The short answer
The summer favourites are the Balearic Islands, the Greek islands, the French Riviera, Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily. Each has several airports for private jets, from 24-hour hubs with every facility to small island airfields with short runways. From London they range from about two hours to more than three and a half in a midsize jet, so the airport and the aircraft are chosen together.
Key facts
- Six summer hubs are covered here, with 16 airports on the Greek islands alone.
- Palma, Nice, Olbia, Ajaccio, Bastia, Palermo and Catania are open 24 hours.
- Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu work on a drop-and-go basis with little or no jet parking in peak season.
- Cannes, La Môle and Paros have short runways or aircraft limits that suit smaller jets.
- From London, Ajaccio is about 1 hr 50 min and Mykonos about 3 hr 30 min in a midsize jet.
Where can you fly by private jet in summer?
Six areas draw most of the summer demand, and each is described on its own hub page on this site. The table gives the first-glance picture from London, with times worked out as in private jet flight times from London to Europe.
| Hub | Main airports for jets | From London, midsize jet | The point to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balearic Islands | Palma, Ibiza, Menorca | About 2 hr to Palma | Palma open 24 hours; Ibiza 24 hours in summer |
| Greek islands | Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Rhodes, Kos and 11 more | About 2 hr 50 min to Corfu, 3 hr 30 min to Mykonos | Drop-and-go at the busiest islands |
| French Riviera | Nice, Cannes, La Môle, Toulon-Hyères, Le Castellet | About 1 hr 35 min | Nice open 24 hours; the small airfields have limits |
| Sardinia | Olbia, Cagliari, Alghero | About 2 hr to Olbia | Olbia private terminal 07:00 to 22:00 |
| Corsica | Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, Figari | About 1 hr 50 min to Ajaccio or Bastia | Calvi daylight hours only |
| Sicily | Palermo, Catania, Comiso, Trapani | About 2 hr 35 min to Palermo, 2 hr 45 min to Catania | Palermo and Catania open 24 hours |
Approximate airborne times in still air from central London, in a midsize or heavy jet. A light jet takes longer, and on the longest Greek sectors it adds a fuel stop.
What do the Balearic Islands offer?
Three airports serve the islands. Palma de Mallorca is open 24 hours, with customs, immigration, handling and fuelling around the clock, and two parallel runways of 3,270 and 3,000 metres that take every size of business jet. Ibiza has a 2,799 metre runway, is open 24 hours in summer and keeps shorter hours in winter, and has customs on site during airport hours. Menorca, at Mahón, has a 2,550 metre runway and runs set daily hours with customs on site. Palma and Ibiza are among the busiest airports for private jets in summer, which is why a slot and parking are arranged ahead; see the Charter-A guide to securing a landing slot in Palma.
How do the Greek islands work in summer?
Sixteen airports serve the Greek islands, but the busiest work differently from the mainland. Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu operate on a drop-and-go basis: the jet lands, passengers get off and it leaves, because there is no parking, or very little, for private jets in peak season. That affects the plan: the aircraft may fly on to wait elsewhere and return for you, which shapes the price and the timing.
Choice of island decides the airport and the aircraft. Mykonos has a 1,903 metre runway, Santorini 2,197 metres and Corfu 2,373 metres. Paros has a 1,400 metre runway suited to turboprops and the smallest jets, and handles EU and Schengen flights only, while Skiathos has a short 1,628 metre runway for smaller business jets. Rhodes, Kos, Heraklion and Chania take every business jet. Check the dates, too: some island airports have published closures for runway works, so the schedule is verified before a quote is confirmed.
Which airport do you use for the French Riviera?
Nice is the main airport, and the airport for Monaco: open 24 hours with customs on site and two parallel runways up to 2,963 metres that take every business jet. The smaller airfields each serve a particular place, and each has limits. Cannes Mandelieu has a 1,540 metre runway, is staffed in daytime hours only, and takes jets up to 35 tonnes. La Môle for Saint-Tropez has a 1,071 metre runway and restricted approval for jets. Toulon-Hyères has a 2,121 metre runway, and Le Castellet, by the Circuit Paul Ricard, has a 1,485 metre runway and takes flights within the Schengen area only.
What do Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily each offer?
