Empty Leg flights in Europe

Most private flights are booked one way, or with a stay of several days at the destination. After dropping its passengers, the aircraft often has to fly on without anyone on board: back to its base, or to the airport where the next client is waiting. Such a sector is called an Empty Leg. The operator pays for that flight in any case, so it sells the leg 30-60% below the price of a normal charter on the same route and aircraft.

You get the whole aircraft for yourself and your guests, with the same crew, the same business aviation terminal and the same operator as on a full-price flight. The condition is flexibility: the route, the day and the departure time come from the main booking, not from you. European Private Jets is a broker without its own aircraft. We collect Empty Leg offers from licensed operators across Europe, check the operator and its insurance, and arrange the flight under a written contract.

• • 30-60%
  • below a regular charter
• • Whole aircraft
  • for you and your guests
• • A few days
  • usual notice before departure
• • Around 6,500
  • aircraft via operators
• • Contract
  • with the operator named
• • Route alerts
  • requests handled 24/7

Current Empty Leg flights

The list below shows repositioning flights published by our partner operators, updated several times a day. Each price is an estimate for the whole aircraft: about half of a regular charter for the same aircraft and route. Press Request, and the route and date go straight into the form below; a consultant then checks that the leg is still free and confirms the final price and time.

Top 10 Empty Leg routes in Europe

These are the corridors where operators reposition aircraft most often, so offers on them come up far more regularly than elsewhere. The crossed-out figure is the regular one-way charter price of that aircraft on the route, the larger one the Empty Leg price at the top of the usual 30-60% discount. Press a tile to set up an alert for that route.

• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  LondonFAB

  ParisLBG

  Citation CJ3, 7 seatsUsually: All year, weekdays

  Charter EUR 8,500from EUR 3,400
  Request this route
• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  GenevaGVA

  ParisLBG

  Phenom 300, 8 seatsUsually: All year

  Charter EUR 10,000from EUR 4,000
  Request this route
• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  GenevaGVA

  LondonFAB

  Citation XLS+, 9 seatsUsually: Ski season weekends

  Charter EUR 13,500from EUR 5,400
  Request this route
• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  GenevaGVA

  NiceNCE

  Pilatus PC-12, 8 seatsUsually: Spring and summer

  Charter EUR 7,000from EUR 2,800
  Request this route
• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  LondonFAB

  NiceNCE

  Challenger 350, 10 seatsUsually: May to September

  Charter EUR 18,500from EUR 7,400
  Request this route
• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  MilanLIN

  NiceNCE

  Citation M2, 6 seatsUsually: May and June

  Charter EUR 8,000from EUR 3,200
  Request this route
• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  AmsterdamAMS

  LondonFAB

  Citation CJ3, 7 seatsUsually: All year

  Charter EUR 8,500from EUR 3,400
  Request this route
• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  LondonFAB

  ZurichZRH

  Phenom 300, 8 seatsUsually: All year

  Charter EUR 12,000from EUR 4,800
  Request this route
• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  NiceNCE

  ParisLBG

  Citation Latitude, 9 seatsUsually: June to September

  Charter EUR 13,500from EUR 5,400
  Request this route
• Save up to 60%Empty Leg
  LondonFAB

  IbizaIBZ

  Citation XLS+, 9 seatsUsually: June to September

  Charter EUR 17,000from EUR 6,800
  Request this route

Why private jets fly empty

A large part of all private jet flights in Europe are made without passengers. An Empty Leg comes from one of four situations:

The operator pays for fuel, crew and airport charges on that sector anyway, and selling it at a reduced price recovers part of that cost. That is why the leg is offered below the normal price rather than flown with an empty cabin.

What stays the same and what changes

The flight itself is identical to a charter. The difference lies in who decides the schedule.

Empty Leg prices on European routes

An Empty Leg is priced for the whole aircraft, whether two or seven people board. The cards compare the regular one-way charter price of each aircraft with the range at which the same sector is usually sold as an Empty Leg. Where in that range an offer lands depends on how soon the aircraft must leave, how popular the route is and whether the operator still hopes for a full-price client.

