Private jet to Gibraltar

The British Overseas Territory at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula covers only 6.8 km² and has about 33,000 inhabitants. Financial services, insurance, online gaming and shipping drive its economy, and the business traffic comes from London, Switzerland and the gaming companies' European offices. Leisure flights head for the golf courses of Sotogrande and the western Costa del Sol, for the Rock itself, or continue across the strait to Morocco.

The airport sits on the isthmus between the Rock and the Spanish border, a few minutes from the town centre. It is a Royal Air Force station with a civil terminal, its runway is short and runs out into the bay, and the main road to Spain once crossed it at street level. Every private flight needs prior permission through the handler Gibair, and an operator from outside the UK also needs British and Gibraltar permits. As a broker, we start with operators that already hold them and keep Malaga Airport in Spain as the alternate on every booking.

Tell us the route, the date and the number of passengers in the form, and a consultant will reply with operators that hold the permits and a price for the whole aircraft.

Why land at the Rock rather than Malaga

Flight times from Europe

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

• Madrid: 1:12 h, 507 km
• Nice: 2:23 h, Geneva: 2:33 h
• Paris Le Bourget: 2:40 h, Milan Linate: 2:44 h
• London Farnborough: 2:53 h, Zurich: 2:52 h, Luxembourg: 2:57 h
• Brussels: 3:01 h, Frankfurt: 3:09 h, Dublin: 3:10 h
• Manchester: 3:11 h, Munich: 3:12 h, Amsterdam: 3:14 h
• Vienna: 3:36 h, Hamburg: 3:40 h

From London, Paris and Switzerland the flight takes close to three hours, and from Germany or the Benelux a little more. A light jet covers all these routes non-stop; from Stockholm and Oslo, about 3,000 km away, the table uses the Phenom 300, which has the longer range. Strong wind around the Rock can add time to the approach when the aircraft has to hold or go around.

Private jet prices to Gibraltar

All prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, plus handling, landing permission, airport charges and any passenger tax of the departure country, and assume an aircraft available near the departure airport with the necessary permits. The flight time column refers to the first aircraft in each row.

From the European hubs

Madrid is the cheapest hub at EUR 9,000 in a light jet; from London and Paris the same class costs EUR 14,500 and EUR 14,000. From Larnaca only the super midsize flies non-stop, at EUR 37,000.

From Scandinavia and central Europe

On legs of 2,200-3,100 km the Phenom 300 and the Praetor 500 carry more fuel and baggage than the CJ3:

From Iberia, the Balearics and Morocco

On short sectors the turboprop is the cheapest choice, and the CJ3 saves 6-33 minutes:

Long-haul flights land in Malaga

Heavy and long-range jets do not fit the short runway at full weight, so they use Malaga, 96 km away, and the group continues by car:

The price follows the flight time and the position of the nearest aircraft with the permits, which may be further away than for a flight to Malaga. Demand along the whole Andalusian coast peaks in July and August. On the way in, France charges about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet if Gibraltar is taxed with the UK, or about EUR 1,015 if it is banded by distance, as the quote confirms; Italy EUR 200 per passenger beyond 1,500 km, and UK Air Passenger Duty depends on the aircraft: none under 5.7 t, the standard rate of the distance band for most jets, the higher private-jet rate from 20 t with fewer than 19 seats; Germany and Austria tax departures too. Gibraltar's charges are 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 sample trips

Cost per passenger

Six passengers from Madrid in a CJ3 pay EUR 1,500 each; the table shows other routes and group sizes:

Price calculator

For a figure on your own route and date, the calculator sends an estimate by e-mail.

The airport, the road across the runway and the alternates

Gibraltar International Airport (GIB, LXGB) belongs to the UK Ministry of Defence and serves as RAF Gibraltar; the Government of Gibraltar runs the civil terminal. The single runway is about 1,800 m long and extends into the Bay of Gibraltar, but the declared landing distance is 1,528 m and there is no ILS. Light, midsize and super midsize jets land here as routine traffic; larger aircraft need a calculation for the day, and aircraft over 17 t must turn on the pads at the runway ends.

Winston Churchill Avenue, the road between Gibraltar and Spain, used to cross the runway at street level. Cars now drive through a tunnel under its eastern end, while pedestrians and cyclists still cross the runway, and barriers close the crossing for every landing and take-off. Private passengers use a separate wing of the terminal with its own entrance, lounge and border check. Gibair is the only handler for private aircraft and arranges prior permission, parking, fuel and passengers. Jet fuel is available, so the aircraft can fly straight home.