Olbia is the airport for Porto Cervo and the Costa Smeralda: 2,740 metre runway, open 24 hours, with the private terminal running daily from 07:00 to 22:00 and customs on site. Cagliari serves the south and is open 24 hours with customs on site; Alghero serves the north-west and Stintino, and large jets need special approval there.
Corsica has four airports, one for each corner of the island. Ajaccio and Bastia are open 24 hours, with customs at Ajaccio on 48 hours' notice. Calvi works in daylight hours only, and Figari in the south needs 48 hours' notice for customs. All four have runways of 2,300 metres or more.
Sicily has Palermo, with a 3,326 metre runway, and Catania, the airport for Taormina, both open 24 hours with customs on site. Comiso serves Ragusa, Modica and Scicli and is open from 06:00 to 22:00 daily, and Trapani the west coast. The outlying islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa have runways of about 1,735 and 1,795 metres, where the aircraft's performance is checked before the flight is planned.
What are the advantages of a smaller airport?
A small airport can put you closer to where you are staying and quicker through the process. Cannes Mandelieu, La Môle and Olbia sit close to the places most visitors head for, and a regional airfield can save the road time that a larger airport adds. The trade-off is limits: short runways, daylight-only hours, restricted approval, notice for customs. A smaller airport is a good choice when the aircraft and the timings fit, and the wrong one when they do not.
- Check the aircraft limit. Cannes takes jets up to 35 tonnes; La Môle is restricted; Paros and Skiathos suit smaller jets.
- Check the closing time. Cannes is closed at night and Calvi works in daylight hours only, so a late return can mean a different airport.
- Check customs. La Môle needs notice for Schengen flights and handles non-Schengen flights only from 1 July to 15 October; Le Castellet takes Schengen flights only.
How should you plan a summer private jet trip?
- Pick the place first, then the airport. The right airport depends on where you are staying and the size of your party.
- Ask about the jet. At drop-and-go airports, find out whether the aircraft waits or flies on and returns.
- Think about the return. A weekend away can be a return flight where the aircraft waits, or two one-way flights; see how much it costs to charter a private jet.
- Book early. Summer weekends to the Mediterranean, to Nice, Ibiza and Palma above all, are the busiest of the year.
How far is each summer airport from London?
The airborne times below use the same method as in private jet flight times from London to Europe: great-circle distance from central London, a planning speed for the class and 15 minutes for climb and approach. The Greek islands are the longest sectors, and a light jet adds a fuel stop beyond about 1,200 nautical miles.
| Airport | Light jet | Midsize or heavy jet |
|---|---|---|
| Nice and Cannes | 1 hr 50 min | 1 hr 35 min |
| Ajaccio | 2 hr 10 min | 1 hr 50 min |
| Palma | 2 hr 20 min | 2 hr |
| Ibiza | 2 hr 25 min | 2 hr 05 min |
| Olbia | 2 hr 25 min | 2 hr |
| Palermo | 3 hr | 2 hr 35 min |
| Corfu | 3 hr 25 min | 2 hr 50 min |
| Mykonos | With a fuel stop | 3 hr 30 min |
| Santorini | With a fuel stop | 3 hr 40 min |
| Rhodes | With a fuel stop | 3 hr 50 min |
Approximate airborne times in still air from central London. Routing, winds and the aircraft chosen change them on the day.
Which summer airports can you use late in the evening?
Closing times decide more summer plans than flying times do. Palma, Nice, Olbia, Cagliari, Ajaccio, Bastia, Palermo, Catania, Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu are open 24 hours, and Ibiza is open 24 hours in summer. At Olbia the airport is open all day and night, but the private terminal runs from 07:00 to 22:00, with earlier or later by request. Others keep set hours:
- Cannes Mandelieu is staffed from 08:00 until 20:00, 21:00 or 22:00 depending on the date, and closed at night.
- La Môle opens in summer from 08:00 to 19:00, with an extension possible until sunset.
- Calvi operates in daylight hours only, from 05:45 in summer until 30 minutes after sunset.
- Comiso is open daily from 06:00 to 22:00, and Zakynthos from 05:00 to 22:00, with times that can vary in June and September.