The closer the departure, the lower the price tends to be.

Business routes, all year

Between London, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Vienna and the Riviera, jets reposition every day, mostly from Monday to Friday.

Summer: islands and the coast

From June to September jets take holidaymakers to the Mediterranean and come back empty; at the end of the holidays they fly out empty to collect them.

Winter: Alpine airports

From December to March most legs leave the mountain airports at weekends, after the jets have dropped skiers off.

Long-haul from the Gulf

In late December jets that brought families to Dubai for the holidays fly home to Europe without passengers. In early January the same aircraft go back empty to collect them, so the direction of the offers reverses.

Taxes are not discounted

The operator lowers its own price, but passenger taxes and VAT on domestic legs are charged exactly as on a normal charter, because they do not depend on the fare. On short routes they can make up a large part of the bill:

• France. On departures from French airports the solidarity tax on business aviation is EUR 420 per passenger in a jet within Europe and rises with distance up to EUR 2,100. In a turboprop it starts at EUR 210.
• Italy. Flights to, from and within Italy carry a tax of EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km and EUR 200 beyond; domestic legs such as Olbia - Milan Linate also carry VAT.
• United Kingdom. Air Passenger Duty applies on departures from the UK; aircraft under 5.7 t, such as the Pilatus PC-12, are exempt.
• Other countries. Departure taxes and fees are listed line by line in the quote.

Aircraft you will find on Empty Legs

In Europe most offers come from turboprops, light jets and midsize jets, the classes used on flights of one to three hours. Light jets such as the Cessna Citation CJ3 and the Phenom 300 make up a large share, together with the Citation XLS+ and super midsize jets such as the Challenger 350. Heavy and long-range jets appear mainly on long-haul and seasonal routes.

The aircraft is the one of the main booking, so you cannot swap it for a bigger or smaller type. This sometimes works in your favour: a party of four may end up in a nine-seat midsize jet for less than a light jet charter would cost. All types and their cabins are described in the catalogue of private jets.

Where and when Empty Legs appear

An Empty Leg nearly always runs against the main flow of travellers. Knowing that flow helps you guess where offers will come up:

Airports with many based aircraft produce the most offers: Farnborough and Luton for London, Le Bourget for Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Nice, Munich and Vienna. From northern and eastern Europe, for example Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Warsaw or Prague, legs are rarer and come mainly with seasonal returns from the Alps and the Mediterranean. If few legs leave your city, a leg from a neighbouring hub plus a short drive is often the cheaper combination. Airports and terminals for each city are described under popular destinations.

Empty Leg alert: we watch your route for you

Offers change by the hour: a leg free in the morning may be sold or moved by the afternoon, and many never reach a public list. Most appear one to seven days before departure, often less than a day ahead. Instead of checking the list every day, leave your route and the period in which you can travel: when a matching leg comes up with any of the operators we work with, a consultant writes to you with the aircraft, the time and the price. The alert is free, and we cannot promise that an offer will appear, but we look for one.

1. Your routeSend us the route, a window of possible dates, the number of passengers, your luggage and any pets. Use the form below or write to empty-legs@jets.flights; a window of two or three days gives far more choice than a single date.
2. MatchingWe compare your request with the offers of the operators and check that the leg is still free.
3. OfferYou receive the aircraft, operator, planned time, price, passenger taxes and the cancellation terms of that leg. On request we add the price of a regular charter for comparison.
4. Contract and paymentYou sign the contract and pay. As departure is close, a bank transfer or a card payment is usually needed within hours.
5. Flight briefShortly before departure you get a flight brief with the terminal, times and crew. Your consultant follows the flight until landing.

If nothing suitable is available, we keep watching your route and write as soon as a matching leg appears. The alert can stay active for a route you fly often, for example to a holiday home.

