Cessna 208 Grand Caravan

The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan is the stretched version of the Caravan, a single-engine turboprop with a high wing, fixed landing gear and a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine. It was built for work rather than business travel: regional airlines and cargo firms carry people and freight with it, and skydiving centres use it to lift jumpers. No pressurisation, no toilet and about half the speed of a jet make legs over two hours feel long.

Clients choose it when seats and baggage matter more than speed: usually up to nine passengers, 4.05 m³ of baggage with the pod, and short legs such as Hamburg - Sylt in 1:02 h or Nice - Calvi in 1:03 h.

Cabin: room rather than comfort

According to Textron, the cabin is 5.10 m long, 1.63 m wide and 1.37 m high: wider than in a King Air, but you cannot stand up. Seats are set in rows as in a small airliner, and some aircraft have a club group of four facing seats, with large windows under the high wing.

On the seats:

• The factory supplies layouts with 10 to 14 places including the crew
• With one pilot, European passenger flights normally carry up to nine passengers, six to eight with comfortable room for bags
• No toilet, no galley, no flight attendant and normally no Wi-Fi

Baggage: the strong point

Bags go at the back of the cabin and into the pod under the fuselage. There is room for a suitcase per person plus skis, bicycles, golf bags or camera cases, and with fewer passengers the operator can take seats out for larger equipment.

A dog or cat flies in the cabin next to you once the operator has approved it. Within the EU it needs:

• a microchip
• a rabies vaccination, the first one at least 21 days before travel
• an EU pet passport
• tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival in Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway or the UK

Engine, versions and short runways

These figures apply to the Grand Caravan EX with a maximum take-off weight of 3,995 kg. Older 208B aircraft have the weaker PT6A-114A and are slower. The certified ceiling is 7,620 m, but with passengers the unpressurised aircraft stays much lower.

One engine: what European rules mean for you

EU rules allow commercial passenger flights at night or in cloud in a single-engine turbine aircraft only when the operator holds a SET-IMC approval, which we check with each offer. Without it the Grand Caravan flies by day in good visibility, which matters on winter afternoons. Low cloud, icing and strong wind also move departures more often than with a jet, so a spare day is a sensible back-up.

• Only operators holding an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) may fly you
• Any EU operator may fly Hamburg - Sylt or Frankfurt - Sylt, while UK domestic legs are open only to UK operators

Routes from European hubs

Thirty-two one-way legs from all thirteen hubs, from Amsterdam - Brussels at 158 km to Geneva - Menorca at 725 km, all without a fuel stop. Prices are for the whole aircraft with pilot and fuel, without airport fees and passenger taxes; older 208B aircraft may need a little longer.

Up to two hours: where the type pays off

Two to four hours: non-stop, but slow and without a toilet

• Under about 1:30 h, as on Nice - Calvi or London - Jersey, a faster turboprop saves only minutes
• Vienna - Split (2:03 h) and Nice - Palma (2:17 h) are non-stop, but a PC-12 saves around half an hour
• Munich - Split (2:26 h) and Geneva - Menorca (2:42 h) are long in a loud cabin without a toilet, and with nine on board and full bags the operator checks the load

The calculator gives an indicative price for a Grand Caravan or a similar turboprop on the route you choose.

What a Grand Caravan charter costs

The indicative rate is EUR 2,000 per flight hour for the whole aircraft with pilot and fuel. A one-hour leg costs about three times that: Hamburg - Sylt takes 1:02 h and starts at EUR 6,000, because the operator charges a minimum per flight and the empty flights between its base and your airports.

Further on, the fixed part matters less. London Farnborough - Dublin (1:50 h) starts at EUR 7,500, Nice - Palma (2:17 h) at EUR 8,500 and Geneva - Menorca (2:42 h) at EUR 9,500. With nine people on board the share per person is low, since you pay for the aircraft and not per seat.

The quote covers the whole aircraft; shared between the passengers, London Farnborough - Jersey comes to:

How to pay less

We can also quote a Kodiak, a PC-12 or a twin turboprop alongside the Grand Caravan, since the aircraft nearest to you is often the cheapest.

Empty Legs on the Grand Caravan

Few European Grand Caravans fly passenger charter, so Empty Legs on the type are rare, mostly short returns to base after island trips. Such a leg can cost 30-60% less than a normal charter, but these are examples: the date and route are fixed, and the operator can cancel the leg if the aircraft is booked for a full charter.

Send your route and a date window to empty-legs@jets.flights or use the Empty Legs page, and we will also look at other turboprops of this size.

Grand Caravan or another turboprop

What to include in a request

For an offer we need:

• route, date and time, and whether the trip can move in bad weather
• number of passengers
• baggage and equipment: skis, bicycles, golf bags, camera cases
• the name of the airfield if it is a small one or a grass strip
• a dog or cat on board

If the flight is after dark or in winter, say so, and we search only among operators with SET-IMC. We always try to find a Grand Caravan close to you, but each case depends on the operator's availability and contract.

Questions about the Cessna 208 Grand Caravan

• • How much does a Grand Caravan cost from London to Jersey?

  • From EUR 6,500 for the whole aircraft one way, with a flight time of 1:16 h according to the table. Shared by nine passengers, that is about EUR 700 each. Airport fees and passenger taxes are added in the quote.

• • What makes up the price?

  • Flight time, positioning from the operator's base, pilot costs on a return another day, airport and handling fees, passenger taxes and winter de-icing.

• • Why is a short leg dearer than the hourly rate suggests?

  • Because of the minimum charge and positioning. Amsterdam to Brussels takes 0:59 h and starts at EUR 6,000, while Munich to Split (2:26 h) starts at EUR 9,000, so per hour the longer leg costs less.

• • How can I fly more cheaply?

  • Travel outside the skydiving season, depart near the operator's base, return the same day when the duty time allows and let us compare other turboprops based near you.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the Grand Caravan?

  • Rarely, because few aircraft fly passengers in Europe. When one fits, it can be 30-60% cheaper, but the date and route are fixed and it can be cancelled.

• • How many passengers can a Grand Caravan take?

  • In European passenger charter normally up to nine. Denser factory layouts exist but are rare in charter for private clients.

• • Is there a toilet on board?

  • No. The aircraft suits legs of up to about two hours best, and on longer trips the pilot can plan a stop.

• • How far can it fly without a stop?

  • Textron quotes 1,689 km for the Grand Caravan EX. With every seat taken and full bags the practical leg is shorter; Geneva to Menorca (725 km, 2:42 h) is the longest in the table.

• • Can we take bicycles and skis?

  • Yes. The pod and the space in the cabin hold 4.05 m³ in total, and for large items the operator can remove some seats. Give the number and size in the request.

• • Can the Grand Caravan use a small airfield?

  • Often, yes. The EX needs 658 m to clear 15 m at maximum weight and can use grass and gravel once the operator has approved the strip.