Private jet to Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is a French overseas department and region in the Lesser Antilles, and as an outermost region it belongs to the European Union: French law and the euro apply, but the archipelago lies outside the Schengen area, so passports or identity cards are checked on arrival. Its two main islands, Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre, are joined by a narrow channel and look like a butterfly on the map; Marie-Galante, Les Saintes and La Désirade complete the archipelago of 1,628 km² and about 380,000 people. French is the language of administration, and Guadeloupean Creole is spoken everywhere.

Most visitors come from mainland France, and private flights follow the same pattern: families at Christmas and in the February holidays, villa stays on the beaches of Grande-Terre, walkers heading for La Soufrière, owners meeting their yachts and business trips to Pointe-à-Pitre and Baie-Mahault. Every jet from Europe lands at Pointe-à-Pitre, whose runway takes any business aircraft at full weight.

Give us your dates, the size of the party and where in the archipelago you are heading; the reply comes with aircraft, routing and prices.

From France and Europe to Pointe-à-Pitre

Paris Le Bourget is 6,761 km from Pointe-à-Pitre. A Falcon 7X flies it non-stop in 8:16 h and a Gulfstream G650 in 8:01 h; a Challenger 650 lands once for fuel, usually in the Azores, and needs 9:57 h. From Madrid the Challenger 650 crosses without a stop. In law, a flight between mainland France and Guadeloupe is a French domestic flight: an operator from the EU may fly it, an operator from outside the EU may not, so a jet registered in the United States or the Caribbean is not offered on this route. The flight back to Europe is usually shorter, with the westerly winds behind the aircraft.

Prices to Guadeloupe

Prices cover the whole aircraft for one way and assume a jet based near the departure city; handling, parking, the fuel stop and passenger taxes are charged on top. The flight time is that of the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs

From Paris the Challenger 650 costs EUR 90,000 with a stop; without one, the Falcon 7X costs EUR 100,000 and a Gulfstream G650 is quoted at EUR 105,000. Madrid is the cheapest hub at EUR 70,000 in the Challenger 650 non-stop.

From other cities in France

From the west of France the crossing is shorter: a Praetor 600 with one stop costs EUR 68,000 out of Bordeaux or Nantes, and a Falcon 7X flies from Bordeaux non-stop in 7:55 h for EUR 97,000.

Within the Caribbean and from Miami

Martinique and the French side of Saint-Martin are French territory as well, so the same rule applies and the flights are given to EU operators; Dominica, Antigua, Sint Maarten and Barbados are international hops with a border check. Grand Case has a short runway, so the Citation XLS+ reads on request there. A PC-12 from Dominica costs EUR 6,000, a Citation CJ3 from Martinique EUR 8,000, and from Miami the XLS+ costs EUR 22,000.

The French solidarity tax depends on distance, but flights between the mainland and Guadeloupe are generally taxed at the European rate, about EUR 420 per jet passenger, with the operator confirming the amount in the quote; longer international legs pay more, about EUR 1,015 or EUR 2,100 by distance, and a departure from Guadeloupe pays French passenger taxes too. Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger on a route this long and Austria EUR 12. Air Passenger Duty from Britain does not apply under 5.7 t, takes the higher rate on aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats and the standard band rate on other jets; Germany, Norway and the Netherlands (from 5.7 t) charge their own. The quote shows each of them.

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

Sample trips from France

Per passenger

Calculator

The calculator sends an estimate for other routes by e-mail:

Pointe-à-Pitre and the small airfields

The handler sends the flight notice and the general declaration to the customs liaison centre 24 hours before arrival and requests the stand with the flight plan. Take-offs and landings stop when crosswinds exceed the published limits, which matters on stormy days in the autumn.

Choosing the aircraft

A Challenger 650 or a Praetor 600 lands once and keeps the price down; a Falcon 7X or a Gulfstream G650 crosses without a stop and suits a family with a lot of luggage. For Marie-Galante, Dominica or Antigua a Pilatus PC-12 is the usual answer, and a Citation CJ3 is faster on the longer hops. See the ultra long range catalogue for more models.

If you prefer to talk it through with a consultant, leave your number:

Where to stay and how to get there

The helicopter landing area at the airport is reserved for state helicopters, and no private helicopter operator is based on the islands; a helicopter is arranged case by case, so for the outer islands a turboprop or a boat is usually simpler. Saint-Barthélemy, once attached to Guadeloupe and now a separate French collectivity, has a runway of about 650 m that no business jet can use: guests fly to Sint Maarten or Pointe-à-Pitre and continue by small turboprop.

Seasons and events

The best time is the dry season from December to May, called Carême, with February and March the driest months. From June the weather becomes warmer and more humid, September to November are the wettest months with October the rainiest, and the hurricane season from June to November peaks in August and September. Empty Legs are most frequent around Christmas and New Year, when jets shuttle families out and back, and around the carnival.

Empty Legs

Jets that fly families out before Christmas often return to Europe empty, and in January the same aircraft fly out empty to bring them home; the carnival weeks and the Route du Rhum finish produce more. Legs between Guadeloupe, Martinique and the northern islands appear at short notice. Send your direction and a window of a few days to empty-legs@jets.flights.

Status, documents and customs

Flying with a dog or cat

• EU rules apply: microchip, rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and the EU pet passport; a pet coming from the UK needs an animal health certificate instead, valid for 10 days for entry.
• Under French law attack dogs of the first category are not admitted, and guard dogs of the second category, such as rottweilers, enter only under conditions.
• Up to five animals per traveller can travel in the cabin, with the operator's prior consent.
• On the way back to the UK a dog needs tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before landing, and the UK accepts pets only through approved routes.

How to book

1. Send the dates, the passengers and the island or the part of Guadeloupe you are going to.
2. We offer EU operators only for flights from France and set a non-stop Falcon 7X or G650 against a Challenger 650 with a fuel stop.
3. You receive offers with operator, model, flight time and price for the whole aircraft.
4. After signing and payment the handler files the customs notice and books the stand.
5. On arrival you clear the border check at the North Terminal and continue by car, ferry or turboprop.

Questions about private flights to Guadeloupe

• • How much is a private jet from Paris to Guadeloupe?

  • A Challenger 650 with one stop costs EUR 90,000; non-stop, a Falcon 7X costs EUR 100,000 and a Gulfstream G650 costs EUR 105,000, one way for the whole aircraft.

• • Is Guadeloupe part of the EU and Schengen?

  • It is part of France and the EU and uses the euro, but it is outside the Schengen area, so documents are checked on arrival.

• • Can a non-EU operator fly us from Paris?

  • No, a flight between mainland France and Guadeloupe is domestic in law and must be flown by an operator from the EU. The same applies to flights to Martinique and French Saint-Martin.

• • Which airport do business jets use?

  • Pointe-à-Pitre Maryse Condé, with a runway of about 3,100 m usable and handling through one of the approved agents. The other airfields are for turboprops only.

• • How long is the flight from Europe?

  • 8:01 h from Paris Le Bourget in a Gulfstream G650 and 7:55 h from Bordeaux in a Falcon 7X, both without a stop.

• • Can we bring our dog?

  • Yes, under EU rules with microchip, rabies vaccination and pet passport. Attack dogs of the first category are not admitted under French law.

• • Can we combine Guadeloupe with Dominica or Antigua?

  • Yes, a PC-12 reaches Dominica in 0:40 h and Antigua in 0:42 h; both are separate countries with their own border check.

• • When is the best time to fly?

  • December to May, with February and March the driest months. The hurricane season runs from June to November and peaks in August and September.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Guadeloupe is five hours behind Paris in winter and six in summer, and four or five hours behind London.