Private jet to Estonia

Estonia is the northernmost of the three Baltic states: a country of about 1.36 million people, half of it forest, with a long coast and more than two thousand islands. Most private flights go to Tallinn for meetings with software and digital-services companies and for weekends in the medieval Old Town. In summer the traffic shifts to the coast and the islands, to the spa town of Pärnu, to Kuressaare on Saaremaa with its bishop's castle and opera festival, and to Hiiumaa. Tartu, the university city in the south, brings academic and business visitors all year.

Five airports can receive a flight from abroad: Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, Kuressaare and Kärdla. Tallinn works around the clock with a separate general aviation terminal; the regional fields keep daytime hours and need handling and fuel ordered in advance, but they save a long drive or a ferry crossing. The country belongs to the EU, the Schengen area and the eurozone, so flights from other Schengen states land without passport control. We work as a broker, comparing aircraft from operators across Europe and picking the airport closest to where the group is going.

Let us know in the form where you are heading, Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu or one of the islands, and we reply with the airport, the aircraft and the price.

Why fly to Estonia privately

Flight times from the hubs

Times from the price tables below, Citation CJ3 from the hubs and Pilatus PC-12 from the Baltic neighbours:

• Across the water: Helsinki - Tallinn 0:42 h, Riga - Tartu 0:57 h, Stockholm - Kuressaare 1:06 h
• Germany: Hamburg - Kuressaare 1:48 h, Berlin - Pärnu 1:50 h, Frankfurt - Tallinn 2:32 h, Munich - Tartu 2:33 h
• Benelux, Austria and Switzerland: Vienna - Tartu 2:20 h, Amsterdam - Pärnu 2:28 h, Zurich - Kuressaare 2:36 h, Geneva - Tallinn 3:10 h
• London, Paris, Italy and the south: London Farnborough - Tallinn 3:03 h, Paris 3:04 h, Milan 3:06 h, Nice 3:27 h, Larnaca 4:24 h, Madrid 4:30 h

The islands and Pärnu are closer to western Europe than Tallinn, so a flight straight to Kuressaare or Pärnu is often shorter than one to the capital. From the south, routes run over Poland and Lithuania or the Baltic Sea, and the operator gives the exact time with the quote. Madrid and Larnaca are near the limit of a light jet; for a full cabin the Citation Latitude or Gulfstream G280 flies them with a proper reserve.

Private jet prices to Estonia

Each figure covers the whole aircraft for one leg and assumes a jet based close to the departure airport; handling, airport charges and passenger taxes are added. Flight times refer to the first aircraft in each row. The rows end at all five Estonian airports.

From the European hubs

Hamburg - Kuressaare and Berlin - Pärnu are the cheapest rows at EUR 11,000 in a Citation CJ3. Tartu takes all three aircraft in the table, and Vienna - Tartu costs EUR 12,500. The Citation Latitude has a cabin tall enough to stand in; from London it costs EUR 21,000 against EUR 15,000 for the CJ3.

From the Nordic and Baltic neighbours, Poland and Prague

On these short sectors the turboprop is the cheapest choice: Helsinki - Tallinn costs EUR 6,000 and Riga - Tartu EUR 6,500. Beyond about 700 km the jets save time: from Warsaw to Kuressaare the PC-12 needs 1:53 h and the CJ3 1:27 h.

From the Gulf, Israel and North America

Tallinn's runway of 3,480 m takes every long-range jet. From Dubai and Tel Aviv the Challenger 350 flies direct; from New York the Challengers stop once and the Falcon 7X flies the 6,645 km non-stop in 8:08 h.

Within Estonia

Domestic hops take under an hour and replace the ferry. As flights between two EU airports, they are flown by an EU operator:

Flight hours make up most of each figure, with a fixed amount for bringing the aircraft and crew to the start. Handling at Tallinn is mandatory and appears as its own line; at the regional airports, opening outside hours is charged separately, and from November to March de-icing is added. Pärnu has no de-icing at all, so in winter the aircraft is moved to an airport that has it. Passenger taxes come from the departure country: from Paris or Nice about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet and about half on a turboprop, from Milan EUR 200 as the route is longer than 1,500 km, from Vienna EUR 12. UK Air Passenger Duty is not charged on aircraft under 5.7 t, applies at the standard rate to most jets and at the higher rate to jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats. Germany and Norway charge departure taxes, the Netherlands taxes aircraft from 5.7 t, and flights from Stockholm carry none. Each 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

Three trips and what they really cost

Price per passenger

Split between travellers, the same charter looks like this; passenger taxes are extra:

Calculator

For a return, a Baltic round or a domestic hop, the calculator e-mails an estimate in a few seconds:

Airports and business aviation services

All five airports below can clear a flight from outside Schengen. Once the aircraft has landed in Estonia, a flight on to another Estonian field, to Riga or to Helsinki is a flight inside Schengen and may use any aerodrome.

