Pilatus private jets

A Swiss maker of short-field aircraft

Pilatus is based at Stans in central Switzerland and also builds utility and training aircraft. That background shows in both business types: a flat floor, a large door behind the wing and the ability to use short, high or unpaved airfields. For a charter client this means landing closer to the chalet, the villa or the island, instead of at the main airport.

Some lists group the PC-24 with turboprops because of its short-field habits, but it is one of the light jets: it flies about 50 % faster than the PC-12 and costs more per hour. Several generations of the PC-12 fly in charter with the same cabin. The NG has older avionics, the NGX adds digital engine control and larger windows, and the PC-12 PRO in production has Garmin avionics.

PC-12 or PC-24: which one for your trip

Geneva - Lisbon shows the difference: 3:33 h in a PC-12 against 2:35 h in a PC-24, and the price gap in the tables below is EUR 3,500. On a one-hour leg the gap is smaller in time and the PC-12 is usually the better buy.

How Pilatus compares with rival types

Against the PC-12 the main rival is the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 350, which needs no single-engine approval for flights at night or in cloud but has a narrower cabin. The Daher Socata TBM 940 is faster, with a lower cabin for four or five. Against the PC-24 the closest jets are the Embraer Phenom 300 and the Cessna Citation CJ4: both are a little quicker on long legs, but neither is approved for unpaved strips.

Airports in the Alps and on the islands

What a Pilatus charter costs

The model table gives EUR 2,000 per flight hour for the PC-12 and EUR 3,500 for the PC-24, for the whole aircraft with crew and fuel. The block below shows the class floors: EUR 2,000 for turboprops and EUR 3,200 for light jets.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

A short leg costs more than rate times flight time, because the operator's minimum charge, the positioning of the aircraft and the fees of each departure stay the same. Milan - Samedan takes 0:46 h in a PC-12 and costs from EUR 6,500; Larnaca - Geneva takes 4:09 h in a PC-24 and costs from EUR 21,000.

PC-12 routes

PC-24 routes

What goes into a quote:

• flight time at the hourly rate
• positioning, if the nearest free aircraft is based in another city
• landing, parking and handling, higher at Nice, Geneva or Le Bourget in season
• passenger taxes in France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands; the PC-24, at 8,300 kg, is above 5.7 t and pays the higher UK rate for private jets and the Dutch tax, while the PC-12, at 4,740 kg, pays neither
• crew hotel when the aircraft waits for a return

Paying less and Empty Legs

• Take the PC-12 for legs under two hours: the time difference is small and the hourly rate much lower
• Return on the same day, so the crew waits and no second positioning is charged
• Give a window of dates, so we can match an aircraft that ends another trip near you

The PC-12 is common in Europe and the PC-24 less so, but Empty Legs come up on both: returns from Samedan, Sion or Chambéry after ski weekends, and from Saint-Tropez, Corsica or Sardinia after summer drops. Such a leg can cost 40-65 % less than a normal charter, but the operator sets the date and route and may cancel it if the aircraft is sold for a full trip.

European rules for single-engine flights

EU rules allow a commercial passenger flight in a single-engine turbine aircraft at night or in cloud only when the operator holds a SET-IMC approval. For the PC-12 this decides whether a winter return from the Alps after dark is possible, so we check it with every offer. The PC-24 has two engines and is not affected.

• Domestic legs inside one EU country, such as Madrid - Ibiza, need an EU operator, and UK domestic legs need a UK one
• Nice and Geneva are slot-coordinated, so book early for summer weekends and winter Saturdays
• In Mykonos private aircraft may stay about 40 minutes in summer, so the aircraft drops you and parks elsewhere

Booking the aircraft

For a quote we need:

• route, date and time, and whether the return falls after dark
• number of passengers and baggage, especially skis and bicycles
• the exact airfield, if it is short, high or unpaved
• an enclosed toilet, if you need one on a PC-12

Every offer names the operator, the version and year of the aircraft and its approvals. You sign a contract with the price, the payment terms and the operator's cancellation rules.

Why book a Pilatus through us

Two PC-12s can differ in toilet, avionics and SET-IMC approval, and two PC-24 operators in their right to land on grass. We check these points before we send a price, and we say when a King Air or a Phenom 300 suits the trip better.

European Private Jets has worked in business aviation for 14 years, with 11 people in offices in Cyprus, Nice, Hamburg and Geneva and access to about 6,500 aircraft through operators. Requests are accepted 24/7 on +357 96407410 and at private@jets.flights.

Our team

Charlotte McKinney

Commercial Director

charlotte.m@jets.flights

Henry Richter

Head of Aviation Department and Data Protection Officer

henry.r@jets.flights

Emma Miller

Director of Development

emma.m@jets.flights

Liam Bishop

Senior Aviation Consultant

liam.b@jets.flights

Oliver Davis

Aviation Consultant

oliver.d@jets.flights

Anna Laurent

Aviation Consultant

anna.l@jets.flights

Questions about Pilatus charter

• • How much does a Pilatus charter cost?

  • The hourly rate is EUR 2,000 for the PC-12 and EUR 3,500 for the PC-24. Milan - Samedan in a PC-12 costs from EUR 6,500, and Geneva - Lisbon in a PC-24 from EUR 15,500.

• • Is the PC-24 a jet or a turboprop?

  • A jet with two Williams FJ44-4A engines and a cruise speed of up to 815 km/h. Pilatus kept the habits of the PC-12: a cargo door, baggage reachable in flight and approval for short and unpaved runways.

• • Can a PC-12 fly at night?

  • With passengers, at night or in cloud, only if the operator holds a SET-IMC approval for single-engine turbine aircraft. We check this with every offer, especially for winter returns from the Alps.

• • Which Pilatus can land at Courchevel?

  • Only the PC-12, and only with an operator and pilot qualified for the 537 m sloped altiport. The PC-24 flies to Chambéry or Geneva.

• • Does a Pilatus have a toilet?

  • The PC-24 has an enclosed toilet at the front. In the PC-12 it depends on the aircraft, so for legs over two hours we look for one with a proper toilet.

• • Can a PC-24 use London City?

  • Yes. The type is certified for the steep approach, and the operator and crew also need the airport's approval. Paris Le Bourget - London City takes 0:57 h and costs from EUR 10,000.

• • Are there Empty Legs on Pilatus aircraft?

  • Yes, more often on the PC-12, which many European operators fly, and mostly after ski weekends and summer drops on the Riviera and the islands. The price can be 40-65 % below a normal charter.