Private jet to French Polynesia
French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity of more than a hundred islands and atolls in five archipelagos in the middle of the South Pacific: the Society Islands with Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, the Tuamotus, the Marquesas, the Gambier and the Austral Islands. It belongs to France, but unlike Réunion it lies outside the European Union, the Schengen area and the EU customs territory, and it uses the CFP franc. Every aircraft from abroad lands first at Tahiti Faa'a, about 5 km from the capital Papeete, and the islands are reached from there.
London - Papeete is about 15,400 km in a straight line, beyond the range of any business jet, but the route runs over Greenland, Canada and the United States, so a fuel stop in California or Hawaii adds almost nothing to the distance. We are a broker and ask operators of long-range jets for offers to French Polynesia; fewer aircraft serve this route than European ones, so dates and passports are best sent early.
Send the islands, the order of your stays, the dates and the number of passengers, and we reply with aircraft, routing and prices.
Routing and flight times
By scheduled flight the trip to French Polynesia goes through Paris and Los Angeles or through Asia and Auckland, with a further domestic flight to Bora Bora. A private jet makes it one journey with one stop, typically on the US west coast or in Honolulu, and the smaller jet for the islands waits at the terminal in Faa'a. A Global 7500 takes 19:25 h from London and 19:48 h from Paris including the stop; a Challenger 650 lands twice and needs about two and a half hours more. With 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; with a stop in Canada the Canadian rules apply. The stop can also become a few days on Hawaii.
Prices to Tahiti and the islands
Prices to French Polynesia are for the whole aircraft, one way, with the stops included; handling, permits, crew costs and passenger taxes are added. Flight times refer to the first aircraft in each row.
From the European hubs to Papeete
| Route | Distance | Flight time | Heavy jet Challenger 650 |
Long range Global 6000 |
Ultra long range Global 7500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Farnborough - Papeete | 15,676 km | 21:57 h, 2 stops | EUR 195,000 | EUR 250,000 | EUR 270,000 |
| Paris Le Bourget - Papeete | 16,026 km | 22:21 h, 2 stops | EUR 200,000 | EUR 255,000 | EUR 275,000 |
| Geneva - Papeete | 16,443 km | 22:51 h, 2 stops | EUR 205,000 | EUR 265,000 | EUR 285,000 |
| Zurich - Papeete | 16,462 km | 22:52 h, 2 stops | EUR 205,000 | EUR 265,000 | EUR 285,000 |
| Milan Linate - Papeete | 16,676 km | 23:07 h, 2 stops | EUR 210,000 | EUR 265,000 | EUR 285,000 |
| Munich - Papeete | 16,522 km | 22:56 h, 2 stops | EUR 205,000 | EUR 265,000 | EUR 285,000 |
| Frankfurt - Papeete | 16,230 km | 22:36 h, 2 stops | EUR 205,000 | EUR 260,000 | EUR 280,000 |
| Amsterdam - Papeete | 15,860 km | 22:10 h, 2 stops | EUR 200,000 | EUR 255,000 | EUR 275,000 |
| Madrid - Papeete | 16,203 km | 22:34 h, 2 stops | EUR 205,000 | EUR 260,000 | EUR 280,000 |
| Nice - Papeete | 16,716 km | 23:10 h, 2 stops | EUR 210,000 | EUR 265,000 | EUR 290,000 |
| Hamburg - Papeete | 15,947 km | 22:16 h, 2 stops | EUR 200,000 | EUR 255,000 | EUR 275,000 |
From London a Challenger 650 with two stops costs EUR 195,000; with one stop a Global 6000 costs EUR 250,000 and a Global 7500 EUR 270,000. Paris is EUR 200,000 in the Challenger 650.
From the Pacific and the United States
| Route | Distance | Flight time | Midsize jet Citation Latitude |
Super midsize Praetor 600 |
Long range Falcon 7X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles - Papeete | 6,631 km | 10:24 h, 1 stop | EUR 55,000 | EUR 70,000 | EUR 100,000 |
| Honolulu - Papeete | 4,416 km | 7:35 h, 1 stop | EUR 41,000 | EUR 42,000 | EUR 72,000 |
| Auckland - Papeete | 4,094 km | 5:41 h | EUR 33,000 | EUR 39,000 | EUR 68,000 |
| Rarotonga - Papeete | 1,144 km | 1:57 h | EUR 16,500 | EUR 17,000 | EUR 29,000 |
| Sydney - Papeete | 6,119 km | 9:45 h, 1 stop | EUR 52,000 | EUR 55,000 | EUR 93,000 |
| Nadi - Papeete | 3,487 km | 4:55 h | EUR 30,000 | EUR 35,000 | EUR 60,000 |
| Nouméa - Papeete | 4,634 km | 7:52 h, 1 stop | EUR 42,000 | EUR 43,000 | EUR 75,000 |
Honolulu - Papeete is a non-stop sector for a Praetor 600 at EUR 42,000, and a Falcon 7X flies Los Angeles - Papeete without a stop in 8:07 h for EUR 100,000. The Cook Islands are under two hours away, and Auckland is 5:41 h in a Citation Latitude, so the trip combines with New Zealand.
From Papeete to the islands
| Route | Distance | Flight time | Turboprop Pilatus PC-12 |
Light jet Citation CJ3 |
Light jet Pilatus PC-24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papeete - Bora Bora | 259 km | 1:02 h | EUR 7,000 | EUR 8,000 | EUR 9,500 |
| Papeete - Rangiroa | 356 km | 1:14 h | EUR 7,500 | EUR 8,500 | EUR 10,000 |
| Papeete - Nuku Hiva | 1,406 km | 3:22 h | EUR 11,500 | EUR 13,000 | EUR 15,500 |
The island legs are domestic flights within French Polynesia and are flown by an aircraft based in the territory or by Air Tahiti's scheduled turboprops; the long-range jet stays at Faa'a. Papeete - Bora Bora takes 0:52 h in a Citation CJ3 for EUR 8,000, and Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, 1,406 km away, 2:27 h for EUR 13,000.
On the European side, a flight from Italy carries EUR 200 per passenger at this distance, as does the return into Italy, and a flight from Austria EUR 12. Leaving Paris or Nice for Tahiti, a jet usually pays the French tax at the European rate for flights between mainland France and its territories, about EUR 420 per passenger, and the operator confirms it in the quote; international legs pay about EUR 1,015 or EUR 2,100 depending on distance. A British departure pays Air Passenger Duty, at the higher rate for a jet of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats and at the standard rate for a lighter one, and Germany and the Netherlands (from 5.7 t) charge their own. Local charges in Papeete and at the stop appear in the quote.
Business jet price per flight hour
Two trips with the costs
Price per passenger
| Route | Aircraft | Whole aircraft | 4 passengers | 8 passengers | 12 passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Farnborough - Papeete | Global 6000 | EUR 250,000 | EUR 62,500 | EUR 31,300 | EUR 20,800 |
| Paris Le Bourget - Papeete | Global 7500 | EUR 275,000 | EUR 68,800 | EUR 34,400 | EUR 22,900 |
Calculator
The calculator e-mails a first estimate within seconds:
The estimate follows the straight line; the offer adds the stop and the position of the aircraft.
Airports
The operator requests landing permission from the civil aviation authority, with the handler named on the request: at least 72 hours for a private flight and at least 14 days for a charter. At its busiest hours Faa'a restricts arrivals and departures of non-based aircraft, so the slot is agreed with the handler. Before departure the handler receives the general declaration with passport scans and the completed immigration cards, and officers meet the aircraft for a visual check and the stamp. The cabin is sprayed with an approved insecticide at the top of descent. The nearest long runway with border officers outside the territory is Rarotonga, about 1,140 km away, so fuel planning is generous.
A consultant can call you to go through the islands and the stop:
Helicopter tours over Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and the lagoons of Taha'a and Raiatea last from 10 to 45 minutes and are booked with the flight.
Seasons and events
In French Polynesia the dry season from May to October is the busiest time; from November to April it is warmer and more humid, with heavy showers and the cyclone season, and in the Marquesas March and April are often the wettest months. Humpback whales pass the islands from about July to October. Empty Legs are rare; jets that bring guests in the dry season and over Christmas usually return empty to the United States or Europe.
Empty Legs
Direct empty legs between Europe and French Polynesia are rare, and we say so rather than promise them. More often they appear between Tahiti and the United States, Hawaii or New Zealand, when a jet that brought guests flies home. Send the direction and a range of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.
Entry rules, customs and pets
Bringing a dog or cat to French Polynesia is possible but takes many months. The permit comes from the territory's Biosecurity Directorate, applied for online about seven months before a flight, and it is issued only when every result is in: microchip, rabies vaccination and antibody test, a negative leishmaniasis test for dogs within 30 days of travel, two treatments against parasites, the last within four days of departure, and a health certificate signed by a government vet in those four days. Some breeds are banned. Animals enter only at Tahiti Faa'a, where a government vet inspects them on weekdays, so a jet with a pet on board cannot land directly at Bora Bora. Transport by private aircraft is an exception that the Directorate grants. For the return, French Polynesia is on the EU list, so no new antibody test is needed.
How to book
- Send the islands of French Polynesia you want to see, the order of the stays, the dates and the number of passengers.
- We choose the stop in California, Canada or Hawaii and check every passport for it.
- You receive offers with operator, model, routing and price for the whole aircraft, with the island legs priced separately.
- After signing and payment the operator requests the landing permission and the slot; the handler pre-clears the names.
- We book the island aircraft, the boats and the transfers together with the long flight.
Questions about private flights to French Polynesia
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- How much does a private jet to Tahiti cost?
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From London a Challenger 650 with two stops costs EUR 195,000 and a Global 6000 with one stop EUR 250,000, one way for the whole aircraft. The island legs are added.
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- Can a large jet land on Bora Bora?
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No. The runway is about 1,500 m and the airport has no border control, so you land at Faa'a and continue in a smaller aircraft in under an hour.
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- Can we fly to Tahiti without a stop?
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No. On the route from London the distance is about 15,700 km, so the jet lands once, usually in California or Honolulu.
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- How long is the journey?
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About 19 to 21 hours from the western European hubs to French Polynesia in a Global 7500, stop included.
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- Is French Polynesia part of the EU?
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No. It is French but outside the EU and the Schengen area, with border control on arrival and the CFP franc as currency.
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- Do we need a visa for French Polynesia?
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EU and British citizens need none, but a passport is needed, and an ESTA or a visa for a stop in the United States.
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- What is the time difference?
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Tahiti is 11 hours behind Central Europe in the European winter and 12 in the European summer; the Marquesas are half an hour less behind.
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- Which months suit a trip to Tahiti best?
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May to October, the dry season and the busiest time, so villas and stands are booked early, especially for July.
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- Can we bring our dog?
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Only with a permit applied for about seven months ahead, several tests and treatments, and arrival at Tahiti Faa'a.
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