Private jet to Bangladesh

Two kinds of trips account for most private flights from Europe to Bangladesh. The first is business: buyers, auditors and investors visiting the garment factories around Dhaka, the port and shipping offices of Chittagong, and the ministries and banks of the capital. The second is family: weddings and long visits in the cool, dry months, often to Sylhet in the north-east, the home district of many Bangladeshi families in Britain and across Europe.

Dhaka lies about 9,000 km from London along the route operators fly, so the choice is between a long-range jet that flies without landing and a cheaper super midsize or heavy jet that refuels once in the Gulf. The aircraft needs prior permission from the civil aviation authority (CAAB) for every landing, and every passenger needs a visa. As a broker, we compare both options, file the permit and agree parking with the handler at an airport shared with a busy airline schedule.

Tell us where in Bangladesh you are going, when, and how many of you travel; a consultant comes back with the aircraft, the permit timing and the price.

Routing and flight times

EU operators fly around closed and restricted airspace, Iran's included, so the track runs over Turkey and the Gulf; the tables add 14 % to the great-circle distance for this. The times below are taken from the tables, with about 1:30 h included where a fuel stop is shown:

Prices

All prices are for the whole aircraft and one leg, with permits, handling, airport charges and taxes on top, and assume an aircraft based near the departure airport. The European rows end in Dhaka, Chittagong or Sylhet; the flight time is that of the first aircraft quoted in each row.

From Europe

With a fuel stop the Praetor 600 costs EUR 80,000 from Vienna to Dhaka and EUR 92,000 from London; non-stop in the Global 6000 the same routes cost EUR 120,000 and EUR 140,000. London - Sylhet costs the same as London - Dhaka. From Larnaca the super midsize jet with a stop costs EUR 68,000.

From the Gulf and the region

From Dubai and Doha the light jet would need a stop, so those cells are on request; the Praetor 500 flies Dubai - Dhaka in 4:57 h for EUR 30,000. Kolkata - Dhaka takes 0:49 h in a Phenom 300 for EUR 9,500, and Kathmandu - Dhaka EUR 11,500, so a trip can continue to India or Nepal. Chittagong is 2:17 h from Bangkok in Thailand by light jet for EUR 14,500 and 4:03 h from Singapore for EUR 21,000.

On sectors of ten to thirteen hours most of the price is flight time, and Dhaka offers little long-term parking, so for a stay of a week or more the aircraft usually flies home or to the Gulf and comes back. Taxes on the European side depend on where the jet takes off: from France a tax per jet passenger that rises with distance, about EUR 2,100 here against about EUR 420 within Europe, from Austria EUR 12, while Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger on legs above 1,500 km whether the flight leaves or ends there. Germany and Norway have departure taxes of their own, and the Netherlands taxes passengers on aircraft of 5.7 t or more. The UK charges Air Passenger Duty by distance band; aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, the Challenger 650 and the Global 6000 among them, pay the higher private-jet rate. Bangladeshi charges and the handling at the fuel stop appear 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

Price per person

Split between the travellers, the price per seat looks like this:

Planning another airport or a return flight? The calculator e-mails a first figure:

That figure uses the direct distance; the offer adds the real track, the fuel stop and the position of the nearest available aircraft.

Airports and permits

Every landing airport is named in the CAAB permit. Dhaka handles almost all private arrivals, with Chittagong and Sylhet as the other international airports.

The rules that set the timetable:

• The CAAB issues the landing permit under prior permission rules; operators apply four working days ahead for a single flight and fifteen for a series.
• A change of aircraft, date, route or entry point can mean an amended or new approval.
• An aircraft that only crosses Bangladesh needs its own overflight approval.
• Government offices close on public holidays, so a permit requested just before Eid takes longer.

Helicopters are flown by about a dozen local operators licensed by the authority; Dhaka - Cox's Bazar is the best-known route, Sylhet and the Sundarbans are also served, and heliports are used only between sunrise and sunset. Travel advice from governments, the UK's among them, is against all but essential travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban); Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet lie outside that area. We check the current advice and ask you to confirm your insurance covers the trip.

When to go: the year month by month

December to February is the best window: mild and dry, the season for weddings and family visits, with haze in the cities. From March the heat builds, and the monsoon from June to September brings most of the year's rain and floods in many districts. The cyclone season on the coast runs from April to November, with the highest risk in May and in October and November. Empty Legs are rare; the best chances are westbound in January, after the holiday and wedding season. Eid dates follow the lunar calendar and shift from year to year, and the capital empties as families travel home.

Empty Legs

An aircraft that brings passengers to Dhaka usually leaves at once, because long-term parking is scarce, so the westbound legs are the ones to watch. A match needs the right city and the right week, and a permit is tied to a date and a route, so a range of dates works far better than a single day. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates.

Visa and entry rules

Bangladesh lies outside Schengen: passports are checked when leaving Europe and again on arrival. EU passengers continuing to Britain need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

Flying with a dog or cat

Bangladesh admits dogs and cats with an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination given 30 days to 12 months before entry and a health certificate endorsed by a government vet, plus a no-objection notice from the Department of Livestock Services and an import permission. Dhaka is the airport of entry; a compliant animal is not quarantined, although home quarantine of 21 days is possible. Aboard, the pet sits in the cabin with its owner once the operator has given consent; we confirm the permits in writing before the flight.

How to book

1. Send the cities, dates and number of passengers, with passport data and visa status.
2. We compare a non-stop long-range jet with a stop in the Gulf and choose Dhaka, Chittagong or Sylhet for your address.
3. You receive offers with operator, aircraft, flight time and price, with parking or the empty return listed separately.
4. After signature and payment, the operator files the CAAB permit and the handler books parking and the reception.
5. In Dhaka the handler walks you through immigration and customs; a helicopter or domestic flight can follow the same day or the next morning.

Questions about private flights to Bangladesh

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

  • From Larnaca a Praetor 600 with one stop costs EUR 68,000 one way to Dhaka for the whole aircraft. From Vienna it is EUR 80,000 and from London EUR 92,000; non-stop in a Global 6000 from London EUR 140,000.

• • Can we fly non-stop from Europe?

  • Yes, in a long-range jet: Vienna - Dhaka takes 9:44 h in a Global 6000. Super midsize and heavy jets refuel once, usually in the Gulf.

• • Which airport should we use?

  • Dhaka for the capital and the factories, Chittagong for the port and the road to Cox's Bazar, Sylhet for the north-east and the tea country.

• • Can we fly directly to Cox's Bazar?

  • Only with a case-by-case approval, as the airport has domestic status. Usually you land in Chittagong or Dhaka and continue by local flight or helicopter.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • At least a week: the permit is requested four working days ahead, and parking at Dhaka is agreed first. Before Eid, allow more time.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • Yes, for EU and UK passports. Get it before departure: the visa on arrival is single entry and at the officer's discretion.

• • When is the best time to go?

  • December to February, when it is mild and dry. The monsoon from June to September brings floods, and the coast has a cyclone season.

• • Can our dog travel with us?

  • Yes, with a microchip, rabies vaccination, a certificate endorsed by a government vet and two import permissions. For the return to the EU, take the antibody test at home before departure.

• • Are there Empty Legs?

  • Only occasionally, mainly westbound in January when the wedding season ends; a request with flexible dates to empty-legs@jets.flights has the best chance.