Private jet to Canada

From Newfoundland on the Atlantic to Vancouver on the Pacific the country spans six time zones, and the distance from Europe grows with every one of them. Halifax is about 5,200 km from Hamburg, Montreal and Toronto 5,200-7,000 km from most hubs, Calgary and Vancouver 7,100-8,400 km. Private flights go to the banks and head offices of Toronto, the aerospace and finance firms of Montreal, the government in Ottawa, the ski resorts of Whistler and Banff, the lakes of Ontario and the coast of Nova Scotia.

Every large Canadian airport has private terminals with customs and immigration on site, so passengers never enter the airline buildings. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators in Europe and North America that hold the Canadian permits for charter flights, show a super midsize jet with one stop next to a non-stop heavy or long-range jet, and book any flight inside the country that the European jet may not fly with a Canadian operator.

Tell us in the form the city or resort, the dates, the number of passengers and their nationalities, and a consultant replies with aircraft, flight times and the price.

Why fly privately across the North Atlantic to Canada

Flight times from Europe

Non-stop times from the price tables below, including taxi, climb and descent, in still air:

• Halifax: Shannon 5:29 h in a Praetor 600, Hamburg 6:35 h in a Falcon 900EX
• Montreal: London Farnborough 6:37 h, Paris Le Bourget 7:00 h, Geneva 7:27 h in a Falcon 900EX
• Toronto: London 7:12 h, Frankfurt 7:58 h, Milan Linate 8:20 h, Vienna 8:40 h in a Falcon 900EX
• Ottawa: Frankfurt 7:32 h in a Falcon 900EX
• Calgary: Paris 9:10 h, Amsterdam 8:56 h in a Falcon 900EX; Oslo 8:12 h in a Falcon 7X
• Vancouver: London 9:25 h and Munich 10:19 h in a Global 6000

A Challenger 350 makes one stop on every route from the hubs, usually at Keflavík, Shannon or Gander, and the turn takes 45-60 minutes. Westbound, the jet stream usually adds half an hour or more, and the flight home is shorter by a similar margin. To the west coast the shortest track runs over Iceland, Greenland and northern Canada.

What a private jet to Canada costs

Prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, plus handling, de-icing in winter, Canadian airport charges and passenger taxes, and assume an aircraft available near the departure airport. The flight time column belongs to the first aircraft of each row and includes the stop where there is one.

From the European hubs to six Canadian airports

Montreal and Halifax are the closest of the large airports: EUR 60,000 from London to Montreal and EUR 59,000 from Hamburg to Halifax in a Challenger 350 with a stop, and EUR 70,000 in a Falcon 900EX without one. To Toronto the same aircraft cost EUR 64,000 and EUR 75,000 from London. The west coast is where the classes differ most: London - Vancouver costs EUR 80,000 in a Challenger 350 with a stop and EUR 115,000 in a non-stop Global 6000.

From Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, Norway and Portugal

From the western edge of Europe a Praetor 600 crosses without a stop: EUR 38,000 from Shannon to Halifax, then EUR 40,000 from Keflavík to Toronto and EUR 44,000 from Dublin to Montreal. For Calgary and Vancouver only the Falcon 7X flies non-stop from Oslo and Edinburgh.

Inside the country and across the border

Between two Canadian airports a foreign jet may carry only the passengers it brought from abroad or takes abroad, under one contract; any guest who joins in Canada flies with a Canadian operator. Legs to the United States are international, and the jet from Europe can fly them with the same party. The table shows flights into the airport named last, and the reverse costs the same:

Toronto - Calgary is 2,689 km, about four hours in a light jet; a midsize jet with a stand-up cabin suits the distance better. For a leg into the United States each passenger needs an ESTA or a US visa, and an ESTA counts on a private flight only with an operator in the Visa Waiver Program; details on our page about the USA.

From the Gulf

From Dubai only the Global 7500 reaches Toronto without a stop, in 12:50 h, at the same EUR 180,000 as a Falcon 7X that lands once. Passenger taxes depend on the departure country: a French per-passenger tax on jets, which rises with distance and reaches about EUR 2,100 to Canada, against about EUR 420 within Europe; on flights from or to Italy the tax is EUR 200 per passenger, since every route here exceeds 1,500 km, and Austria charges EUR 12. The UK charges Air Passenger Duty at the higher rate on jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, such as the Falcon 900EX, Challenger 650 and Global 6000, and the standard rate on the Challenger 350 and Praetor 600. Germany and Norway levy departure taxes, the Netherlands taxes passengers on aircraft of 5.7 t or more, and Sweden has none. Canadian airport charges and North Atlantic navigation fees 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

Three trips with their extras

Price per person

The aircraft is chartered as a whole, so a fuller cabin lowers the share per seat; taxes come on top per passenger:

Calculator

The calculator sends a first estimate for your route and date by e-mail; name the Canadian city in the comment.

