The short answer
From London, Paris is about 40 minutes airborne in a midsize jet, Geneva and Zurich about an hour and a quarter, Nice about an hour and 35 minutes and Ibiza about two hours. Athens is about three hours 20 minutes and Larnaca about four hours 25 minutes. These are approximate still-air times; routing, winds and the airports chosen change them on the day.
Key facts
- Paris is about 40 minutes airborne from London in a midsize jet; Nice about 1 hr 35 min.
- Ibiza is about 2 hr 05 min and Tenerife about 4 hr in a midsize or heavy jet.
- Times allow 15 minutes for climb and approach, then distance at a planning speed for the class.
- Light jets reach about 1,200 nautical miles non-stop; beyond that they add a fuel stop.
- Door to door is longer than airborne time: arrive about 30 minutes before departure, then allow for the transfers.
How long does a private jet take from London to the main European cities?
The table gives approximate airborne times from central London for ten popular destinations, worked out from the great-circle distance. The light-jet column shows "With a fuel stop" where the distance is beyond the range a light jet is planned to fly non-stop.
| From London to | Distance | Light jet | Midsize or heavy jet | Flown non-stop by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Le Bourget | 180 nm | 45 min | 40 min | Every class, including very light jets and turboprops |
| Edinburgh | 290 nm | 1 hr 05 min | 55 min | Every class, including very light jets and turboprops |
| Geneva | 400 nm | 1 hr 25 min | 1 hr 10 min | Every class, including very light jets and turboprops |
| Nice | 555 nm | 1 hr 50 min | 1 hr 35 min | Every class, including very light jets and turboprops |
| Ibiza | 760 nm | 2 hr 25 min | 2 hr 05 min | Every class, including very light jets and turboprops |
| Rome Ciampino | 780 nm | 2 hr 30 min | 2 hr 05 min | Every class, including very light jets and turboprops |
| Málaga | 910 nm | 2 hr 50 min | 2 hr 25 min | Light jets and larger; very light jets may need a fuel stop |
| Mykonos | 1,370 nm | With a fuel stop | 3 hr 30 min | Midsize and super-midsize jets; smaller jets may add a fuel stop |
| Tenerife South | 1,590 nm | With a fuel stop | 4 hr | Midsize and super-midsize jets; smaller jets may add a fuel stop |
| Larnaca | 1,760 nm | With a fuel stop | 4 hr 25 min | Super-midsize and heavy jets; smaller jets add a fuel stop |
Approximate airborne times in still air, worked out from the great-circle distance from central London. Routing, winds and the aircraft chosen change them on the day.
Two other airports people ask about are Zurich, about 415 nautical miles from central London and about 1 hr 15 min in a midsize jet, and Athens, about 1,300 nautical miles and about 3 hr 20 min in a midsize jet. Both are worked out the same way as the table.
How are these flight times worked out?
The method is simple, so you can check any route yourself. Take the great-circle distance in nautical miles from central London to the airport, divide it by a planning speed for the class of aircraft, and add 15 minutes for climb and approach. The result is rounded to the nearest five minutes.
- Light jets are planned at 350 knots, midsize and heavy jets at 420 knots and turboprops at 255 knots.
- The 15 minutes covers the slower, lower parts of the flight at both ends, which is why a short sector is longer than distance divided by speed suggests.
- Nice, for example, is about 555 nautical miles: that is about 79 minutes at 420 knots, plus 15, which rounds to 1 hr 35 min.
These are planning figures for an estimate, not a flight plan. The aircraft that flies your trip, the route air traffic control gives it and the wind on the day will all move the real time by some minutes either way.
Does the size of the aircraft change the time?
A little on short flights and more on long ones. Over Paris, the gap between a light jet (about 45 minutes) and a midsize jet (about 40 minutes) is five minutes. Over Ibiza it is 20 minutes: about 2 hr 25 min against 2 hr 05 min. A turboprop is slower again, at the same method: about 55 minutes to Paris and about 1 hr 50 min to Geneva. On a flight of an hour or two the turboprop's lower cost can outweigh the time lost, a trade-off set out in which size of private jet you need.
When does a private jet need a fuel stop?
When the distance is longer than the aircraft can fly non-stop with its passengers and baggage. For a light jet planned from London, the cut-off in the table is about 1,200 nautical miles: Athens, Mykonos, Tenerife and Larnaca all lie beyond it, so a light jet stops on the way. Midsize and super-midsize jets cover more of that distance non-stop, and heavy jets all of it; smaller jets add a stop as the distance grows. A stop costs time on the ground and a second landing fee, and a larger aircraft that flies straight through can be the better choice on the longest sectors.
