Private jet to Colombia

Colombia is the north-western corner of South America, with coasts on the Caribbean and the Pacific and three ranges of the Andes running through it. Most private flights from Europe go to one of three cities: Bogotá for ministries and head offices, Medellín, the second business centre, and Cartagena for the walled old town and the Rosario Islands. Cali, Barranquilla, the coffee region and San Andrés follow, usually with a shorter flight inside the country.

From Western Europe the coast is 7,200-9,300 km away and the capital 8,000-9,700 km. From every hub except Larnaca a Global 7500 crosses without landing in 9:25-10:50 h, while a Challenger 650 refuels once, for example in the Azores. Bogotá and Medellín lie high in the Andes, where thin air lengthens the take-off run and limits the weight an aircraft can lift on the way home. As a broker, we compare operators that fly the Atlantic and plan the crossing and the flights between cities as one trip.

Name the cities on your programme in the form, as the plan for the domestic legs starts with the first quote.

Why a private jet suits the country

Flight times from the European hubs

Global 7500, wheels to wheels without a landing:

• Cartagena: London 9:26 h, Nice 10:05 h, Vienna 10:50 h; Paris - Barranquilla 9:34 h
• Bogotá: Madrid 9:25 h, London 9:53 h, Paris 10:06 h, Geneva 10:22 h
• Bogotá: Frankfurt 10:36 h, Milan 10:38 h
• Medellín Rionegro: London 9:51 h, Amsterdam 10:17 h, Zurich 10:33 h, Munich 10:49 h
• Cali: Madrid 9:43 h
• Larnaca - Cartagena: 12:46 h, still without landing

A Global 6000 is about half an hour slower on the same routes and also flies non-stop, except from Larnaca. With about an hour and a half allowed for its fuel stop, the Challenger 650 takes 11:27-12:56 h from the hubs and 14:59 h from Larnaca. The direct track to Bogotá passes over western Venezuela; whether the crew flies over that airspace or around it follows the EASA and FAA notices in force, checked before every flight. Westbound headwinds lengthen the sector; on the way back the jet stream helps, but from Bogotá and Rionegro the operator first calculates whether a full cabin and full tanks are possible at that height and temperature, or whether the return needs a stop.

Prices for a private jet to Colombia

A price here is for the full aircraft and one direction, from a base near the origin. Handling, permits, refuelling-stop charges, the crew's rest and passenger taxes are added. The time in each row belongs to its left-hand aircraft.

From the European hubs to five airports

The Challenger 650 with one stop costs EUR 105,000 from London or Madrid to Bogotá, and the same from London to Cartagena, Medellín Rionegro or from Madrid to Cali. Non-stop in a Global 6000 costs EUR 120,000 from Madrid to Bogotá and EUR 125,000 from London to Cartagena. From Larnaca the Global 6000 has to stop and at EUR 185,000 costs more than the non-stop Global 7500, which is the better choice on that route.

From other European cities

Lisbon - Cartagena, 7,241 km, is the one route a Falcon 900EX flies without a stop: EUR 93,000 in 9:01 h. From Dublin the same aircraft stops once for EUR 115,000, the price of a non-stop Gulfstream G550.

From the region and inside Colombia

Jets based in the region fly the international sectors. Between two Colombian cities a foreign jet may carry only the passengers it brought from abroad or takes abroad, with a separate Aerocivil permit; every other domestic flight, including the three domestic rows here, is flown by a Colombian operator. Prices are towards the airport on the right and equal in reverse:

A light jet reaches Miami without a stop from Bogotá and Cartagena; from New York the Citation Latitude, at EUR 30,000 to Cartagena, is the smallest option. Passengers continuing to the USA need a US visa, or an ESTA when the operator belongs to the Visa Waiver Program, and every flight to Panama, Ecuador or Aruba is a new international arrival.

On the European side the tax depends on where the trip starts. Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger on these distances, for Milan or Rome departures and again on the flight home; Austria EUR 12. France scales its business-jet tax by distance, so a Paris - Bogotá flight costs well over the European rate per passenger. From London, the higher band of Air Passenger Duty applies to jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, every heavy and long-range type in these tables. Germany, Norway and the Netherlands (aircraft from 5.7 t) levy departure taxes; Sweden does not. Colombian charges are 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 sample budgets

Price per passenger

One aircraft, one price, whatever the number on board, so the share per seat drops with each passenger; taxes are added per person:

Calculator

The calculator sends a first estimate; list every Colombian city in the comment.

Airports, altitude and permits

Three airports take most private flights from Europe, all with customs and immigration, 24-hour operation and business aviation handlers; Aerosupport FBO works at Bogotá, Rionegro and Cartagena. The handler takes passengers through passport and customs control, together about 15-20 minutes, and baggage is checked at the aircraft, also with sniffer dogs.

Charter flights from abroad need Aerocivil approval to drop off and pick up passengers, and every change of route means an amendment, so we file several days ahead. A stay of more than 48 hours, or any flight to a second Colombian airport, needs a landing permit with about 72 hours' notice; the authority issues permits on weekdays from 08:00 to 17:00, so a Saturday departure is settled by Friday. An aircraft that stays more than five days is temporarily imported at the first airport, which takes 15-60 minutes and is charged by take-off weight. Slots elsewhere are mainly needed during large events, such as the Barranquilla carnival or the Hay Festival in Cartagena.