Airports and private terminals

An aircraft from abroad lands first at an airport with Canadian border officers. The large airports below all have them in the private terminals, and their runways take every business jet:

Whistler has no airport for jets: it lies about 120 km from Vancouver, roughly two hours by car on the Sea to Sky Highway, or a short helicopter flight in good weather. Banff is about 130 km from Calgary airport, an hour and a half by road, and a park pass is needed to enter the national park.

Choosing the aircraft

Ski bags and winter clothing fill a hold quickly: the Challenger 350 carries about 3.0 m³, the Falcon 900EX 3.6 m³ and the Global 6000 5.5 m³. For the east, compare a stopping super midsize or midsize jet with the non-stop heavy jets; for the west, the long-range class removes the stop.

Unsure which coast and which aircraft suit your plan? Leave your number and a consultant will call you back.

When to fly: the Canadian year

June to September brings the long days in the Rockies, on the lakes and on the coasts, late September and early October the autumn colours of Ontario and Quebec, and December to March the ski season in Whistler and Banff. Business travel to Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa runs all year. Empty Legs across the Atlantic appear in every season, more often to Toronto and Montreal than to the west, and short ones between Toronto, Montreal and New York are frequent.

Empty Legs to and from Canada

The operator sets the date and the time, and the rules stay the same: an eTA for each passenger and, for a leg to the United States, an ESTA or a visa. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a window of dates.

Flying with a dog or cat

The dog or cat travels in the cabin beside you once the operator has approved it in advance. For Canada:

• Canada accepts dogs and cats without quarantine and without a blood test.
• Canada recognises only a short list of countries as rabies-free; dogs and cats of three months or older coming from other countries need a veterinary certificate of a valid rabies vaccination.
• The certificate is in English or French and identifies the animal with the microchip number, the date of vaccination and its validity.
• The animal is declared on arrival and an officer checks the papers in the private terminal.
• Provinces may add rules: Ontario, with Toronto and Ottawa, bans pit bull type dogs.
• Back to the EU: microchip, EU pet passport and a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old; Canada is on the EU list, so no blood test. Up to five pets per person.

eTA, customs and permits

Before departure

• Passport for every passenger and an approved eTA; for a leg to the United States also an ESTA or a US visa.
• Names, dates of birth and citizenship of everyone on board at least a day ahead, for the border report.
• The city, resort or address, which decides the airport.
• Skis, boots, golf bags and the number of suitcases.
• For a pet: the rabies certificate in English or French and the microchip number.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

How to book

1. Send the dates, the number of passengers with their nationalities and the destination: a city, Whistler, Banff or the lakes.
2. We confirm that every passenger has an eTA and choose operators that hold the Canadian permits.
3. You receive 2-4 options, a super midsize jet with a stop and a heavy or long-range jet non-stop, with flight times, airport and the price for the whole aircraft.
4. After the contract and payment we book the arrival time or slot, the private terminal, any domestic leg with a Canadian operator and the transfer.
5. On the day, arrive 20-30 minutes before take-off; in Canada an officer clears you in the private terminal.

Questions about private flights to Canada

• • How much does a private jet from Europe to Canada cost?

  • From EUR 60,000 one way from London to Montreal in a Challenger 350 with one stop, for the whole aircraft, or EUR 70,000 in a non-stop Falcon 900EX. From Shannon to Halifax a Praetor 600 costs EUR 38,000.

• • Can we fly non-stop to Vancouver or Calgary?

  • Yes, in a long-range jet: a Global 6000 flies London - Vancouver in about 9:25 h. A Challenger 350 or Falcon 900EX stops once on that route.

• • Which airport should we choose for skiing?

  • Vancouver for Whistler, about two hours by car, and Calgary for Banff and Lake Louise, about an hour and a half to Banff.

• • Can the jet from Europe fly us between Canadian cities?

  • Only with the passengers it brought from abroad or takes abroad, under the same contract. Anyone who joins in Canada flies with a Canadian operator, which we book; legs to the United States can be flown by the same jet.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • EU and UK citizens need no visa but an eTA, applied for online before the flight. It is required on private flights as well.

• • Can a jet land next to downtown Toronto?

  • No. The island airport accepts only turboprops, so business jets land at Pearson, about 20 km from downtown.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • About 6:37 h to Montreal and 7:12 h to Toronto in a Falcon 900EX, and 9:25 h to Vancouver in a Global 6000, in still air. Westbound winds can add time.

• • Can my dog come to Canada?

  • Yes, in the cabin. Unless it comes from a country Canada lists as rabies-free, a dog or cat over three months needs a rabies certificate in English or French; there is no quarantine. Ontario bans pit bull type dogs.

• • What changes in winter?

  • Snow and freezing rain from December to March mean de-icing before each departure and sometimes a queue for it. A hangar and an alternate airport are planned in advance.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Canada?

  • Yes, mostly between Europe and Toronto or Montreal and on short legs between Toronto, Montreal and New York. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa are 5 hours behind London and 6 behind Paris, Calgary 7 and 8, Vancouver 8 and 9. For two or three weeks in March and one week around the end of October the gap is an hour smaller.