Range on the day also depends on how many passengers and how much luggage are on board, and on the winds. The figures in the fleet guides are maxima for the type, not a promise for a particular trip.
Why is door to door longer than the flying time?
Because the flight is only the middle of the journey. On the day, the pieces add up as in the table below.
| Stage | What to allow for |
|---|---|
| Getting to the airport | Depends on the airport. Biggin Hill and Northolt are about 15 miles from central London, and the airport quotes under 60 minutes by car to Farnborough or 12 minutes by helicopter. |
| Arriving before departure | About 30 minutes before take-off, at the private terminal named on your flight schedule. Allow longer for a large party or a lot of luggage. |
| Taxi and take-off | A take-off slot can apply on busy days, as it does for airlines; see what a CTOT is in the arrival article linked below. |
| The flight | The airborne time in the tables above. |
| Landing and handling | Handling staff meet the aircraft, border formalities are completed where the airport provides for them, and bags are brought to you. |
| The last leg | Transfers vary: Le Bourget is about 20 minutes by car from central Paris when traffic allows, and Larnaca is 13 minutes by car from Larnaca town. |
Transfer times are the figures the airports and handling companies publish, for a car without traffic unless stated.
The saving over an airline is real but lies mostly in what is missing: no airline check-in, no queue for a gate, and an airport close to where you are going. See how early to arrive, and what security to expect for the arrival step in detail.
Does the choice of airport change the journey time?
Often more than the flight does. Flying into Geneva, about 5 km from the city centre, saves road time compared with an airport further out; the private terminals open daily from 06:00 to 22:00. Málaga is about 15 to 20 minutes from the city, and it is open 24 hours with customs around the clock. At Nice, two parallel runways take every business jet and the airport is open 24 hours. Opening hours matter as much as distance: a flight timed to land after an airport closes cannot be flown as planned, whatever the airborne time.
What can make the real time differ from these figures?
- Winds. A strong headwind on the way out and a tailwind home change the airborne time in each direction.
- Routing. Air traffic control decides the route, which may not be the straight line used for the estimate.
- Slots. On busy days a calculated take-off time can hold you on the ground before departure.
- The aircraft. The same route takes a little less in a faster aircraft and longer in a slower one.
- Airport restrictions. Night restrictions, closing times and customs notice can change the time you can fly at all.
How long does the journey take in a turboprop?
A turboprop is planned at 255 knots, so the same method gives these times from central London. On the shortest flights the difference from a jet is small; on a longer one it adds up.
| From London to | Turboprop | Midsize or heavy jet |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | 1 hr 25 min | 55 min |
| Paris | 55 min | 40 min |
| Geneva | 1 hr 50 min | 1 hr 10 min |
| Nice | 2 hr 25 min | 1 hr 35 min |
| Ibiza | 3 hr 15 min | 2 hr 05 min |
Approximate airborne times in still air, worked out with the planning speeds described above. Range limits what a turboprop can fly non-stop, so longer routes are quoted with the aircraft that suits them.
How long to the Mediterranean islands and further afield?
The summer destinations sit between one and a half and four hours from London in a midsize jet. The same method gives these figures; the light-jet column shows a fuel stop where the distance is beyond the planning range.
| From London to | Distance | Light jet | Midsize or heavy jet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey | 160 nm | 40 min | 40 min |
| Palma | 730 nm | 2 hr 20 min | 2 hr |
| Olbia | 750 nm | 2 hr 25 min | 2 hr |
| Ajaccio | 680 nm | 2 hr 10 min | 1 hr 50 min |
| Catania | 1,060 nm | 3 hr 15 min | 2 hr 45 min |
| Corfu | 1,100 nm | 3 hr 25 min | 2 hr 50 min |
| Santorini | 1,420 nm | With a fuel stop | 3 hr 40 min |
Distances are great-circle distances from central London, rounded to the nearest 5 nautical miles.
What does a Paris trip look like on the clock?
A worked example makes the stages concrete. For a flight to Paris, arrive about 30 minutes before departure, fly about 40 minutes in a midsize jet, and then travel about 20 minutes by car from Le Bourget to central Paris when traffic allows. That is about an hour and a half from arriving at the London airport to reaching central Paris, before border formalities and without counting your journey to the London airport. Add the road time at the start and any wait for a take-off slot, and the full door-to-door figure is longer. That is still a long way from the sum of an airline check-in, security, gate and baggage reclaim.
How do return and same-day trips change the plan?
