Turboprops

What a turboprop does well

A turbine-powered propeller aircraft takes off and lands in a short distance, and climbs well from hot or high airfields. That gives three advantages for a charter: a lower hourly rate, access to small airports that jets cannot use, and almost the same door-to-door time on trips of under an hour and a half.

The trade-offs are speed and noise. On a three-hour leg a light jet saves 45 minutes to an hour, and the cabin is louder than in a jet. Most turboprops also have a low cabin: you sit comfortably but cannot stand.

One engine or two

Turboprops come with one engine or with two. For a passenger the difference matters mainly for flights in darkness and cloud, and for the price.

In winter it is dark by late afternoon in northern Europe. For a return after a meeting, choose a twin or a PC-12 or TBM with an operator that holds SET-IMC. We check the approval in every quote.

Turboprop models in the catalogue

The tables give passengers, the manufacturer's range, cruise speed, cabin height, baggage and the starting hourly rate for the whole aircraft with crew.

Single-engine types

Twin-engine types

The ranges are the manufacturers' best figures. With every seat taken the real range is often less than half of them, so for each route we check weights with the operator.

Cabin, toilet and baggage

In the King Air family and the PC-12 the baggage area is part of the cabin, so a coat or a bag can be reached during the flight. For skis, golf bags or a bicycle the PC-12 has a cargo door 1.35 m wide. A small dog usually flies in the cabin when the operator agrees before booking.

Short runways, islands and mountains

The short take-off run is the main reason to pick a turboprop for some trips. Airports that suit the class well:

• Saint-Tropez La Môle (1,071 m), where the PC-12 flies from Geneva in 1:11 h and from Paris in 1:57 h.
• The 537 m sloped altiport at Courchevel, open to the PC-12 with a crew qualified for it; no jet can land there.
• Samedan near St. Moritz, about 1,700 m above sea level, with mandatory crew training and instrument approaches only in daylight. The PC-12 flies there from Milan in 0:46 h.
• Lugano and Sion, where the King Air 200 and 90 fly from Zurich in under an hour.
• Islands such as Jersey, Calvi, Figari, Menorca and Sylt, and the Innsbruck valley, where the King Air 300's extra power helps in summer heat.

Summer is the busy season, with the Riviera, Corsica, Sardinia, the Balearics and the Croatian coast. In winter the class brings skiers to Samedan, Sion, Innsbruck and Courchevel. For winter sun in the Gulf or the Canaries from northern Europe a jet is the better tool.

Turboprop prices and flight times

The table gives one-way prices for the whole aircraft, crew and fuel included, without airport fees and passenger taxes. Flight times cover taxiing as well as the time in the air, and no leg needs a refuelling stop.

The shorter the leg, the more the fixed costs weigh. Zurich - Sion in a King Air 90 takes 0:52 h at EUR 2,000 per hour, yet starts at EUR 5,500. Positioning, the operator's minimum charge, the pilots and handling make up the rest. On longer legs the hourly part takes over: Hamburg - Oslo in a King Air 350 costs from EUR 10,000 and Madrid - Tenerife (3:58 h) from EUR 15,500.

On a short route a turboprop is often cheaper than a very light jet, since its hourly rate starts at EUR 2,000 against EUR 2,500. London - Paris in a TBM 940 starts at EUR 6,500. Beyond about two hours the speed of a jet narrows the gap.

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

What goes into the final quote:

• flight time at the hourly rate of the type, with fuel and pilots
• positioning, usually short for the PC-12 and King Air 200, which many European operators fly
• pilot hotel and allowances when the aircraft waits for a return on another day, or two empty legs instead
• landing, parking and handling fees, lower than for a jet because of the weight, higher at Nice and Geneva
• passenger taxes: France charges about half the jet rate for a turboprop, and Italy, Austria and Germany add their own; most types weigh under 5.7 t, so they pay neither UK Air Passenger Duty nor the Dutch passenger tax
• catering ordered in advance and de-icing on winter mornings

How to pay less

• Ask for a PC-12 and a King Air 200 together: both are common, and the nearest free one saves positioning.
• Return the same day where the pilots' duty time allows, so no hotel is needed.
• Keep the time flexible, so an aircraft finishing a trip nearby can take yours.
• For two or three people on a short leg, a TBM or Piper M600 costs less than a King Air.
• Choose an older version of the same type, such as a King Air B200 instead of a 250 or 260, where the route allows.

