Private jet to Guangzhou

The capital of Guangdong province is one of China's largest trading cities, and twice a year the China Import and Export Fair, known as the Canton Fair, brings buyers from all over the world to the exhibition complex on Pazhou island. Most private flights here carry purchasing teams, manufacturers and investors who combine the fair or a round of supplier meetings with factory visits in Foshan, Dongguan and Shenzhen.

Business jets land at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN, ZGGG), about 28 km north of the city centre, a 24-hour airport of entry with five runways and a general aviation ramp. Unlike Hong Kong and Macau, the city lies in mainland China: the flight needs a permit from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) with a sponsor in China, and passengers pass Chinese border control. As a broker, we find the aircraft through operators that fly to China regularly and plan the permit around the fair calendar.

Tell us which phase of the fair or which suppliers you are visiting, the number of travellers and their nationalities, and we will send aircraft options with a plan for the permit:

Why buyers fly privately to Guangzhou

Flight times from Europe

Non-stop times in a Global 7500 from the price tables:

• Larnaca: 10:42 h, Helsinki: 10:44 h, Istanbul: 10:58 h
• Stockholm: 11:16 h, Warsaw: 11:20 h, Budapest: 11:43 h, Copenhagen: 11:51 h
• Vienna: 11:56 h, Berlin: 11:58 h, Prague: 12:02 h, Hamburg: 12:11 h, Munich: 12:21 h
• Frankfurt: 12:32 h, Amsterdam: 12:41 h, Zurich: 12:42 h, Milan: 12:46 h
• Geneva: 13:00 h, Nice: 13:05 h, Paris Le Bourget: 13:07 h, London Farnborough: 13:12 h
• Madrid: 15:50 h with a fuel stop

All distances in the tables are route lengths about a fifth longer than the direct line. Closed and restricted airspace keeps European operators on a southern routing, so the aircraft crosses Turkey, the Caucasus, the Caspian and Central Asia, or takes a southern track over the Gulf and India. A Challenger 650 lands once on the way, often at Baku, and the stop lasts about an hour. The Gulfstream G550 flies non-stop from Larnaca, Istanbul, Warsaw, the Nordic capitals and central European cities such as Vienna, Berlin, Prague and Hamburg.

Prices to Guangzhou by private jet

Prices are per aircraft, one way, before the permit, parking, crew accommodation, Chinese airport charges and passenger taxes. The flight time column shows the first aircraft in each row.

From the European hubs

The one-stop Challenger 650 ranges from EUR 115,000 from Larnaca to EUR 140,000 from London. From Vienna, Hamburg, Larnaca, Istanbul and Warsaw the Gulfstream G550 flies non-stop for EUR 135,000-155,000. From the other hubs except Madrid it needs a stop, and the Global 7500 at EUR 175,000-185,000 is the non-stop choice.

From other European cities

Regional flights in Asia

Many buyers combine the fair with suppliers or offices elsewhere in Asia. These sectors are international and suit a light or midsize jet; the table shows arrivals in Guangzhou, and the return costs the same:

Long-haul from the Gulf

From Dubai and Doha all three aircraft fly non-stop in about seven to eight hours:

The price is made up of flight hours and the cost of bringing the aircraft and crew to your departure airport. After the long sector from Europe, crew duty rules require a longer rest before the return or an augmented crew on board, which affects the price of a round trip, and in fair weeks crew hotels in the city cost more. Departure taxes vary by country: France charges a per-passenger tax on jets that grows with distance, about EUR 2,100 to China instead of about EUR 420 within Europe, Italy EUR 200 per passenger on sectors over 1,500 km, and Austria EUR 12 per passenger. The UK applies the higher Air Passenger Duty rate to jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, which includes all three aircraft in the tables from Europe, and the standard rate of the distance band to lighter jets. Germany and Norway charge departure taxes, the Netherlands taxes passengers on aircraft of 5.7 t or more and Sweden has no passenger tax. The CAAC permit, navigation charges and Baiyun fees 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 typical trips

Price per passenger

The aircraft is booked as a whole, so the share per traveller drops with group size. Passenger taxes are added:

Calculator

The calculator gives a first estimate for your route; the permit, parking at Baiyun and crew costs are added in the full offer.

Baiyun airport and the other airports of the delta

Guangzhou Baiyun International lies on the boundary of the Baiyun and Huadu districts, about 28 km north of the centre, and is one of the main hubs of southern China. Five runways between 3,400 m and 3,800 m mean runway length never limits the aircraft choice. The airport is listed as open 24 hours and is an airport of entry with customs and immigration, but it is slot-coordinated, every flight needs prior permission, and handling is compulsory.