Each leg is a separate flight with its own time, so a day trip is two airborne times plus the time you spend on the ground. The aircraft waits for you, and its crew must stay within legal limits on their duty hours, which can matter on a long day. If the aircraft and crew stay overnight, their overnight costs are part of the price. For a short stay a return is often better value than two one-way flights, but whether a same-day return works depends on the airports’ closing times as much as the flying time.
How can you estimate any route yourself?
- Find the great-circle distance in nautical miles from central London to the airport.
- Divide it by 350 for a light jet, 420 for a midsize or heavy jet or 255 for a turboprop, to give hours.
- Convert to minutes and add 15 for climb and approach.
- Round to the nearest five minutes. For Ibiza in a midsize jet: 760 divided by 420 is about 109 minutes, plus 15 is about 124, which rounds to 2 hr 05 min.
How does flight time affect the price?
Charter prices are built on the flying hour, so a longer flight costs more, in the same way as on an airline. The airborne time is therefore a first guide to the price, though only a first guide: positioning, airport fees, time on the ground and the date all count as well. The comparison that matters most is between aircraft rather than between routes. A smaller jet costs less per hour but may take longer, or need a fuel stop, on a long sector, so the lowest hourly rate does not always give the lowest-priced trip. The cost side is set out in how much it costs to charter a private jet, with the guide rates and what sets the final figure.
Which flights are short enough to consider a turboprop or a very light jet?
For flights of an hour or two, a turboprop or a very light jet is often enough, and on those sectors the extra time compared with a larger jet is small. Paris takes about 55 minutes in a turboprop against 40 in a midsize jet; Jersey, at about 160 nautical miles, takes about 40 minutes in either a light jet or a midsize one. As the distance grows the gap widens, and the aircraft that looks cheap per hour can lose its advantage. Over a long sector the choice usually turns on passengers, luggage and range, which is the subject of which size of private jet you need.
Why can the same route take different times in each direction?
Because the wind is not the same at each end of a round trip. A headwind slows the aircraft over the ground and a tailwind speeds it up, so the outward and return legs of one route can differ by some minutes, and the planning times in this article are still-air figures for that reason. Air traffic control also assigns the route and altitude, which may not be the straight line the estimate assumes. When your arrival time at the other end matters, a quote should leave margin for this, and for a take-off slot on a busy day.
How should you use these flight times when planning a trip?
- Work back from the time you need to arrive, not forward from the time you want to leave.
- Add the transfer at each end, and the 30 minutes before departure, to the airborne time.
- Check the opening hours of both airports against your planned take-off and landing times.
- Allow margin if there is a hard deadline at the other end, such as a meeting or a connection.
- For a sector beyond about 1,200 nautical miles, ask about a larger aircraft that flies it without a stop.
More questions
How long is a private jet flight from London to Paris?
About 40 minutes airborne in a midsize jet and about 45 minutes in a light jet, over roughly 180 nautical miles. Add the time to reach the airport and the 30 minutes before departure for the journey door to door.
How long does a private jet take from London to Nice?
About 1 hr 35 min in a midsize or heavy jet and about 1 hr 50 min in a light jet, over roughly 555 nautical miles. Nice is open 24 hours with customs on site and two parallel runways.
How long is the flight from London to Ibiza by private jet?
About 2 hr 05 min in a midsize or heavy jet and about 2 hr 25 min in a light jet, over roughly 760 nautical miles. Ibiza is open 24 hours in summer and keeps shorter hours in winter.
Can a private jet fly from London to Athens or Larnaca without stopping?
Midsize and larger jets can cover those distances non-stop in the planning figures: about 3 hr 20 min to Athens and about 4 hr 25 min to Larnaca. A light jet would add a fuel stop on the way.
Is a private jet faster than an airline?
The airborne speed is similar. The saving is on the ground: a private terminal, about 30 minutes before departure rather than a long airport process, and an airport nearer to your destination. How much you save depends on the airports and the route.
Related articles
Which size of private jet do I need?
Compared by size, the rule is simple: choose the smallest aircraft that carries your party and its luggage the distance without stopping.
Which London airport should you use for a private jet?
Use the airport that is closest to where you are actually going, as long as its opening hours, customs and runway suit the flight.
On this site
More from Charter-A.com
- London to Paris by private jet: flight time
- London to Ibiza by private jet: flight time
- Private jet from London to Paris
Distances are great-circle distances from central London worked out from the airport coordinates on this site; times use the planning speeds and the 15 minute allowance described in the article; airport hours and transfer times come from the airport records. Charter-A Ltd acts as agent for the passenger; details are confirmed for each flight at booking.