Private jet to Basel

Basel lies on the Rhine where Switzerland, France and Germany meet. It is home to Roche and Novartis, to dozens of life science firms around them and to the Bank for International Settlements, and every June it hosts Art Basel, one of the largest fairs for modern and contemporary art. Private flights to the city are mostly business trips: a day with a pharmaceutical client, a board meeting, a visit to the fair. Demand is spread evenly over the year, with sharp peaks in fair weeks.

Jets land at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, the only binational airport in the world. It stands on French soil in Alsace, 3.5 km north-west of the city, and is run jointly by France and Switzerland. It has a Swiss sector and a French sector, each with its own customs, so the first question before any booking is where you are going after landing: the city, Alsace or the Black Forest. As a broker, we collect offers from several operators and state the sector, the handler and the price for the whole aircraft in the quote.

Send us the route, the date, the number of passengers and the address you are heading to, and a consultant will reply with aircraft, sector and price.

Why charter a jet to the Upper Rhine

Flight times to EuroAirport

Times in a Citation CJ3, from the tables below, including taxi, climb and descent:

Larnaca is the longest sector in the European table at 4:05 h in a light jet. From the Gulf the non-stop flight takes 5:35-6:13 h and from New York 7:26-7:50 h, depending on the aircraft. Zurich is not in the tables: it is only 79 km away, and against a drive of about an hour and ten minutes a flight saves little once taxi and clearance are counted.

Basel private jet prices

All fares are for the whole aircraft, one way, with handling, airport charges and passenger taxes added in the quote, and assume an aircraft available near the departure airport. The flight time column refers to the first aircraft in each row.

From the large European hubs

Within about 300 km, from Geneva, Luxembourg, Milan and Frankfurt, a light jet costs EUR 7,500-8,000, because operators charge close to a minimum flight time on such short sectors. Paris and Munich come to EUR 8,500. London, Vienna, Berlin and Hamburg cost EUR 10,000 in the CJ3, and from London the Challenger 350 costs EUR 15,500.

From regional airports and holiday destinations

For the UK regions, Ireland, Scandinavia, Poland and the Mediterranean the table uses the Phenom 300, which carries more luggage than the CJ3, and the Citation Latitude with a stand-up cabin:

Long-haul: Israel, the Gulf and New York

All three types below fly non-stop on every route in this table:

Flight time drives the price, and positioning the aircraft and crew to the departure airport adds a fixed part. Taxes depend mostly on where you take off. Leaving France costs about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet and leaving Austria EUR 12; flights to or from Italy pay EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km and EUR 200 beyond. The UK charges Air Passenger Duty (aircraft under 5.7 t such as the PC-12 are exempt, the higher private-jet rate applies only to aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, other jets pay the standard rate for the distance); Germany and the Netherlands also tax departures. The return from Basel is a special case: the airport is in France, so the French solidarity tax can apply, but not on flights operated under Swiss traffic rights. We confirm this with the operator before the price is fixed.

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

Worked examples: what the bill includes

Fare divided by passengers

The aircraft is hired as a whole, so the share per person drops as the group grows. Passenger taxes are charged per head on top:

Quick online estimate

The calculator gives a figure for your own route, date and group size and sends it to your e-mail.

EuroAirport: one airport, two countries

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL, MLH, LFSB) lies in the Alsatian communes of Saint-Louis, Hésingue and Blotzheim, under a treaty between France and Switzerland. The ground is French, but in the Swiss sector Swiss customs, police and health rules apply, and Swiss officers do the checks. A fenced customs road of about 2.5 km leads from the Swiss sector into Basel without touching the French road network.

Private passengers clear formalities in the lounge of their handling agent, not in the passenger terminal, and handling is mandatory for every business aircraft. Air Service Basel works in the Swiss sector; Jet Aviation and Swissport Executive Aviation also handle business jets. The main runway is 3,900 m long, and business aviation is normally handled from 06:00 to 22:00 local time, with noise restrictions at night. Jet Aviation and AMAC Aerospace run large maintenance hangars here, which sometimes help when the apron is full.

Other airfields on the Upper Rhine

When the apron is full in fair week, or when the meeting is elsewhere in the region, one of these airports may fit better. Distances are straight-line from EuroAirport:

Aircraft that suit the trip

On a sector of an hour or so, the hold decides before the seat count does. Pharmaceutical teams travel with equipment, and Art Basel visitors often take works home, so for more than four people with luggage we quote a midsize jet next to the light jet and show both prices.

Need help choosing the aircraft or the sector? Leave your number and we will call you back.