Permits and winter operations

No permission is needed for a private, non-commercial flight. A charter flown by a non-EU operator that drops or collects passengers in Estonia needs a permit from the Transport Administration, requested at least 48 hours ahead, not counting weekends and public holidays; an EU operator needs none. In January the average temperature in Tallinn is about minus 3 degrees, and heavy snow puts pressure on de-icing and hangar space, so we book both early and keep Helsinki or Riga as the alternate.

Matching the aircraft to the airport

For trips of one or two hours, light jets carry up to six people with luggage and land at every Estonian airport. Turboprops are the cheapest choice across the Gulf of Finland and to the islands, and midsize jets give a stand-up cabin from London, Paris or Italy.

Want to compare a landing in Tallinn with one at Kuressaare or Pärnu? Leave your phone number and a consultant will call back.

The Estonian year

Tallinn has no dead season for business, while leisure demand peaks from June to August on the coast and the islands, and again from mid-November to the end of the Christmas market. The best months for a combined capital and coast trip are June and early September, with long days and fewer crowds outside the Midsummer weekend. Empty Legs are most frequent after Midsummer, after the July island festivals and at the end of August, when jets that brought summer guests fly home.

From the airports to the city, the coast and Finland

Empty Legs on Estonian routes

An Empty Leg is a sector without passengers, flown back to base or to the next booking and sold at a reduced price. Around Estonia they are regular, because many trips are one way:

The reduced price holds only for the operator's date and hour, and the leg is cancelled if the paying flight moves. Send the direction and a window of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, and we pass on what fits.

Flying with a dog or cat

Entry rules for animals are the common EU ones. Dogs and cats stay in the cabin with you, provided the operator has agreed:

• An ISO microchip, fitted before the rabies vaccination.
• A rabies vaccination from 12 weeks of age; after a first vaccination, 21 days before travel.
• An EU pet passport, or for animals from Great Britain an animal health certificate issued for the trip.
• Up to five animals per person on a private trip.
• No tapeworm treatment for Estonia.

Documents, customs and cabotage

What to prepare

• A passport or ID card for every traveller, children included.
• Names, birth dates and document numbers the day before departure.
• Where the trip ends: Tallinn, Helsinki, Riga or an island.
• The arrival time, so it fits the hours of Tartu, Pärnu, Kuressaare or Kärdla.
• Pet documents, and tapeworm treatment if the dog continues to Finland.
• Warm clothing from November to March.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

Booking, contract and payment

1. Send the route, dates and passengers, and tell us whether the trip continues to Helsinki, Riga or the islands.
2. We match the airport to the destination and the arrival time, and order handling, fuel and opening hours at the regional fields.
3. Our reply lists two to four aircraft, each with its operator and a price for the whole aircraft, de-icing included in winter.
4. After signing and payment we book handling, the car, a helicopter or ferry tickets, and the EU operator for any domestic leg.
5. On the day the car meets you at the aircraft and drives you to the Old Town, the coast or the harbour.

Questions about private flights to Estonia

• • How much does a private flight to Estonia cost?

  • From EUR 6,000 one way for a Pilatus PC-12 from Helsinki and EUR 11,000 for a Citation CJ3 from Hamburg or Berlin, for the whole aircraft. From London the CJ3 costs EUR 15,000.

• • Can I fly straight to Saaremaa or Hiiumaa?

  • Yes. Kuressaare has a 2,000 m runway and Kärdla 1,520 m; both accept international flights with customs arranged in advance, Kärdla on 24 hours' notice.

• • Which airports work at night?

  • Tallinn, around the clock. Tartu, Pärnu, Kuressaare and Kärdla keep daytime hours, and later operation must be ordered in advance.

• • Do I need a passport?

  • An ID card is enough for EU citizens flying from a Schengen country, and there is no passport control. From the UK passports are checked on arrival.

• • Is Tartu reachable by jet?

  • Yes, the runway is 1,800 m. Vienna - Tartu takes 2:20 h in a Citation CJ3 for EUR 12,500; arrive on a weekday between 08:00 and 16:30 or order the airport open.

• • Can we fly into Tallinn and out of Helsinki?

  • Yes. Ferries cross from the Old Harbour all year, and the aircraft collects you at Helsinki-Vantaa. The positioning leg appears separately in the quote.

• • Does my dog need worming for Estonia?

  • No. If it continues to Finland, it needs tapeworm treatment 24-120 hours before entering Finland.

• • Can a non-EU operator fly me from Tallinn to Kuressaare?

  • No, domestic legs are for EU operators. A charter by a non-EU operator into Estonia also needs a permit requested 48 hours ahead, excluding weekends and holidays.

• • Is there de-icing at every airport?

  • Tallinn has it around the clock, Tartu and Kuressaare during opening hours, Kärdla only in a limited way and Pärnu not at all.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Estonia?

  • Often between the Baltic capitals, Helsinki and Stockholm, and back to Germany after summer weekends. Send your route and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How far ahead should I book?

  • Outside the summer and December, two working days usually cover handling and the regional airports' hours. Midsummer, the July island festivals and the Christmas market weeks need one to two weeks.