Which aircraft

On hot days at Bogotá and Rionegro a fully loaded aircraft cannot always take enough fuel for the whole flight home; the operator works this out before the quote and says whether a stop is needed. That is where ultra long range jets earn their price. At altitude the load of a light jet is also limited by the runway and the temperature of the day.

Leave your number to hear the altitude calculation for your dates, with the stop and non-stop options, from a consultant.

When to fly: the Colombian year

Near the equator the altitude sets the temperature: Bogotá is cool all year, Medellín mild and the coast hot. The rain and the events change. The Caribbean coast is driest from December to April, busiest from mid-December to mid-January, and Bogotá is wettest in April-May and October-November. Empty Legs are rare across the Atlantic and appear mostly after the Caribbean winter season and after the flower festival in Medellín.

Transfers and getting around

Travel advice warns against parts of the country, mainly the border strips with Venezuela and Ecuador and parts of the Pacific coast. The cities and airports on this page lie outside those areas, and we check the advice before each flight.

Empty Legs on Colombian routes

Few private jets cross the Atlantic to Colombia, so legs are rarer than in Europe, but each one is long. A travel window of a couple of weeks gives the best chance; write to empty-legs@jets.flights.

Flying with a dog or cat

A dog or cat with complete papers that travels with its owner is not quarantined. It sits in the cabin, once the operator agrees, and stays aboard at a fuel stop. Colombia asks for:

• Before departure the owner registers on the online system of ICA, the agricultural institute, applies for the animal's entry certificate and pays; the application and the receipt are shown on arrival.
• A health certificate issued no more than 10 days before entry and issued or endorsed by the state veterinary service of the departure country, with internal and external parasite treatment and dates.
• Rabies vaccination at least 21 days before departure, for an animal of about 15 weeks or older; dogs also against distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus, cats against panleukopenia.
• An ICA inspector checks the papers and the animal at the airport. Missing documents can mean home quarantine or return at the owner's expense, and fees on the spot are paid by card only.

Entry and customs

Before departure

• Passports valid six months beyond departure, undamaged.
• Confirmation of the return or onward flight.
• The programme of cities, so domestic permits and operators are booked in time.
• For a pet: ICA registration, certificate and the antibody test result for the return.
• A warm layer for Bogotá evenings, light clothes for the coast.

Booking in five steps

1. Send the cities, the dates, the number of passengers and their nationalities.
2. We compare a one-stop heavy jet and a non-stop long-range jet and state whether the return from Bogotá or Rionegro needs a stop.
3. After the contract and payment, the operator files the Aerocivil requests; we book the Colombian operator for any domestic leg.
4. Passport data go to the operator and the handler, and cars are booked in every city.
5. On landing the handler takes you through passport and customs control; the car waits at the terminal or the aircraft.

Questions about private flights to Colombia

• • What does a private jet to Colombia cost?

  • From EUR 93,000 one way from Lisbon to Cartagena in a Falcon 900EX, and from EUR 105,000 from London or Madrid to Bogotá in a Challenger 650 with one stop, for the whole aircraft.

• • Can we fly non-stop to Bogotá?

  • Yes, in a long-range jet: about 9:53 h from London and 9:25 h from Madrid in a Global 7500, about half an hour more in a Global 6000.

• • Does the altitude of Bogotá matter?

  • Yes. At 2,548 m the take-off run is longer and the weight an aircraft can lift is lower, especially on hot days, so the operator calculates in advance whether the flight home needs a stop.

• • Which airport for Medellín?

  • José María Córdova at Rionegro, 45-60 minutes from El Poblado. Olaya Herrera in the city handles domestic flights.

• • Can our jet fly us from Bogotá to Cartagena?

  • Only with the same passengers it brought from abroad or takes abroad, and with its own Aerocivil permit. Otherwise a Colombian operator flies the leg, from EUR 10,000 in a light jet.

• • Do Europeans need a visa for Colombia?

  • No, for stays of up to 90 days. A passport valid six months beyond departure and proof of onward travel are recommended.

• • Can we bring our dog?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with ICA registration before departure, a health certificate no older than 10 days and a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old. For the return to Europe, take the antibody test before leaving.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Colombian time is UTC-5 with no seasonal change: London is 5 hours ahead in winter and 6 in summer, Madrid or Frankfurt one hour more.

• • When is the best time for Cartagena?

  • December to April, the dry season; the weeks from mid-December to mid-January and the Barranquilla carnival need early booking.

• • Can we combine Colombia with Panama or Aruba?

  • Yes. Cartagena - Panama City takes 1:08 h and Cartagena - Aruba 1:23 h in a Citation CJ3; each is a new international arrival.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Colombia?

  • Occasionally, mostly from Florida and after the Caribbean winter season. Transatlantic ones are few and far between; write to empty-legs@jets.flights with a wide window.