Malaga, Jerez, Seville and Tangier

When the easterly levante blows, the airport lies in the lee of the Rock and the approach meets strong crosswind and turbulence. That is the most common reason for a diversion, so a car on the Spanish side is arranged in advance. Distances are straight-line from Gibraltar:

Malaga-Costa del Sol has runways of about 3,200 and 2,750 m, a separate general aviation terminal and slots for private flights. It is the right airport for heavy jets, late arrivals and days of strong east wind; Marbella and Puerto Banus are about an hour by car from either airport.

Aircraft for the short runway

For four or five passengers a light jet is enough and has the shortest landing roll. With a full cabin, a wet runway or crosswind the operator recalculates the landing distance for the day, which is why baggage and golf bags are declared at the start.

Want to check the permits or the aircraft for your date? Leave your number and a consultant will call you back.

When to fly

Business travel runs all year, while golf and holidays follow the seasons of the Costa del Sol:

For summer weekends and National Day, book several weeks before. Outside high season a trip can usually be arranged at a few days' notice, subject to the operator's permits.

From the airport into town and along the coast

Empty Legs to and from Gibraltar

An Empty Leg is a flight the operator makes without passengers. With so few parking stands, aircraft that drop clients at the Rock often leave empty straight away, and many more empty sectors run between northern Europe and Malaga. Typical directions:

Departure times of Empty Legs are fixed by the operator and may move, so travellers with open dates get the most out of them. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and your dates, and we send matching flights as they come up.

Travelling with a dog or cat

The pet travels in the cabin beside you, and the operator must approve it in advance. The rules are as simple as for Spain:

• Microchip and a rabies vaccination given after the chip and at least 21 days before arrival.
• An EU pet passport is accepted, because Gibraltar is on the EU list of territories with equivalent pet rules.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets per person on a non-commercial trip.
• Back to an EU country no antibody test is needed, even on a direct flight from Gibraltar; dogs flying on to Ireland, Malta or Finland still need tapeworm treatment.
• If the trip includes Morocco, an antibody test is needed for the return to the EU; take the blood sample before leaving home to avoid a three-month wait.

Border, customs and taxes

Checklist

• Passport or EU ID card for every passenger; passports for Morocco.
• Names and document numbers for the landing permission and border checks.
• Number of suitcases and golf bags, so the aircraft suits the runway.
• Destination: the town, Sotogrande or the coast, to choose between Gibraltar and Malaga.
• Return time within the airport's opening hours.
• Pet papers: microchip, rabies vaccination, EU pet passport.

How to book a private jet to Gibraltar

1. Send the date, the number of passengers, the luggage and golf bags, and where you are going: the town, Sotogrande or the coast.
2. We select operators with British and Gibraltar permits and an aircraft that suits the landing distance.
3. You get 2-4 aircraft to compare, with operator, cabin photos and the price for the whole aircraft.
4. You sign the contract and pay; Gibair requests prior permission with the passenger list, and Malaga goes into the flight plan as the alternate.
5. On arrival, Gibair meets the aircraft, the border checks take place in the private wing, and the car takes you into town or across the border.

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 Gibraltar

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

  • A Citation CJ3 costs from EUR 9,000 one way from Madrid and EUR 14,500 from London Farnborough, for the whole aircraft. A turboprop from Seville starts at EUR 6,500.

• • Which jets can land in Gibraltar?

  • Light, midsize and super midsize jets such as the Phenom 300, Citation XLS+ and Challenger 350. Larger aircraft only after a landing calculation for the day, otherwise in Malaga.

• • Does the road still cross the runway?

  • Not for cars, which use a tunnel under the eastern end. Pedestrians and cyclists still cross, and the crossing closes for every landing and take-off.

• • What happens if the wind is too strong?

  • The aircraft continues to Malaga, the alternate on every booking. A car on the Spanish side is arranged in advance, and the drive to Gibraltar takes 1.5-2 hours.

• • Is Gibraltar in Schengen?

  • No, but under the EU-UK treaty on Gibraltar the airport has a Schengen check next to Gibraltar's own, and the land border with Spain has no routine checks.

• • Do I need a passport?

  • EU citizens can use a national ID card; British and other travellers bring a passport. For Morocco everyone needs a passport.

• • Why does the operator need a permit?

  • Every private flight needs prior permission through Gibair, and operators from outside the UK also need British and Gibraltar permits. We select operators that already hold them.

• • Gibraltar or Malaga for Marbella?

  • Both are about an hour by car. Gibraltar suits a light or midsize jet on a calm day; Malaga suits a large cabin, a late arrival or a strong east wind.

• • Can my dog fly with me?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old and an EU pet passport. No antibody test is needed for the return to the EU.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Gibraltar?

  • Sometimes to the Rock itself and often to Malaga. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with your direction and dates.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • 2:53 h from Farnborough in a Citation CJ3; larger jets are a few minutes faster. From Madrid it is 1:12 h.