Private jet to Austria

Austria has two seasons for private aviation. From December to April the traffic heads west, to the ski resorts of Tyrol, Salzburgerland and the Arlberg: Kitzbühel, St. Anton, Lech, Ischgl, Sölden, Saalbach and Zell am See. The rest of the year the focus moves east and south: meetings and congresses in Vienna, industry around Linz and Graz, the Salzburg Festival in summer and the lakes of Carinthia.

Six airports handle international business jets, and each has its own character. Vienna-Schwechat takes any aircraft day and night. Graz, Linz and Klagenfurt lie in open country with long runways and few limits. Salzburg and Innsbruck sit against the mountains: Innsbruck accepts only crews trained for its valley approach and restricts winter weekends with slots and short parking, while Salzburg asks for prior permission in the high winter weeks. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe and pick the airport by the resort or the meeting, often with a second airport as a backup.

Tell us the route, dates, passengers and the resort or address, and we will come back with aircraft and airport options:

Why travel to Austria by private jet

Flight times to the Austrian airports

Times for a Phenom 300, as in the main price table, including taxi, climb and descent:

Because the alpine airports lie further west, London and Paris are closer to Innsbruck and Salzburg than to Vienna: London - Vienna takes 2:13 h in the same light jet, London - Innsbruck 1:49 h. From Copenhagen allow 1:43 h to Salzburg in a Pilatus PC-24, from Stockholm 2:28 h to Innsbruck, from Larnaca 3:13 h to Vienna, from the Gulf about five hours and from New York about eight in a long-range jet.

Private jet prices to Austria

Each figure is a one-way charter of the complete aircraft, based on one being available close to the departure airport; handling, landing fees and passenger taxes are added. The flight time refers to the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs

From London a Phenom 300 costs EUR 13,000 to Salzburg or Innsbruck and EUR 14,500 to Vienna. The shortest sectors are Zurich - Innsbruck at EUR 9,000 and Munich - Graz at EUR 9,500, which makes Austria a realistic day trip from southern Germany and Switzerland.

Domestic flights and short hops from neighbouring countries

Austria is in the EU, so any EU operator may fly between two Austrian airports. On these short sectors a turboprop is the cheapest choice:

Vienna - Innsbruck takes more than four hours by train and 1:19 h in a PC-12. Vienna - Salzburg and Vienna - Klagenfurt are shorter than 350 km, so the departure tax is EUR 30 per passenger instead of EUR 12.

From Scandinavia, Ireland and Poland

Long-haul flights

Vienna and Salzburg take long-range jets without restriction. All three types fly these routes non-stop:

The price depends on flight time, where the nearest free aircraft is based and the day of the week. On winter Saturdays fewer aircraft are free, and Innsbruck allows only 60 minutes on the ground from Thursday evening to Sunday evening, so the aircraft flies away empty and returns, which the quote shows as positioning. A business trip to Vienna costs much the same all year. Austria charges EUR 12 per passenger on departure (EUR 30 on routes up to 350 km). On the outbound leg the tax of the departure country applies: around EUR 420 a head for a jet leaving France (half that in a turboprop); Italy takes EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km or EUR 200 beyond on any flight that starts or ends there; there are also departure taxes in Germany, Norway and, for aircraft from 5.7 t, the Netherlands. Leaving Britain, a PC-12 or any aircraft lighter than 5.7 t pays no Air Passenger Duty; most jets pay the standard rate for the distance, and only aircraft of 20 t or more with under 19 seats pay the higher private-jet rate. Anything else is listed in the quote.

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 three typical trips cost

Price per person

What one seat costs when the whole-aircraft price is shared:

Online calculator

Type in the airports, the date and the group size; the estimate is e-mailed to you automatically.

Airports and business aviation terminals

All six airports have customs, handling and a separate area or terminal for business aviation. Their limits differ, and the right choice depends on the address. Our airport pages cover each one in detail:

When Innsbruck is full or the weather closes the valley, aircraft divert to Munich, about two hours by road, or to Salzburg. For Vorarlberg and the Arlberg from the west, St. Gallen-Altenrhein just across the Swiss border and Friedrichshafen in Germany are also used. Bratislava lies 48 km from Vienna and has parking for several days. The airfield at Zell am See takes turboprops and helicopters up to 5.7 t, but no jets.

Choosing the aircraft

At Innsbruck the operator checks every flight against the 2,000 m runway, the weather and the weight of passengers, skis and fuel, so a large group may be asked to land in Salzburg or Munich. Ski bags fill a hold quickly: four people with skis fit a light jet, six or more are more comfortable in a midsize jet. Tell us the number of ski bags and boot bags with the request.

Want to discuss which airport fits your resort? Leave your number and a consultant will call you.

When to fly: the year month by month

For the mountains, the strongest demand runs from Christmas to the end of February, with every Saturday at capacity in Innsbruck and Salzburg. Vienna is busy in the ball season and around large congresses, and Salzburg has a second peak during the Festival from mid-July to the end of August. The calmest months, when aircraft and arrival times are easy to get, are May, October and November. Empty Legs are most frequent at the end of the February holidays and after Easter, when aircraft leave the Alps for northern Europe.

