Private jet to China

Most private flights from Europe to China are business trips: a board visiting a joint venture, buyers at the Canton Fair, a delegation meeting ministries in Beijing, engineers checking a supplier in the Pearl River Delta. The jet lands in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Xi'an on the mainland, or in Hong Kong and Macau, the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, which keep their own borders, currencies, entry rules and aviation authorities.

Distance is not the hard part. A long-range jet covers London - Beijing without landing, and a heavy jet does it with one fuel stop in Central Asia. What takes planning is the paperwork: every private flight to the mainland needs a permit from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) with a named sponsor in the country, and the big airports ration parking. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators that fly to China regularly and plan the permit, the slots and the parking together with the trip.

Write the cities, the dates, the number of passengers and the company or institution that invites you. A consultant replies with aircraft, routing and a timetable for the permit.

Why companies fly privately to China

How long the flight takes

Times from the price tables below, including taxi, climb, descent and, where a stop is shown, about 1:30 h for refuelling:

The distances in the tables are 20 % longer than the straight line. European operators route around closed and restricted airspace, so the track runs over Turkey, the Caucasus, the Caspian Sea and Central Asia, and enters China in the west. Beijing and Xi'an are the closest targets. Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau lie further south-east: from London, Paris, Zurich and Nice the Gulfstream G650 lands once on the way there, while the Global 7500 stays non-stop. From Madrid even Beijing needs a stop in the G650. A fuel stop in Central Asia is technical, and nobody leaves the aircraft.

Prices for a private flight to China

Prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, before the CAAC permit, parking, crew hotels, Chinese airport charges and passenger taxes, assuming an aircraft available near the departure airport. Rows go to different airports to show the spread; the flight time is that of the first priced aircraft in each row.

From the European hubs

The Challenger 650 with one stop is the lowest price from every hub: London - Beijing costs EUR 120,000, Munich - Beijing EUR 115,000 and Paris - Shanghai EUR 135,000. Non-stop in a Gulfstream G650 the London - Beijing sector costs EUR 150,000. To the south the order changes: London - Hong Kong is EUR 185,000 non-stop in a Global 7500, less than the EUR 200,000 of a Gulfstream G650 that has to land once. Larnaca is the closest hub to southern China: a Gulfstream G650 flies to Guangzhou non-stop for EUR 140,000.

From other European cities

Helsinki gives the lowest figure on the page: EUR 98,000 to Beijing with one stop. The same sector takes 8:55 h non-stop in a Gulfstream G650 for EUR 120,000. From Istanbul a Challenger 650 costs EUR 105,000 to Beijing.

Within the region

Sectors from Korea, Japan, Taiwan and South-East Asia are flown by aircraft based in the region, with no detour. The Taipei row goes to Hong Kong; whether a sector from Taiwan may fly straight to a mainland city depends on where the aircraft is registered, and we confirm it per request:

Seoul - Beijing takes 1:42 h in a Phenom 300 for EUR 12,500, and Tokyo - Shanghai Pudong EUR 16,500. Singapore - Hong Kong is the longest sector here and costs EUR 20,000 in the light jet. These regional hops need their own permits on both sides.

From the Gulf

From Dubai the route needs no long detour, and a Challenger 650 reaches Beijing non-stop in 7:25 h for EUR 68,000.

On sectors of ten to fourteen hours most of the price is flight time, so a fuel stop saves more than the choice of city. Navigation charges on the route, the permit, Chinese airport fees and parking are added in the quote. Passenger taxes depend on the departure country: from France the business-jet departure tax rises with distance, so a sector to China pays about EUR 2,100 per passenger, well above the European rate of about EUR 420; Italy EUR 200 per passenger on sectors over 1,500 km (the tax applies to flights to and from Italy), Austria EUR 12. Germany and Norway charge departure taxes, and the Netherlands taxes passengers on aircraft of 5.7 t or more. UK Air Passenger Duty is charged at the higher rate on aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, which covers all three aircraft in the tables from Europe.

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 worked through

Price per person

The aircraft is hired as a whole, so the share per seat falls as the cabin fills; per-passenger taxes come on top:

Calculator

For another city or a round trip, the calculator e-mails a first estimate:

The estimate follows the straight line. The offer adds the route around closed airspace, the stop and the position of the nearest free aircraft.

Airports and business aviation terminals

A flight from abroad lands first at an airport of entry with immigration and customs. The runway is never the limit at the main airports; parking, slots and border hours are. In Beijing and Shanghai border officers board the aircraft after landing.

Hangzhou and Nanjing take a jet that cannot stay in Shanghai, and Shenzhen, Sanya on Hainan, Chengdu and Kunming also receive business aircraft; each is written into the permit.

Rules that shape the schedule

• The CAAC application names the purpose of the trip and the sponsor, and is filed at least three working days before arrival at an airport of entry.
• The sponsor letter from the inviting company or institution usually takes about a week, so it is requested first.
• After approval the authority accepts no more than two amendments, so times and the passenger list should be final before filing.
• At Pudong the passenger and crew details are locked at 04:00 UTC on the day before the flight.
• Hong Kong and Macau issue their own landing permits; a flight from either to the mainland needs a Chinese permit too.
• Aircraft registered outside the mainland and Taiwan, European ones included, are not cleared to fly directly between the two; the leg is routed via Hong Kong, Macau or another third point, and the routing is confirmed with the permits.

