How much does an hour of private jet cost?
An hour of flight costs between €2,448 and €3,116 on a light jet, €3,561 to €4,228 on a midsize and €6,409 to €12,462 on a heavy jet — all-in, excluding landing fees. The price is for the whole aircraft, not a seat: with six passengers, an hour of light jet works out at roughly €408 each.
What the hour includes, and what it does not
The hourly rate covers the aircraft, crew, fuel, maintenance and insurance. It does not cover landing and parking fees, ground handling, catering, or intra-EU VAT where it applies. A quote that gives an hourly rate without those lines is not comparable to an all-in quote: always ask for the final price, not the rate.
Why two quotes differ on the same route
The difference almost always comes from repositioning: an aircraft already on the field does not bill the flight to reach you, one based elsewhere does. It is also why a same-day return often costs less than a one-way spread over two days — it avoids a double repositioning.
The billed minimum
Most operators bill a two-hour minimum per day of use. A fifteen-minute Nice–Cannes therefore costs two hours: on very short sectors, a helicopter or a car remains the rational choice.
The numbers, route by route
| Route | Category | Passengers | Flight | Estimate (one-way) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris → Nice690 km | Light jet | up to 7 | 1h 12 | €3,000–4,000* |
| Paris → Geneva410 km | Light jet | up to 7 | 48 min | €2,000–2,500* |
| Paris → London370 km | Light jet | up to 7 | 48 min | €2,000–2,500* |
| Paris → Courchevel490 km | Light jet | up to 7 | 1h 00 | €2,500–3,000* |
| Paris → Marrakech2,050 km | Midsize jet | up to 9 | 2h 54 | €10,500–12,500 |
| Geneva → Courchevel150 km | Light jet | up to 7 | 24 min | €1,000–1,500* |
| London → Nice1,030 km | Midsize jet | up to 9 | 1h 36 | €6,000–7,000* |
| Paris → Ibiza1,000 km | Midsize jet | up to 9 | 1h 42 | €6,000–7,000* |
Computed estimates: great-circle distance × 1.05, time at manufacturer cruise + 0.3 h taxi, published broker hourly rates (Paramount Business Jets), converted at the ECB rate. The firm price depends on aircraft positioning, fees and date.
* Flight under two hours: most operators bill a two-hour minimum per day of use, so the real price is above the computed estimate.