Art Basel, Fasnacht and the rest of the year

The city lives on industry, finance and fairs rather than seasonal tourism, so demand is even outside a few weeks:

For Art Basel, secure the aircraft and the parking plan several months before the fair. Outside June and carnival week, a trip can usually be arranged at a few days' notice.

Transfers to Basel, Alsace and the Black Forest

Give the driver the handler's name as well as the flight number: the private aprons lie apart from the passenger terminal, and the Swiss and French exits are in different places.

Empty Legs around Basel

An Empty Leg is a flight without passengers, for example when an aircraft drops a party and returns to base. Around the big fairs many such sectors appear, because aircraft cannot stay and fly away empty. Typical directions:

The operator sets the date and time, so Empty Legs suit a flexible plan. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates, and we will send matching flights.

Pets on board: rules for both sectors

Switzerland applies rules equivalent to the EU's for dogs, cats and ferrets, and the French sector is under EU law, so the papers are the same whichever exit you use. The animal travels in the cabin beside you, and the operator must approve it in advance.

• Microchip first, then the rabies vaccination; a first vaccination must be at least 21 days old on the day of travel and given at 12 weeks or older.
• EU pet passport; animals from Great Britain need an animal health certificate.
• Up to five pets per person on a non-commercial trip.
• Dogs with docked ears or tails may not enter Switzerland, apart from exceptions set by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV).

Tell us the species, breed and weight when you book, so we can rule out aircraft where the animal cannot travel.

Entry, customs and the French departure tax

What to prepare before take-off

• The address after landing, which decides the Swiss or French exit.
• Valid passport or ID card for every passenger.
• Passenger list with names, dates of birth and document numbers, sent the day before.
• Samples, equipment, artworks or cash that may need a customs declaration.
• Number of suitcases and any art crates, golf bags or skis.
• Pet passport or health certificate.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

From request to contract

1. Send the route, the date, the number of passengers, their luggage and the address in Basel, Alsace or Germany.
2. We choose the sector and the handler, check the evening deadline and, in June, plan where the aircraft will park.
3. You receive 2-4 aircraft options with operator, model, cabin photos and the price for the whole aircraft, with any French departure tax shown separately.
4. You sign the contract and pay; the passenger list goes to the handler so customs is ready before landing.
5. On the day, arrive 20-30 minutes before take-off; in Basel the car waits at the correct exit.

Our team

Charlotte McKinney

Commercial Director

charlotte.m@jets.flights

Henry Richter

Head of Aviation Department and Data Protection Officer

henry.r@jets.flights

Emma Miller

Director of Development

emma.m@jets.flights

Liam Bishop

Senior Aviation Consultant

liam.b@jets.flights

Oliver Davis

Aviation Consultant

oliver.d@jets.flights

Anna Laurent

Aviation Consultant

anna.l@jets.flights

Basel private flights: frequent questions

• • How much is a private jet to Basel?

  • A light jet costs from EUR 7,500 one way from Geneva and EUR 10,000 from London, for the whole aircraft. Handling and the passenger tax of the departure country are added in the quote.

• • Do we land in France or in Switzerland?

  • The whole airport is on French soil, but it has a Swiss sector with Swiss customs and a direct road into Basel. For Alsace or Germany we use the French sector.

• • Why can the return cost more than the outbound flight?

  • On departure from EuroAirport the French solidarity tax of about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet can apply. It does not apply to flights under Swiss traffic rights, so we confirm it with the operator.

• • Can the aircraft wait for us during Art Basel?

  • Usually not at Basel: in fair week the airport allows only a short stop to drop passengers. The aircraft parks at Zurich and returns for you, and these flights are in the quote.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • From Farnborough 1:30 h in a Citation CJ3 and 1:24 h in a Challenger 350, over about 725 km.

• • How late can we fly out in the evening?

  • Business aviation is normally handled until 22:00 local time, with noise limits at night. We plan the departure with a margin.

• • Is there a passport check?

  • Not from Schengen airports. Customs depends on the sector: in the Swiss sector valuable goods, samples and large amounts of cash must be declared.

• • How far is Messe Basel from the airport?

  • 15-20 minutes by car from the Swiss sector, longer in Art Basel week.

• • Can our dog fly with us?

  • Yes, in the cabin with a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport. Dogs with docked ears or tails are generally not allowed into Switzerland.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Basel?

  • Yes, especially around Art Basel and between Basel, Zurich, London and the Riviera. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with your dates.

• • How far ahead do we need to book?

  • For Art Basel several months ahead. At other times a few days are usually enough.