- Menorca’s summer hours for instrument flights run from 08:00 to 23:00.
If a late return matters, it is usually a reason to choose the larger airport and take the road for the last stretch.
What does a flight from the UK need at the other end?
A flight from London arrives from outside the Schengen area, so the airport must be able to clear passengers from a non-Schengen origin, and some summer airfields cannot. Le Castellet takes flights within the Schengen area only, and Paros handles EU and Schengen flights only, so neither is a natural landing point for a flight direct from London. La Môle handles non-Schengen flights only from 1 July to 15 October. Elsewhere the notice varies: Ajaccio and Figari need 48 hours’ notice for customs, and Calvi needs six hours’ notice from 1 October to 30 April.
Charter-A checks all of this before suggesting an airport, but it explains why the nearest small airfield to your villa is sometimes not the one in the quote.
How do you reach the resort from the airport?
It depends on the place. Monaco has no airport of its own: jets land at Nice, and passengers continue by road or by helicopter to the Monaco heliport. Olbia town centre is about 10 minutes by car. Catania is about 4 km from the city centre and is the airport for Taormina, while Palermo is about 25 km from its city. Comiso is 10 to 50 minutes by road from Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Scicli and Marina di Ragusa. If a chauffeur is arranged with the flight, the car is timed to the aircraft.
Which Greek island airports take larger jets?
The Greek islands vary more than any other hub. Rhodes has a 3,305 metre runway and Chania a 3,347 metre runway, and both take every type of business jet; Heraklion, at 2,714 metres, is a 24-hour airport of entry, and Kos takes every business jet from a 2,400 metre runway. A group of smaller airports are described as suited to mid-size jets: Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Karpathos, Mytilene and Sitia, with Samos taking small and mid-size jets. Paros and Skiathos are for the smallest jets.
If you are travelling with a larger party, that list is a guide to the islands that suit a bigger aircraft without a restriction, and it is another reason to say how many people are coming before an airport is chosen. Some island airports also publish closures for runway works, so a date should be checked against the airport before a quote is confirmed.
Is a long weekend or a week easier to plan?
A long weekend is a return where the aircraft often waits or flies on and comes back, and the price reflects that. A week usually means two separate flights, with the aircraft positioned for each, or a longer wait paid for. Neither is better in itself: ask for both quoted, because the airport options and the opening hours can change the comparison. The point to settle first is the day and time you must be back, since an airport that closes at night or at the end of daylight limits the return.
More questions
Which airport do you use for Saint-Tropez by private jet?
La Môle is the airfield for Saint-Tropez, with a 1,071 metre runway and restricted approval for jets. Nice, open 24 hours, is the alternative, with a road or helicopter transfer. Charter-A checks which suits your aircraft and dates.
What does drop-and-go mean at Mykonos?
The jet lands, your party gets off and the aircraft leaves, because there is no parking, or very little, for private jets in peak season. It may wait at another airport and return to collect you, which affects the plan and the price.
How long is a private jet from London to Ibiza or Palma?
Roughly two hours in a midsize or heavy jet: about 2 hr 05 min to Ibiza and about 2 hr to Palma. Light jets take a little longer. These are approximate still-air times from central London.
Can a small jet fly to the Greek islands from the UK?
On the shortest Greek sectors, yes, but beyond about 1,200 nautical miles a light jet adds a fuel stop; Mykonos is about 1,370 nautical miles from London. A larger aircraft flies it non-stop.
Which Mediterranean airports are open all night?
Palma, Nice, Olbia, Cagliari, Ajaccio, Bastia, Palermo and Catania are open 24 hours, with Ibiza open 24 hours in summer. Cannes and Calvi keep daytime hours, and some island airports run a published timetable.
Related articles
How long does a private jet take from London to Europe?
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.
How much does it cost to charter a private jet?
Chartering a private jet typically costs from around £2,000 to £3,000 per flying hour for a small jet, rising to £6,000 to £8,000 per hour and more for a large or long-range jet.
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Runways, hours, customs, aircraft limits and drop-and-go notes are from the airport records and hub pages on this site; flight times are approximate, worked out from great-circle distances from central London. Charter-A Ltd acts as agent for the passenger; details are confirmed for each flight at booking.