Which aircraft suits the trip

Smaller jets would need several landings from Europe, and every landing in China is another line in the permit, so they are used only inside the region. For a delegation of ten or more, a long-range cabin with beds is worth more than the saving of a stop. Sectors over twelve hours need an augmented crew or a rest day before the aircraft flies back, and the offer says which. See ultra long range jets and heavy jets in the catalogue.

When to go: the year month by month

Business travel runs all year, but the calendar is set by Chinese public holidays, when the CAAC office is closed and airports are full, and by the big fairs. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons across most of the country; typhoons reach the south and east coasts in summer. Empty Legs are most frequent in late spring and late autumn, when long-range jets fly home after the Canton Fair phases and the November events. Several holidays follow the lunar calendar and move between years, so we check the dates for your week.

Before the Spring Festival and Golden Week the permit should be in place several weeks before departure. Outside the holidays, two weeks is a safe minimum for the sponsor letter and the permit.

Entry rules and documents

China, Hong Kong and Macau are outside Schengen and the EU customs union, so passengers clear customs on arrival and again on return to Europe. EU citizens flying on to Britain need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

Flying with a dog or cat

Leaving the EU, a pet needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an EU pet passport, up to five animals per owner. On a private jet it travels in the cabin beside you, once the operator has approved it in advance. Each of the three jurisdictions then applies its own rules:

Empty Legs between Europe and China

Long-range jets often fly between Europe and East Asia without passengers, after a drop-off or to collect a group. Such a leg costs much less if your dates are flexible, but it still needs the permit, the sponsor and a slot, so it has to be found several days ahead. Typical patterns:

Send the direction and a range of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, with the passport details ready for the permit.

Before departure

• Passports for every passenger, with six months' validity on the mainland, and the visa-free conditions checked for each nationality.
• The sponsor letter and the purpose of the trip for the CAAC application.
• A final passenger list before the permit is filed, and before 04:00 UTC the day before if you land at Pudong.
• The order of the cities, so that one permit covers the mainland airports.
• Separate plans for Hong Kong and Macau: permits, parking and border crossings.
• Pet documents: chip, vaccination, antibody result, health certificate, AFCD or IAM permit.

How to book

1. Send the cities, the dates, the number of passengers and the name of the sponsor in China.
2. We choose the airports and the order of the cities, and compare a heavy jet with a stop against a long-range jet non-stop.
3. You receive offers with operator, aircraft, cabin photos, routing and price, with parking and crew costs listed.
4. After you sign and pay, the handler files the CAAC permit with a margin of several days, and the Hong Kong or Macau permit where needed.
5. On arrival officers check passports, on board or in the terminal, and the car waits outside.

Questions about private flights to China

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

  • From Helsinki a Challenger 650 with one stop flies to Beijing for EUR 98,000 one way for the whole aircraft. London - Beijing costs EUR 120,000 in the same jet and EUR 150,000 non-stop in a Gulfstream G650. The permit, parking and taxes come on top.

• • Can we fly non-stop from Europe?

  • Yes. A Gulfstream G650 reaches Beijing from London in 11:25 h. From London, Paris, Zurich, Nice or Madrid to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong or Macau, the Global 7500 is the jet that stays non-stop.

• • Why do we need a sponsor?

  • The CAAC approves a private flight only for a stated purpose with an inviting company or institution in China. Without a sponsor the application cannot be filed.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • At least two weeks: the sponsor letter takes about a week and the permit at least three working days. Before the Spring Festival or Golden Week, plan several weeks ahead.

• • Do the Chinese rules apply in Hong Kong and Macau?

  • No. Both special administrative regions have their own aviation authorities, landing permits, borders and entry rules. A flight on to the mainland needs a Chinese permit as well.

• • Can the same jet fly us between Chinese cities?

  • It depends on the permit, which can list up to five mainland airports. New passengers may not join on a domestic leg, and a Chinese operator or an airline is often simpler.

• • Do we need a visa for the mainland?

  • Many European passports can stay for a short visit without a visa under a time-limited scheme, but the rules depend on nationality. We check them for each passenger before the flight.

• • Which Shanghai airport should we choose?

  • Hongqiao for a short daytime visit close to the centre, Pudong for a night arrival, a large jet or a longer stay.

• • Can we fly from China to Taiwan?

  • Not directly in a European-registered aircraft. The leg goes via Hong Kong, Macau or a third country, with permits on each side.

• • What is the time difference?

  • The whole country, Hong Kong and Macau included, runs on one time zone, 8 hours ahead of London in winter and 7 hours in summer, with no clock change.

• • Can our dog come with us?

  • Yes, one dog or cat per traveller on the mainland, with chip, vaccination, health certificate and an antibody test from a recognised laboratory. Hong Kong and Macau each need their own permit.