
  • Owner-flown aircraft
  • Aircraft-type transitions

• What’s the difference between Hull coverage and Liability coverage?

  Aircraft Hull coverage and Aircraft Liability coverage work together to protect different sides of an aviation risk.

  Aircraft Hull Coverage
  Pays for physical damage to the aircraft itself. The policyholder can choose the valuation basis (often called “agreed value”) and the conditions under which the aircraft is covered: not in motion, taxi only, or full flight.

  Aircraft Liability Coverage
  Protects the policy holder against claims for bodily injury or property damage to passengers, bystanders, or third-party property.

• What limits does Kinsale offer for Aircraft Hull and Liability coverages?

  Kinsale’s Aviation Division writes up to $2M Hull limits and up to $10M Liability limits on a primary, Follow-Form excess, or quota share basis.

• Can Kinsale's Aviation team write excess coverage over an aircraft policy that has a passenger sublimit?

  Yes, we can write this coverage with either an exclusion for passenger liability or with a unique endorsement that matches what the underlying carrier is providing.

  For example: If the insured’s primary coverage provides a $1M combined single limit with $100k per passenger limit, we can offer an additional $100k to bring their total to $200k while still offering up to $10M over the non-passenger third-party bodily injury and property damage.