Business aircraft park on a general aviation ramp next to the stands shared with airline traffic. The permit request goes through a ground handler registered with the Chinese aviation authority, and the authority prefers the company that requests the permit also to handle the aircraft. Universal Aviation Guangzhou, with a VIP lounge and customs service on its ramp, is one of several handlers; where passengers clear formalities is confirmed for each flight. After landing, the crew keeps the door closed until a border officer allows it to open.

During large events the authority or the airport may introduce extra rules for business aviation at short notice, including limits on overnight parking. Each change of date, time or passenger list means an amendment, and it is good practice not to exceed two after approval, so the programme is fixed before filing.

Aircraft for the Guangzhou route

Smaller jets would need several landings from Europe, each one in the Chinese permit, so we offer them only for regional sectors. On the long flight compare heavy jets with ultra long range jets, and plan baggage as carefully as seats: a group returning with samples and prototypes may need the larger hold of a long-range aircraft.

Questions about the fair dates, the permit or the onward trip? Leave your number and a consultant will call you back.

The Canton Fair and the yearly calendar

Each session of the fair is divided into three five-day phases, usually with three-day breaks between them, and the halls open from 9:30 to 18:00. The pattern repeats every year:

Outside the fair weeks parking and hotels are easier to find, and a programme of supplier visits can follow your own calendar.

Transfers from Baiyun

Empty Legs to and from Guangzhou

Empty Legs are positioning flights sold at a reduced price. Around the fair they appear more often than at other times, because aircraft bring buyers in and fly back empty before collecting them again:

The landing permit is issued for named passengers, so an Empty Leg can be used only if there is time to file the application with the list. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a window of dates.

Pets on a flight to China

Chinese customs set the conditions, and missing one of them means quarantine or return:

• One dog or one cat per passenger and entry, through a port with a quarantine point; Guangzhou is one of them.
• A microchip, a health certificate and a rabies vaccination certificate issued by the state veterinary service of the country of departure.
• From countries not on China's designated list, Poland among them, a rabies antibody result of at least 0.5 IU/ml from a laboratory recognised by China, valid for one year.
• Without the test or the chip, 30 days of quarantine; without certificates or above the limit, the animal is returned or detained.

Visas, permits and onward legs

Mainland China is outside Schengen and the EU customs union, so customs checks apply on arrival and on return to Europe.

Before you leave

• Passports with six months' validity and two blank pages for every traveller.
• Full names, passport numbers and the purpose of the trip for the permit.
• The sponsor letter or fair invitation.
• The fair phase and the hotel address near Pazhou or in Zhujiang New Town.
• A decision on whether the aircraft waits at Baiyun or flies on to Hong Kong or Macau.
• A list of samples and goods for customs.
• Pet documents and the antibody result if an animal travels.

Booking

1. Send the fair phase or meeting dates, the passengers with nationalities and the onward plan.
2. We offer a one-stop heavy jet and a non-stop long-range jet, with the likely fuel stop and the parking plan.
3. After signature the handler files the CAAC permit with the passenger list and sponsor letter, with a margin of several days.
4. Slot, parking and crew hotel are booked; for programmes with Hong Kong or Macau, separate permits are filed for each.
5. On arrival the officer opens the door, clearance follows, and the car takes you to Pazhou or your hotel.

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

Frequently asked questions: Guangzhou by private jet

• • How much is a private jet to Guangzhou?

  • A Challenger 650 with one stop costs from EUR 115,000 one way from Larnaca and EUR 140,000 from London. A non-stop Global 7500 from London costs EUR 185,000.

• • Which airport do business jets use?

  • Guangzhou Baiyun, about 28 km north of the centre, with a general aviation ramp. Shenzhen is the alternative when meetings are there.

• • How long is the flight?

  • From London about 13:12 h non-stop in a Global 7500, from Larnaca 10:42 h. A heavy jet with one stop takes roughly two hours more.

• • When does the Canton Fair take place?

  • Twice a year: from mid-April to early May and from mid-October to early November, each session in three five-day phases.

• • How early should we book for the fair?

  • Several weeks ahead for hotels and parking; the permit itself needs at least three working days once the passenger list is final.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • For most European passports a 30-day visa-free stay applies under a scheme with an end date; we verify it for every traveller.

• • Can the same aircraft take us to Shanghai?

  • Only if the permit allows your own group to continue on a domestic leg, so a Chinese operator or an airline is often simpler. Hong Kong and Macau are possible, as those flights count as international.

• • How do we get from the airport to the fair?

  • By car through the city centre to Pazhou in Haizhu district; on opening days traffic is heavy, so arriving the evening before is easier.

• • Can we bring a dog?

  • Yes, one per passenger, with chip, certificates and, from most of Europe, a rabies antibody test.

• • Are there Empty Legs?

  • Yes, especially around the fair sessions and on regional routes from Bangkok, Manila and Singapore. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • Can we carry samples?

  • Yes, within the hold volume and weight of the aircraft; list them for customs and tell us the volume when booking.