Private jet to the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands are a self-governing country in free association with New Zealand: fifteen small islands spread over a wide stretch of the South Pacific, with about 15,000 inhabitants, roughly seven in ten of them on Rarotonga. The country runs its own customs and immigration, uses the New Zealand dollar, and lives mostly from tourism. Visitors come for the lagoons, Muri on Rarotonga and the large lagoon of Aitutaki, for diving and for whale watching in season.

London - Rarotonga is about 16,200 km in a straight line. The route runs over North America, so a fuel stop in California adds very little to the distance, and every flight from abroad lands first at Rarotonga, the only international airport of the Cook Islands. We are a broker and say plainly that this is a small destination for business aviation: one handler, a small apron shared with the scheduled flights and long distances to the next large airport, so dates and aircraft are planned well in advance.

Send the dates, the number of passengers and the islands you plan to visit, and we reply with aircraft, routing and prices.

Routing and flight times

By scheduled flight the Cook Islands are reached through Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Papeete or Honolulu. A private jet from Europe makes one stop, usually in the Los Angeles area, in a Global 6000 or a Global 7500, or two in a Challenger 650. A Global 7500 takes 20:22 h from London and 20:29 h from Amsterdam including the stop; the Challenger 650 needs about two and a half hours more. At a stop in the United States every passenger clears US border control with an ESTA or a visa, and the ESTA is accepted only if the operator is a signatory of the visa waiver programme. The islands lie east of the date line, so a morning departure from Europe lands in the evening of the same calendar day.

Prices for a private jet to the Cook Islands

Prices to the Cook Islands are for the whole aircraft, one way, with the stops included; handling, permits, fuel-stop charges, crew costs and passenger taxes are added. The time shown is for the aircraft in the first price column.

From the European hubs

From London a Challenger 650 with two stops costs EUR 205,000; with one stop a Global 6000 costs EUR 265,000 and a Global 7500 EUR 285,000.

From the region and the United States

Papeete - Rarotonga takes 1:57 h in a Citation Latitude for EUR 16,500, and Auckland - Rarotonga 4:19 h for EUR 28,000, so the islands combine with French Polynesia or New Zealand. A Falcon 7X flies Los Angeles - Rarotonga without a stop in 9:11 h for EUR 115,000.

To Aitutaki

Aitutaki is a domestic leg: an aircraft from abroad lands at Rarotonga first, where everyone who is staying clears customs and immigration. The island has no fuel, so the aircraft returns to Rarotonga to refuel; scheduled domestic flights also serve it.

Which passenger tax applies depends on where the flight starts. From Italy it is EUR 200 a head on this distance, and the return into Italy is taxed as well; from Austria EUR 12. France scales its levy on business jets to the distance, so a Pacific flight pays more than a European one. The UK charges Air Passenger Duty at the higher rate on jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats and at the standard rate on smaller jets, and Germany and the Netherlands (aircraft from 5.7 t) add their own. Charges at Rarotonga, including any departure tax for a private flight, are confirmed by the handler and shown 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

Two trips with the costs

Price per passenger

Calculator

A first estimate for any other route comes by e-mail from the calculator:

It is based on the straight line, while the offer includes the North American stop and the jet's way to your airport.

Airports

Alternates are far away: if Rarotonga is closed, the next long runway is Papeete, about 1,140 km to the north-east, so every leg is planned with extra fuel. We send the permission request as soon as the dates are firm, because the lead time is not published.

Questions about Rarotonga or Aitutaki are easier on the phone; leave a number:

Sightseeing flights over the reef, and in season over the whales, are arranged with the local airline in a small aircraft.

Seasons and events

The climate of the Cook Islands is tropical and mild. The dry months from April to October are the most pleasant, and June to August is the busiest time, when Australians and New Zealanders escape their winter. The wet season and the cyclone season run from November to April, with most cyclones in February, and the Christmas peak falls in the wet season. Humpback whales pass from July to October. Empty Legs are rare; they occur mainly when a jet that brought guests in the dry season flies back to the United States or Europe.

Empty Legs

Empty legs between Europe and the Cook Islands are rare, and we do not promise them. A jet that has delivered guests usually flies home empty over the same two long legs; regional legs from Auckland or Papeete appear more often. To be told about one, e-mail the direction and a window of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

Entry rules and pets

For the Cook Islands, pets are in practice not an option. The rules accept dogs and cats only from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, after six months of residence there and with an import permit from the Ministry of Agriculture. The animal arrives as air cargo at Rarotonga, and there is no quarantine station, so an animal that does not meet the rules is sent back or destroyed at the owner's cost. Several breeds, among them Dobermans, pit bull terriers and Rottweilers, are banned. We do not plan a flight with an animal unless the ministry confirms it in writing.

How to book

1. Send the dates, the number of passengers and any outer island you want to see, such as Aitutaki.
2. We choose the stop in North America, check every passport for it and ask the handler for the permission and the stand.
3. You receive offers with operator, model, routing and price for the whole aircraft.
4. After signing and payment the handler obtains the landing permission and arranges the fuel.
5. We book the island flight, the car and the hotel transfer with the long flight.

Questions about private flights to the Cook Islands

• • How much does a private jet to the Cook Islands cost?

  • From London a Challenger 650 with two stops costs EUR 205,000 and a Global 7500 with one stop EUR 285,000, one way for the whole aircraft.

• • Can we fly without a stop?

  • No. Rarotonga is about 16,500 km from London on the route, beyond the range of any business jet; the largest jets land once in North America.

• • How long is the journey?

  • About 20 to 21 and a half hours from the European hubs in a Global 7500 including the stop.

• • Can a jet land on Aitutaki?

  • The runway is about 1,800 m, but there is no fuel or border control, so you clear at Rarotonga first and continue on a domestic leg.

• • Do EU citizens need a visa?

  • No, most visitors stay up to 31 days without one; the passport must be valid for six months after leaving.

• • Are the Cook Islands part of New Zealand?

  • They are self-governing in free association with New Zealand, with their own border control; the currency is the New Zealand dollar.

• • What is the time difference?

  • The islands are 11 hours behind Central Europe in the European winter and 12 hours in the European summer.

• • Can we bring our dog?

  • In practice no. Dogs and cats are accepted only from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after six months of residence there.