Private jet to Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf is the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia and the business centre of the Rhine-Ruhr, the largest urban region in Germany. For private flyers one detail sets it apart: the Messe Düsseldorf exhibition grounds lie about 4 km from the runway, a ten-minute drive. Exhibitors and buyers from the boating, wine, medical, packaging and plastics trades fly in for boot, ProWein, MEDICA, interpack or K, spend the day in the halls and leave the same evening. The rest of the year the traffic is corporate: head offices, banks, the fashion showrooms and the shops of the Königsallee.

Business jets land at Düsseldorf Airport in the Lohausen district, 7-8 km north of the centre. Private passengers use the executive terminal on the west side of the field, operated by Jet Aviation, with its own security and passport control, a lounge and a conference room. The airport is slot-coordinated, and jets normally take off between 06:00 and 22:00 and land until 23:00. When the evening runs late, the round-the-clock airport at Cologne Bonn, about an hour away by car, takes the departure. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe and quote the aircraft, the slot and the price for the whole aircraft.

Give us the route, the date, the number of passengers and, in a fair week, the name of the fair and your hall. A consultant answers with aircraft options, a slot and the price.

What a private jet changes on a trip to the Rhine

Flight times to Düsseldorf

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

• Brussels: 0:44 h, Amsterdam: 0:45 h
• Frankfurt and Luxembourg: 0:46 h
• Hamburg: 0:58 h, Paris Le Bourget: 1:04 h
• Zurich: 1:07 h, Munich and Berlin: 1:10 h
• London Farnborough: 1:14 h, Geneva: 1:17 h
• Milan Linate: 1:26 h, Vienna: 1:36 h, Nice: 1:41 h
• Madrid: 2:30 h, Larnaca: 4:25 h

The Benelux capitals and Frankfurt are so close that the flight is shorter than the drive to the departure airport. On sectors of this length a larger jet saves only a few minutes: from Geneva the Challenger 350 needs 1:12 h against 1:17 h in the CJ3. From Larnaca a light jet still flies non-stop, but with 4:25 h in a small cabin most groups choose a midsize jet. Non-stop, Riyadh takes 5:28-5:45 h, Dubai 6:05-6:24 h and New York 7:11-7:35 h, depending on the aircraft.

Private jet prices to Düsseldorf

Each figure covers the whole aircraft for a one-way flight; handling, airport fees and passenger taxes come on top, and an aircraft based near the departure airport is assumed. The flight time column refers to the first aircraft in each row.

From the main European hubs

Four routes share the lowest price of EUR 7,500 in a light jet: Brussels, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Luxembourg, all under 200 km away. London, Zurich, Munich and Berlin cost EUR 9,000, so the difference across western Europe is small. The choice of class weighs more: from Munich the same flight costs EUR 9,000 in a CJ3 and EUR 14,000 in a Challenger 350.

From other European cities

On these longer sectors the light jet column uses the Phenom 300, which has a larger baggage hold. The Citation Latitude and the Gulfstream G280 both have stand-up cabins.

Long-haul flights

The 3,000 m main runway takes any long-range business jet and VIP airliners as well. From Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Dubai and New York every aircraft in the table flies non-stop.

The price follows the flight time, plus a fixed share for bringing the aircraft and crew to the departure airport. Passenger taxes depend on the country of departure. France charges about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet, Italy EUR 100 per passenger on sectors to or from Italy up to 1,500 km and Austria EUR 12 per passenger. The UK charges Air Passenger Duty on jets: aircraft under 5.7 t are exempt, aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats pay the higher private-jet rate, and other jets pay the standard rate of their distance band. On the way home Germany charges its own departure tax per passenger, and domestic German legs, for example from Berlin, Hamburg or Munich, also carry German VAT. Every amount is listed 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

What a trip really costs

Price per person

The aircraft is chartered as a whole, so the cost per seat falls quickly with the size of the group. Passenger taxes are added per head:

Online calculator

For a first figure on your own route and group size, the calculator sends an estimate to your e-mail.

Düsseldorf Airport and the alternatives

Düsseldorf Airport (DUS, EDDL) is the largest airport of North Rhine-Westphalia and the closest one to both the city centre and the exhibition grounds. It has two parallel runways, 05R/23L of 3,000 m and 05L/23R of 2,700 m. They lie too close together for fully independent use, but their length never limits a business jet. A motorway exit on the A44, a long-distance railway station and an S-Bahn stop under the terminal connect the airport with the region.

Private flights are handled in the executive terminal on the west side, run by Jet Aviation and open daily from 05:30 to 23:00. Passengers pass security and passport control inside the building, wait in the lounge and walk to the car at the door; crews have their own briefing room. The handler also applies for the slot, which every flight needs, private ones included. In the weeks of the large fairs free slots and parking positions go first, so we request them as soon as the charter is confirmed.

The evening is the real constraint. Jets normally take off between 06:00 and 22:00 and land until 23:00, and a limited number of delayed landings is accepted until 23:30, which cannot be planned in advance. A dinner or a gala that may end late is therefore planned with an overnight stay or a departure from Cologne Bonn, which is open all night.

