Piper Aztec

The Piper Aztec is one of the best-known light piston twins, long used as an air taxi and for multi-engine pilot training. Six seats in three rows take the pilot and up to five passengers, in practice usually four. The cabin is roomy for its class and there are two baggage holds, but the Aztec is slow by charter standards, around 300 km/h, with no pressurisation and no toilet.

Six seats in three rows

The cabin is about 3.30 m long, 1.36 m high and 1.35 m wide. The pilot and one passenger sit in front, with two rows of two behind. The middle-row seats fold forward for access to the back, and the operator can remove them when more space for luggage is needed. Owners praise the elbow, head and leg room, though nobody can stand up.

• No pressurisation: no production version had it, and turbocharged versions flying higher need oxygen for passengers
• Both engines are loud in the cabin, so passengers usually get headsets
• No toilet, no galley and no cabin crew
• Avionics, seats and any Wi-Fi depend on the individual aircraft

Two holds and a good payload

Later versions have one hold in the long nose and another behind the rear seats. Together they take four suitcases and hand luggage. Skis and golf bags usually fit with four passengers if you give their length in the request.

For its size the Aztec carries a lot. Owners quote up to 544 kg of people and bags with the main tanks almost full, more than a Baron or a DA42. With five adults and suitcases the operator still checks the load sheet closely and may cut fuel.

Engines, versions and weather

Two Lycoming engines of 250 hp each power the aircraft. Owners plan around 300 km/h; the heavier late E and F versions are a few knots slower, while turbocharged aircraft reach about 350 to 370 km/h higher up. Landing needs less than 490 m, so small airfields with a paved runway and AVGAS are within reach.

What matters in Europe

• A commercial operator must maintain the aircraft to an approved programme and carry out all mandatory inspections and airworthiness directives, whatever its age
• Two engines allow sea crossings to Corsica, Sardinia or from Cyprus, which a single-engine piston cannot fly commercially
• Domestic legs inside one EU country need an EU operator, and UK domestic legs need a UK operator
• Nice and Geneva have limited slots and parking on summer weekends, so book early

Routes from European hubs

Thirty-one one-way legs from all thirteen hubs, from Amsterdam - Brussels at 1:03 h to Larnaca - Rhodes at 2:19 h. Prices are for the whole aircraft with pilot and fuel, without airport fees and passenger taxes.

Up to two hours: the Aztec's working range

Two to four hours: long for an unpressurised cabin

• Short island hops such as Nice - Calvi (1:07 h) or Nice - Olbia (1:45 h) suit the Aztec, with two engines over the sea.
• Madrid - Ibiza (2:05 h) and Larnaca - Rhodes (2:19 h) are about the limit for a cabin without a toilet.
• From London to Nice or from Paris to Split, a turboprop such as the Pilatus PC-12 saves well over an hour.

The calculator shows an indicative price for the Aztec or a similar piston twin on your route.

What a Piper Aztec charter costs

The rate starts at EUR 1,000 per flight hour for the aircraft with pilot and fuel. On short legs the full price is higher than rate x time: Zurich - Lugano takes 1:04 h and starts at EUR 4,000, since the operator adds a minimum charge and positioning from the base.

Further on, the fixed part matters less: Nice - Figari (1:29 h) starts at EUR 4,500, Frankfurt - Prague (1:54 h) at EUR 5,000 and Larnaca - Rhodes (2:19 h) at EUR 5,500.

You pay for the whole aircraft; shared between passengers, Nice - Figari comes to:

Ways to pay less

Empty Legs: rare on this type

With so few aircraft in commercial service, Empty Legs on the Aztec itself turn up only now and then, mostly around the operator's base. If any piston twin or turboprop will do, short repositioning legs between the Riviera, Corsica, Sardinia and northern Italy appear more often, at 30-60% below a normal charter as examples. 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.

Aztec compared with similar aircraft

Clients considering this type usually compare it with a faster twin, a pressurised twin and a larger piston.

What we need for a quote

Send the route, date and time, the number of people and a description of the bags. With five passengers, add their approximate weight, because it decides how much fuel the aircraft can take.

Questions about the Piper Aztec

• • How much does an Aztec cost from Nice to Figari?

  • From EUR 4,500 for the whole aircraft one way according to the table, with a flight time of 1:29 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 base, airport and handling fees, passenger taxes, de-icing in winter and the pilot's hotel on a later return.

• • How can I fly cheaper?

  • Fill the seats, return the same day and let us quote other twins or turboprops based near your departure airport.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the Aztec?

  • Only occasionally, as few aircraft remain in charter. Accepting another piston twin or a turboprop raises the chance, with discounts of 30-60% as examples.

• • How many passengers can fly?

  • Five at most, since the sixth seat is the pilot's. Four is usual, leaving margin for bags and fuel.

• • Is there a toilet?

  • No. On trips over about two hours the operator can plan a stop, or we offer a turboprop.

• • Will skis and golf bags fit?

  • Usually, as there are two holds of 68 kg each and the middle-row seats can be removed. With five passengers space is tighter, so give the number and length of the bags.

• • Is an old aircraft safe?

  • Safety depends on maintenance rather than age. A commercial operator must follow an approved maintenance programme with mandatory inspections and airworthiness directives. Age affects comfort, noise and the risk of a technical delay before departure.

• • Can I bring my dog?

  • Yes, in the cabin, once the operator has agreed. Within the EU the dog needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport.