Private jet to Egypt

Private trips to Egypt go to three regions, each with its own international airport. Cairo has the ministries, the banks and the pyramids of Giza; the Red Sea coast has the resorts and reefs of Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada, El Gouna and Marsa Alam; the Nile valley has the temples of Luxor and Aswan and the cruise boats between them. The aircraft can land next to the hotel or the boat instead of routing everyone through the capital.

From central Europe a midsize jet reaches Cairo in three and a half to four hours and the Red Sea in four to five, without a stop. The country is outside the EU and Schengen: every private flight needs a landing permit from the Egyptian civil aviation authority, and most European passengers need a visa. As a broker, we find the aircraft among European and regional operators, choose the airport for the programme and arrange the permit, the handling and the transfer. For the capital and Giza in detail, see private jets to Cairo.

Send the route, the dates, the number of passengers and the hotel, boat or address in Egypt, and we reply with aircraft options, the airport and a price.

Why travellers choose a private flight

Flight times from the European hubs

Citation Latitude times as shown in the main table, including taxi, climb and descent:

The Red Sea resorts and the Nile valley lie 380-700 km beyond Cairo, which adds roughly half an hour to 50 minutes to a flight from Europe. From Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus and Istanbul a light jet flies non-stop: Athens - Sharm el-Sheikh takes 2:33 h in a Citation CJ3. The route crosses central Europe, the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean and is planned around the airspace warnings in force on the day.

What a private jet to Egypt costs

Every price is for the whole aircraft, one way, with an aircraft available near the departure airport, plus handling, landing and permit charges and passenger taxes. The flight time refers to the first aircraft in each row, and the rows go to different Egyptian airports.

From the European hubs and Cyprus

Vienna - Cairo is the cheapest main hub at EUR 24,000 in the Citation Latitude, and from Larnaca the same aircraft costs EUR 13,000. The coast and the Nile cost a few thousand more: Munich - Hurghada and Milan - Luxor EUR 28,000, London - Cairo EUR 30,000, Paris - Aswan EUR 32,000. The Falcon 2000LXS gives a wide cabin for families with staff, at EUR 51,000 from London.

From southern Europe in a light jet

Larnaca - Hurghada costs EUR 10,500 in a Citation CJ3, Athens - Sharm el-Sheikh EUR 13,500 and Rome - Cairo EUR 16,500. See also Athens and Larnaca.

From the Gulf and North America

Jeddah - Cairo takes 1:56 h in a Challenger 650 for EUR 27,000, and Riyadh - Sharm el-Sheikh EUR 28,000. From New York the Falcon 7X flies non-stop in 10:52 h for EUR 135,000. See also Saudi Arabia.

Domestic legs

Flights between two Egyptian airports are normally reserved for Egyptian operators, so the aircraft from Europe does not usually fly them. We arrange these legs with a local company, often in a turboprop, and show them separately in the quote. Indicative prices:

Cairo - Luxor takes 1:32 h in a Pilatus PC-12 for EUR 8,000, and Hurghada - Luxor 0:54 h for EUR 6,500, a short hop instead of a long drive through the desert. An international leg, for example on to Athens or Dubai, can be flown by the same aircraft that brought you.

The price depends on the flight time, where the nearest suitable aircraft is based and the season. From October to April, and above all between Christmas and New Year, demand is highest. For a week or two on the coast or the Nile the aircraft usually flies home empty and returns, because parking and crew hotels for that long cost more. The departure country adds its own taxes: France about EUR 1,015 per passenger on a jet and EUR 675 on a turboprop, since its tax grows with distance (about EUR 420 within Europe), Italy EUR 200 per passenger on sectors over 1,500 km, charged on departures from and arrivals in Italy, Austria EUR 12. Germany and Norway charge departure taxes, and the Netherlands taxes passengers on aircraft of 5.7 t or more. British Air Passenger Duty does not apply to aircraft under 5.7 t, the higher private-jet rate applies to aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, and other jets pay the standard rate of their distance band. Sweden has no passenger tax. Landing, handling and permit charges in Egypt 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 costs

Price per person

You pay for the whole aircraft, so the share per person drops as the seats fill. Taxes and visas are added per person:

Calculator

For another airport or a return trip, the calculator sends an estimate by e-mail:

Airports and business aviation terminals

The airports that private flights from Europe use most are international, with passport and customs control and runways of at least 3,000 m, so the runway never limits a business jet. Handling is compulsory almost everywhere, and the same handlers often serve Cairo, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, so one company can run a trip with several airports.

Alexandria Borg El Arab, about 43 km south-west of the city, and El Alamein on the north coast complete the list; El Alamein works in daylight and at other times only on prior request. Capital International east of Cairo serves as an alternate.

From the airport to the hotel

Choosing the aircraft

The distance decides more than the size of the group: from London, Paris, Amsterdam or Hamburg a light jet would need a fuel stop in southern Europe, which adds about an hour. On days around 40 °C in Luxor and Aswan, the operator confirms the payload at take-off so that luggage and fuel for the return fit. For the classes, see midsize jets and light jets in the catalogue.

Want to talk through the airport, the permit or the aircraft? Leave your number and we call you back.

When to go: the Egyptian year

The Red Sea has visitors all year, while Cairo and the Nile valley are best from October to April, when the days are warm but not hot. Christmas and New Year are the busiest weeks for aircraft, hotels and Nile boats. Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier each year: offices work shorter hours, and during the holidays after the fasting month flights and hotels are full in both directions. The weekend is Friday and Saturday. Empty Legs are most frequent in early January, after the holidays, and at the end of the winter season in April, when aircraft that brought families return north.

Empty Legs between Europe and Egypt

Many trips to Egypt are one-way for the aircraft: the group stays a week or two, and the jet flies home without passengers. Such legs are sold at a discount. Where they appear:

The operator fixes the date and time and can withdraw the leg if the original booking changes, so it suits a flexible trip; the landing permit is needed as for any flight. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates.

Flying with a dog or cat

Entering Egypt with a pet is fairly simple; the way home is the hard part, because Egypt is not on the EU list of countries with simplified rules. On a private jet the animal travels in the cabin beside you, and the operator must agree in advance:

• Health certificate from a government vet issued shortly before travel, and a rabies vaccination given within the last 12 months; the Egyptian requirements are confirmed before each trip.
• Microchip: Egypt does not always require one, yet the EU pet passport works for the return only with a chip.
• A rabies antibody test by an approved laboratory, sampled 30 days or more after vaccination, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml.
• If the test is done and recorded in the pet passport before leaving the EU, there is no waiting period; otherwise the animal may enter the EU only three months after the blood sample, through an airport designated for pets.

Visas, permits and local rules

Before departure

• Passports valid six months after arrival for every passenger.
• E-visas issued, US dollars in cash for visas on arrival, or the Sinai stamp confirmed for a stay in the South Sinai resorts only.
• Passenger names, passport numbers and dates of birth at least 72 hours before the flight.
• The hotel, boat or address in Egypt, so we choose the airport.
• Number of bags, diving equipment and long items, so the hold is checked.
• Pet passport with the antibody test entered before the trip.

How to book

1. Tell us whether the trip is for Cairo, the Red Sea or the Nile, and send the dates, the number of passengers and the hotel or boat.
2. We choose the airport, and for a trip with several regions plan the domestic legs with an Egyptian operator.
3. You receive 2-4 aircraft options with operator, cabin photos, flight time and price for the whole aircraft, with domestic legs shown separately.
4. After you sign and pay, the operator applies for the landing permit and the handler books the slot, the terminal and the car.
5. On arrival the handler takes you through passport and customs; the car, the boat transfer or the guide waits outside.

Questions about private flights to Egypt

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

  • From Larnaca a Citation CJ3 to Hurghada costs EUR 10,500, from Rome to Cairo EUR 16,500. From the main hubs a Citation Latitude costs from EUR 24,000 (Vienna - Cairo) to EUR 32,000 (Paris - Aswan), one way for the whole aircraft.

• • Which airport should we choose?

  • Cairo or Sphinx for the capital and Giza, Sharm el-Sheikh for South Sinai, Hurghada for El Gouna and Soma Bay, Marsa Alam for the southern coast, Luxor or Aswan for the Nile.

• • Can a light jet fly non-stop from Europe?

  • From Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus and Istanbul, yes. From London, Paris or Amsterdam a light jet stops for fuel, so we offer a midsize jet such as the Citation Latitude.

• • Can the same aircraft fly us from Cairo to Luxor?

  • Usually not: domestic flights are normally reserved for Egyptian operators. We book that leg with a local company, from EUR 8,000 in a Pilatus PC-12.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • Most European travellers do: an e-visa before the trip or a visa on arrival for up to 30 days. EU citizens staying up to 15 days only in the South Sinai resorts receive a free entry stamp.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • The landing permit is best filed 72 hours ahead. Around Christmas and New Year, book several weeks ahead for aircraft, slots and hotels.

• • When is the best time to go?

  • October to April for Cairo and the Nile; the Red Sea works all year. Christmas and New Year are the peak.

• • Can the aircraft wait for us for a week?

  • It can, but parking and crew hotels for a week usually cost more than letting the aircraft fly home and return. We price both options.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Egypt is one hour ahead of Central Europe and two hours ahead of London for most of the year. It moves its clocks to summer time about a month after Europe, so in April the gap shrinks by an hour.

• • Can we bring our dog or cat?

  • Yes, in the cabin; Egypt asks for a health certificate and a rabies vaccination from the last 12 months. For the return to the EU, the antibody test should be done and recorded before you leave.

• • Are there Empty Legs from Egypt?

  • Yes, above all in early January and at the end of the winter season, from the Red Sea and Cairo towards Europe. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.