Empty Legs are regular on the PC-12 and King Air 200, often after air taxi or medical flights and in summer between northern Italy, Switzerland, the Riviera, Corsica and Sardinia. They can be 40-65 % cheaper than a normal charter.

European rules for turboprop flights

Piston aircraft

The catalogue has no separate piston section, so thirteen piston types appear on this page, from the Cirrus SR22 and the Mooneys to the nine-seat Cessna 404 Titan and the Britten-Norman Islander. They are the cheapest aircraft to hire, but they fly at about 260-450 km/h, and most have neither pressurisation nor a toilet. They suit short legs of under two hours, such as Nice - Calvi or London - Jersey.

The Cessna 340 and 421 and the Adam A500 are pressurised, so they fly higher than the others. Single-engine pistons such as the Cirrus SR22 and the Mooneys may carry paying passengers only by day and in conditions that allow flight with visual reference. The Islander, a high-wing twin with fixed landing gear and up to nine seats, is built for short island hops and small airstrips.

When a jet is the better choice

How to book

Send us the following, and we come back with turboprop offers from operators that hold an Air Operator Certificate:

• route, date and departure time, with a note if the return is after dark
• number of passengers with approximate weights for small aircraft, and bags, with skis, golf bags and bicycles listed separately
• pets: species, weight and carrier
• special airports such as Courchevel, La Môle, Samedan or a grass strip
• whether two engines or two pilots matter to you

The quote names the operator, the type and year of the aircraft, positioning and taxes, and states whether a single-engine aircraft has SET-IMC approval. Call +357 96407410 between 08:00 and 23:30 or write to private@jets.flights at any time.

Why book a turboprop through us

Many turboprops are flown by small regional air taxi companies with one or two aircraft. We check which of them hold SET-IMC approval, which crews are trained for Courchevel or Samedan and which aircraft have a toilet, and we put that into the quote.

Through operators we have access to about 6,500 aircraft, so a light jet can go into the same offer when it suits the route better.

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 turboprop charter

• • How much does it cost to charter a turboprop?

  • Hourly rates start at EUR 2,000 for the whole aircraft with crew and fuel. One way, Zurich - Sion starts at EUR 5,500, London - Paris at EUR 6,500 and Paris - Saint-Tropez at EUR 8,500, before airport fees and passenger taxes.

• • Is a turboprop safe?

  • Turboprops fly under the same EU rules as jets when an operator with an Air Operator Certificate carries passengers. Single-engine types may fly at night or in cloud only when the operator holds a SET-IMC approval, which we check for every quote.

• • How many passengers fit in a turboprop?

  • Four to eight in most types. The TBM takes four or five and the Piper M600 two or three with full tanks, the PC-12 and King Air 200 six to eight, and the King Air 350 eight in two club groups.

• • Is a turboprop much slower than a jet?

  • On legs under an hour and a half the difference is a few minutes. On a three-hour leg a light jet saves 45 minutes to an hour; the Piaggio Avanti, at up to 745 km/h, comes closest to jet speed.

• • Can a turboprop land at Courchevel or Saint-Tropez?

  • The PC-12 can land at the Courchevel altiport with a qualified crew, and at Saint-Tropez La Môle; the table shows Geneva - Saint-Tropez from EUR 7,000. No jet can use Courchevel.

• • Is there a toilet on board?

  • It depends on the aircraft. King Airs usually have one at the rear, the PC-12 and TBM only in some layouts, and the Grand Caravan, Kodiak and Piper M600 have none.

• • Does UK Air Passenger Duty apply?

  • Not on the PC-12, TBM, King Air 200 or Avanti, which weigh under 5.7 t. The heavier King Air 300 and 350 pay it.

• • Are Empty Legs available on turboprops?

  • Yes, mainly on the PC-12 and King Air 200 and mostly in summer. They can be 40-65 % cheaper than a full charter, but date and route are fixed by the operator.

• • Why are piston aircraft listed with turboprops?

  • The catalogue has no separate piston section, so types such as the Cirrus SR22, the Cessna 421 and the Britten-Norman Islander appear here. They cost less per hour but fly slower, mostly without pressurisation, and suit legs of under two hours.