Changes, delays and cancellation

An Empty Leg costs less because it depends on another client's plans. Before you book, keep these rules in mind:

• Departure time. The time in the offer follows the main flight and can move by a few hours either way. We tell you as soon as the operator reports a change.
• Your own changes. Route and date are fixed. Sometimes the operator agrees to leave a little later or to land at a nearby airport, usually for a surcharge; we ask case by case.
• If the main charter changes. Even a confirmed leg can be moved or cancelled by the operator. You then get your payment back, or we propose another flight, with any price difference agreed with you first.
• If you cancel. The operator's terms in the contract apply, and on Empty Legs they are usually stricter than on a regular charter.
• Related bookings. Hotels, cars and connecting flights are not covered, so choose refundable options.

How to pay is explained on the Payment page, and the general conditions are set out in the Terms and Conditions.

How to find a suitable leg

Empty Legs in both directions

An Empty Leg is a single sector, and two legs rarely match both dates of the same trip. On busy corridors such as London - Geneva or Paris - Nice it does happen, mostly for travellers who can shift both dates by a day or two.

More often, clients fly out on an Empty Leg and return on a regular charter, or the other way round. We price both options together so you can see which one costs less. For a return with the aircraft waiting for you, a regular charter is quoted on request.

Empty Leg or Jet Sharing

On an Empty Leg you buy the whole aircraft for one fixed sector. With Jet Sharing you buy seats on a planned flight and share the cabin with other passengers.

In practice an Empty Leg is much easier to find. With four or more passengers its cost per person is often close to the price of a shared seat or lower.

Documents, luggage and pets

The documents are those of any international flight. Within the Schengen area EU citizens can travel with an identity card, other travellers need a passport; outside it, including the United Kingdom, a passport is required and, for some nationalities, a visa or an electronic travel authorisation. On an Empty Leg send the passenger details right after confirmation, because the operator needs them for the passenger list and border formalities.

Questions about Empty Leg flights

• • Is the Empty Leg price per seat or for the aircraft?

  • For the whole aircraft on that sector. It does not change whether two or seven people board, so each extra passenger lowers the cost per head.

• • Are the prices in the list of current flights final?

  • No. They are estimates for the whole aircraft, about half of a regular charter on the same aircraft and route. When you request a leg, the operator confirms whether it is still free, the final price and the departure time.

• • How does the Empty Leg alert work?

  • You leave the route, the period in which you can travel and the number of passengers. When a matching leg comes up with one of the operators we work with, a consultant sends you the aircraft, the time and the price. The alert is free and places you under no obligation.

• • How far ahead are Empty Legs offered?

  • Usually one to seven days before departure, often less than a day. Seasonal base changes are known a week or two ahead. A route alert works better than checking offers every day.

• • How long do I have to decide on an offer?

  • Often only a few hours, because the same leg is offered to other brokers as well. Have the passenger details and a payment method ready when you send the request.

• • Can the leg leave at a different time?

  • The time comes from the main flight. A shift of an hour or two is sometimes possible if the crew duty time allows it; we ask the operator before you confirm.

• • Can I land at another airport near the destination?

  • Sometimes, if it lies close to the planned route, for example Cannes instead of Nice or Luton instead of Farnborough. The operator usually adds a charge for the extra flying.

• • What if the main charter is cancelled?

  • The leg may then disappear as well. We look for another Empty Leg or a regular charter at once; if you do not take the alternative, the amount paid for the leg is refunded. Hotels and other bookings are not covered.

• • Is an Empty Leg as safe as an ordinary charter?

  • Yes. The aircraft, crew, maintenance and procedures are the same, and the operator holds an Air Operator Certificate. Its name is stated in the offer before you sign.

• • Can I take skis or golf bags?

  • Yes, if they fit the hold of the assigned aircraft. List them in your request, and we leave out legs on small jets where there is no room.

• • Are there long-haul Empty Legs?

  • Yes, though far fewer than within Europe. The most regular ones run between Dubai and European cities around the Christmas holidays, and on such flights the saving can reach tens of thousands of euros.

• • Can a company use Empty Legs for business trips?

  • Yes, for trips with some flexibility, such as visits to branches or a team going to a trade fair. For meetings at a fixed hour, book a regular charter, as the leg can move.