Other airports in the Rhine-Ruhr

Five airfields come up in quotes for Düsseldorf. Distances in the table are straight-line from Düsseldorf Airport:

Essen/Mülheim, with a runway of about 1,550 m, also sits nearby, but it suits only turboprops and the lightest jets. When the Düsseldorf slot is missing, Cologne Bonn and Dortmund are the practical alternatives, because their runways do not limit the choice of jet.

Which aircraft suits the trip

Two or three people on a one-day visit to the fair fly most cheaply in a very light jet such as the Citation M2. A group of five or six with catalogues fits better in the Phenom 300, whose hold of about 2.4 m³ is larger than the 1.8 m³ of the CJ3. With stand parts or medical equipment, or when the team wants to review the fair at a table on the way home, midsize jets with 2.5-3.6 m³ of hold are the safer choice.

Questions about the aircraft, the slot or the load? Leave your number and a consultant will call you back.

When to fly: the fair calendar

Demand for business jets here follows the programme of Messe Düsseldorf more than the season. Before every booking we check whether the date falls in a large fair week:

For boot, ProWein and MEDICA we secure the slot and the aircraft 2-3 weeks ahead, and for drupa, interpack and K years several months ahead. In winter, de-icing adds time and cost on both ends of the trip.

From the terminal to the halls and the city

Empty Legs to and from Düsseldorf

An Empty Leg is a flight the operator has to make without passengers, for example after bringing exhibitors to a fair. Around the large fairs many aircraft arrive full and leave empty, and fly back in to collect their clients before the halls close. Typical directions:

The operator sets the date and time of an Empty Leg, so these flights suit a flexible trip rather than a fixed fair day. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates, and we forward suitable flights as operators publish them.

Flying with a dog or cat

On a private jet the dog or cat travels in the cabin beside you, and the operator must approve the animal in advance. Germany applies the EU rules:

• Microchip to ISO standard, implanted before the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel for a first vaccination.
• EU pet passport; an animal coming from Great Britain needs an animal health certificate from an authorised vet instead.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets per person on a non-commercial trip.
• No tapeworm treatment is needed to enter Germany.

In a fair week hotel rooms are scarce, so make sure the hotel accepts dogs before we confirm the flight; we also tell the driver that a dog is travelling.

Documents, customs and taxes

Before departure: checklist

• A passport or ID card for each traveller, including children.
• Passenger list with names, dates of birth and document numbers, sent the day before.
• Name of the fair, hall number and the time of the last meeting.
• Number of suitcases and the size and weight of sample boxes or stand parts.
• Return time before 22:00, or an agreed plan for a later departure.
• Pet passport, microchip and rabies record, and a hotel that accepts the animal.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

How to book a private jet to Düsseldorf

1. Send the route, the date, the number of passengers, the luggage and samples, and the hall or address you are going to.
2. We check the slot and the evening limits, and for a late return we price a departure from Cologne Bonn or an overnight stay as well.
3. You receive 2-4 aircraft options with operator, model, cabin photos and the price for the whole aircraft, including waiting time on a same-day return.
4. You sign the contract and pay; we confirm the slot, handling at the Jet Aviation terminal, the car and catering.
5. Be at your departure terminal 20-30 minutes before take-off. After landing the car waits at the terminal door and drives you to the hall or the meeting.

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

Questions about private flights to Düsseldorf

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

  • A light jet costs from EUR 7,500 one way from Brussels, Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Luxembourg and EUR 9,000 from London or Munich, for the whole aircraft. Handling, parking and passenger taxes are added in the quote.

• • Where do private passengers arrive at the airport?

  • At the executive terminal on the west side of Düsseldorf Airport, run by Jet Aviation and open from 05:30 to 23:00. Security, passport control and the car are all at this building.

• • How far is the airport from Messe Düsseldorf?

  • About 4 km, ten minutes by car in normal traffic. The fairground is closer to the runway than the city centre is.

• • How late can we fly back?

  • Jets normally depart by 22:00. If the evening may run later, we plan an overnight stay or a departure from Cologne Bonn, which is open all night and about an hour away by car.

• • Do private flights need a slot?

  • Yes, every arrival and departure at Düsseldorf needs a slot. The handler requests it once the charter is confirmed, and in fair weeks the free times go quickly.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • From Farnborough it takes 1:14 h in a Citation CJ3 and a few minutes less in larger jets. Germany is one hour ahead of the UK.

• • Can we land in Mönchengladbach instead?

  • Only as an exception. Its runway is about 1,200 m, so the operator must approve the specific aircraft; Cologne Bonn or Dortmund are the usual alternatives.

• • Is a same-day return realistic for a fair?

  • Yes, it is the most common plan here. Crew waiting time and parking appear in the quote, and in fair weeks the day trip often costs less than hotel rooms for the whole team.

• • Can we carry samples and stand parts?

  • Yes, within the aircraft's load. Send the size and weight of the boxes, and we suggest a Phenom 300 or a midsize jet when a very light jet is too small.

• • Can my dog fly with me?

  • Yes. The dog flies in the cabin and needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old and an EU pet passport. Germany bans pit bull type breeds except for visitors staying up to four weeks.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Düsseldorf?

  • Yes, mostly around the large fairs and on routes to the Benelux, Frankfurt and London. Send the route and preferred dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, and we reply when a flight matches.