From the airport to the resorts and cities

After heavy snowfall the roads to the Arlberg and the Paznaun valley can close for hours, and a helicopter is then the only quick option. Large ski groups travel best in a minibus with a ski trailer, which we book together with the flight. From Salzburg to Berchtesgaden in Germany the drive takes 30-40 minutes; take passports, as German border checks are possible.

Empty Legs to and from Austria

An Empty Leg is a flight the operator must make without passengers, for example after a drop-off in Innsbruck that cannot stay on the ground. In winter such legs come up every weekend and sell well below the normal price. Typical directions:

The date and time of an Empty Leg are set by the operator, so they suit flexible plans. Write the route and the dates that could work to empty-legs@jets.flights; we pass on each fitting offer.

Taking a dog or cat

Austria applies the EU rules and has no quarantine. Your dog or cat travels in the cabin beside you, and the operator must approve the animal, with its breed and weight, before the booking:

• Microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination.
• A rabies vaccination that is in date; after a first vaccination at least 21 days must pass before departure.
• EU pet passport; pets from Great Britain need an animal health certificate.
• A maximum of five pets per person for non-commercial travel.
• No tapeworm treatment is required to enter Austria.

Dogs returning to Britain, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway are treated against tapeworm by a vet one to five days before landing; if the stay in Austria lasts five days or less, a British vet may do it before the outbound flight. Pets enter Great Britain only with an approved handler, which narrows the choice of airport for the return.

Documents, customs and passenger taxes

Checklist before the flight

• Passport or ID card for every passenger, children included.
• Passenger list with dates of birth and document numbers, sent by the day before departure.
• Arrival time checked against Innsbruck's weekend rules, airport hours and dusk in winter.
• Number of ski bags, boot bags, golf bags and pushchairs.
• Pet passport and the hotel's pet policy.
• Final address: hotel, chalet, congress venue or heliport.
• Whether the aircraft stays or flies home between the legs.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

How to book

1. Send the departure airport, dates, passengers, ski or golf luggage and the final address, for example a hotel in Lech or the Hofburg in Vienna.
2. We choose the airport: Innsbruck only with operators whose crews hold the qualification, Salzburg or Munich as the backup, Vienna, Graz, Linz or Klagenfurt for the cities and lakes.
3. We request slots and, in winter, prior permission and parking, or plan the aircraft to fly home between the legs.
4. Our proposal shows two to four aircraft with the operator, model, cabin photos and one price each, and the car or helicopter below.
5. After signature and payment we book the slots, handling, de-icing and the transfer.

Questions about private flights to Austria

• • How much does a private jet to Austria cost?

  • Short hops start at EUR 6,500 one way in a Pilatus PC-12 from Venice to Klagenfurt or from Zagreb to Graz. A Phenom 300 costs EUR 9,000 from Zurich to Innsbruck; from Frankfurt to Vienna it costs EUR 11,000 and from London to Salzburg or Innsbruck EUR 13,000, always for the whole aircraft. Handling, landing fees and passenger taxes are added in the quote.

• • Should we land in Salzburg or Innsbruck for skiing?

  • Innsbruck is closest to the Arlberg, Ischgl, the Ötztal and the Zillertal; Salzburg suits Zell am See, Saalbach and Bad Gastein. For Kitzbühel both work, and Salzburg has fewer limits on crews and weekend parking.

• • Can any business jet land at Innsbruck?

  • Only with a crew holding the Innsbruck qualification, and the operator checks the weight for the 2,000 m runway. Light and midsize jets are the usual choice; larger groups often land in Salzburg or Munich.

• • Why can't the aircraft wait at Innsbruck over the weekend?

  • In winter, parking is limited to 60 minutes from Thursday evening to Sunday evening, so the aircraft drops you off and leaves, then returns for the flight home.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • About 1:49 h to Innsbruck, 1:55 h to Salzburg and 2:13 h to Vienna in a Phenom 300, all non-stop.

• • What taxes are charged on a flight from Austria?

  • EUR 12 per passenger on departure, or EUR 30 on routes up to 350 km such as Vienna - Salzburg. The departure tax of the other country, if any, is added on the outbound leg.

• • Can we fly from Vienna to Innsbruck?

  • Yes, with an EU operator. A Pilatus PC-12 costs from EUR 7,500 and takes 1:19 h, against more than four hours by train.

• • Do we need passports?

  • Within Schengen there is normally no check, but every passenger needs a valid passport or ID card for the operator. Arrivals from the UK pass a passport check at the terminal.

• • Can our dog come on the flight?

  • Yes. It needs a chip, a rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport, and it stays in the cabin with you. Tell us the breed and weight so the operator can approve it.

• • When are Empty Legs most likely?

  • On winter weekends and especially at the end of the February holidays and after Easter. Send your route and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How early should we book for the ski holidays?

  • For February, Christmas and New Year, several weeks ahead, especially for a Saturday at Innsbruck. In May, October and November a few days is usually enough.