Diamond DA42 Twinstar

The Diamond DA42 Twinstar is a four-seat light aircraft from Austria with a composite airframe and two diesel engines that burn Jet A-1, the same fuel as turboprops and jets. The pilot takes up to three passengers. Diamond still builds the type as the DA42-VI, yet most examples fly at flight schools, and only a few European operators use it for passenger charter, mainly as an air taxi on short legs.

Four seats in a compact cabin

The cabin is about 2.60 m long and roughly 1.20 m high and wide. The pilot and one passenger sit in front, two passengers behind, all facing forward. Legroom is limited, but the large canopy gives a wide view outside. Passengers usually wear headsets and talk to the pilot through the intercom, because both engines are clearly audible.

• No pressurisation, so the aircraft cruises lower than a turboprop, more often in cloud and turbulence
• No toilet, no galley and no cabin crew
• Wi-Fi depends on the aircraft and is usually not fitted

Baggage: soft bags only

The European type certificate allows 30 kg in the nose and 45 kg in the rear compartment, so with three passengers each person gets about 25 kg. Soft holdalls work; large hard suitcases rarely fit. Skis, golf bags or bicycles need their dimensions in the request, and often they simply do not go in.

Weight sets a second limit. Diamond leaves 579 kg for fuel, people and bags, and full tanks weigh 231 kg, which leaves about 348 kg for everyone on board. With three adults the operator takes less fuel and keeps the leg shorter.

Diesel engines, speed and weather

These figures apply to the DA42-VI with two Austro Engine AE 300 of 168 hp each. Older aircraft have Thielert engines with less power and a lower take-off weight, so they are a little slower. At 60 % power both engines together burn about 39 litres per hour, one reason for the modest rate. The ceiling is 5,486 m.

Flying a light twin in Europe

One pilot flies the aircraft. Unlike a single-engine piston, the DA42 is not tied to routes with forced-landing fields, so short sea crossings to Corsica, Sardinia and from Cyprus are possible. Over high Alpine terrain the operator plans the routing around engine-out performance.

• Domestic legs inside one EU country need an EU operator, and London - Manchester needs a UK operator
• At Nice and Geneva, slots and parking are limited on summer weekends, so book early
• Cyprus is in the EU but outside Schengen, so passports are checked on every flight from Larnaca

Routes from European hubs

Thirty-two one-way legs from all thirteen hubs, from Amsterdam - Brussels at 0:59 h to Larnaca - Rhodes at 2:06 h. Prices are for the whole aircraft with pilot and fuel, without airport fees and passenger taxes.

Up to two hours: the natural range of this cabin

Two to four hours: the comfortable limit without a toilet

• Short sea crossings such as Nice - Calvi (1:03 h) or Nice - Ajaccio (1:12 h) are where a twin earns its place against a single-engine piston.
• Madrid - Ibiza at 1:54 h and Vienna - Split at 2:03 h suit two people with soft bags.
• Longer trips, or four passengers, call for a Beechcraft Baron 58 or a pressurised turboprop.

The calculator shows an indicative price for the DA42 or a similar small aircraft on your route.

What a Diamond DA42 charter costs

The rate starts at EUR 900 per flight hour for the aircraft with pilot and fuel. Short legs cost more than rate x flight time: Nice - Calvi takes 1:03 h and starts at EUR 4,000, as the operator adds a minimum charge and positioning from the aircraft's base.

Geneva - Saint-Tropez (1:32 h) starts at EUR 4,500, Milan Linate - Olbia (2:02 h) at EUR 5,000 and Larnaca - Rhodes (2:06 h) also at EUR 5,000. The price covers the whole aircraft, whether one or three people fly.

The price is for the whole aircraft; per person, Nice - Olbia comes to:

Ways to pay less

Empty Legs on the DA42

Empty Legs on this type are rare, as few aircraft fly passenger charter. If you accept any small twin or turboprop, short repositioning legs around the Riviera, Corsica, northern Italy and Switzerland appear more often, at 30-60% below a normal charter as examples. The date and route are fixed, and the leg can be cancelled if the aircraft is booked in full.

Send your route and a date window to empty-legs@jets.flights or use the Empty Legs page.

DA42 compared with similar aircraft

When more people fly or the bags are bigger, clients usually look at one of these three.

What we need for a quote

Send the route, date and time, the number of people and the approximate weight of the bags. With three adults, give their weight too, because every kilogram counts in an aircraft this small.

Questions about the Diamond DA42

• • How much does a DA42 cost from Nice to Calvi?

  • From EUR 4,000 for the whole aircraft one way according to the table, with a flight time of 1:03 h. Airport fees and passenger taxes are added in the quote.

• • What makes up the price?

  • Flight time at the hourly rate, positioning from the aircraft's base, airport and handling fees, passenger taxes, and the pilot's hotel if you return on another day.

• • How can I fly cheaper?

  • Return the same day, travel with soft bags and let us quote other small twins or turboprops based closer to your departure.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the DA42?

  • Rarely on this exact type. Accepting another twin or a turboprop raises the chance, with discounts of 30-60% as examples.

• • How many passengers can fly?

  • Three at most, since the fourth seat is the pilot's. With three adults and bags the operator carries less fuel, so one or two people travel most comfortably.

• • Is it a jet?

  • No. It has two diesel piston engines driving propellers, but they burn the same Jet A-1 as jets.

• • Is there a toilet?

  • No, so legs are planned at up to about two hours, with a stop on longer trips.

• • Can we take suitcases?

  • Soft bags are better. The limits are 30 kg in the nose and 45 kg at the rear, so a large hard case easily exceeds the weight or does not fit. Give bag sizes in the request.

• • Will it fly in winter?

  • It depends on the weather and the aircraft. Flying into icing needs the fluid de-icing system, which not every DA42 has, so keep the date flexible in winter.