Private jet to Japan

Japan is one of the longest trips flown privately from Europe, and on arrival the scarce resource is not the runway but the slot and the parking stand. Tokyo has two airports with different rules, Osaka has the round-the-clock Kansai on an island in its bay, and Sapporo, Fukuoka, Okinawa and Nagoya also take business jets from abroad. Clients are bankers and industrial groups with offices in Tokyo, buyers visiting suppliers in the Kansai and Chubu regions, families following the cherry blossom or the autumn colours, and skiers bound for Hokkaido.

Entry is simple for Europeans, who stay up to 90 days without a visa. The aircraft side takes more planning: separate approvals for the landing, the departure and the stand, a four-night limit at Haneda, a permit for every charter, and, if a dog comes along, a preparation of seven months or more. As a broker, we compare operators that fly the route to East Asia and build the slots and parking into the plan from the first offer.

Send the cities, the dates, the number of nights and the size of the group. A consultant replies with aircraft, routing and a plan for slots and parking.

Reasons to fly privately to Japan

Flight times from Europe

Taken from the tables below; each time includes taxi and, for a stop, about 1:30 h of refuelling:

The table distances are 20 % longer than the straight line, because European operators route around closed and restricted airspace, over Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia and China, and China approves the overflight in advance. Hokkaido is the closest part of the country, so Sapporo is reached non-stop in a Gulfstream G650 from northern and central Europe. To Tokyo and Osaka the G650 flies non-stop from Vienna, Warsaw and Istanbul, but lands once from London, Paris, Geneva or Munich, where only the Global 7500 stays in the air. On the way home headwinds are stronger, and a stop can be needed even after a non-stop flight out.

Prices for a private jet to Japan

All prices cover the whole aircraft one way; handling, parking, crew hotels and passenger taxes are quoted separately, and a jet near the departure airport is assumed. Rows go to different Japanese airports, and the time column refers to the Challenger 650.

From Europe

A Challenger 650 with one stop is the lowest price on every row that it can fly: London - Tokyo costs EUR 140,000, Vienna - Osaka EUR 130,000 and Helsinki - Sapporo EUR 110,000. Non-stop from London, the Global 7500 costs EUR 185,000, less than the EUR 195,000 of a Gulfstream G650 that has to land once. From Madrid the distance needs two stops in a heavy jet, so that cell is on request, and Madrid - Tokyo costs EUR 220,000 in a G650 with one stop. Nice - Okinawa is the longest row: both ultra long range jets land once.

From Korea, China and Taiwan

Jets based in East Asia fly these short sectors on the direct line:

Seoul Gimpo - Tokyo takes 2:04 h in a Phenom 300 for EUR 14,000, and Busan - Fukuoka is a 48-minute hop at EUR 9,500. Hong Kong - Tokyo costs EUR 22,000 in the light jet and EUR 33,000 in a Challenger 350 with room for ten.

From the Gulf and the United States

Dubai - Tokyo costs EUR 100,000 with one stop in a Challenger 650, and Los Angeles - Tokyo EUR 135,000 non-stop in a Gulfstream G650, 10:16 h across the Pacific.

On these distances most of the bill is flight time, and the choice of a stop matters more than the choice of city. Handling, parking, the Japanese charter permit and navigation charges are added in the quote, and every passenger aged two or over pays Japan's international tourist tax on departure. In Europe the departure country sets the tax: France charges business-jet passengers a tax that rises with distance, so a flight to Japan pays about EUR 2,100, a hop within Europe about EUR 420; Italy EUR 200 per passenger beyond 1,500 km, for arrivals as well as departures; Austria EUR 12. Germany and Norway also tax departures, Dutch tax starts at 5.7 t, and UK Air Passenger Duty is due at the higher rate, as every jet in the European tables is 20 t or more with under 19 seats.

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 worked through

Price per person

Divided between the passengers, the price of the whole aircraft looks like this, before per-head taxes:

Calculator

For a return trip or another Japanese airport, the calculator e-mails a first estimate:

The estimate follows the straight line; the offer adds the routing around closed airspace and the position of the nearest free aircraft.

Airports and business aviation terminals

Several large airports clear international business flights, each with immigration, customs and quarantine. There are no fixed base operators in the European sense: a handling agent arranges fuel, catering and the terminal, with at least 24 hours' notice. Fuelling with passengers on board is not allowed at Japanese airports, so on an onward flight the group boards after refuelling.

None of these runways limits the jets in our tables. With the planned days in hand we choose the airport: up to four nights in Tokyo point to Haneda, a week or more to Narita, Chubu or the aircraft flying home and back.

Permits and domestic legs

• A private non-commercial flight needs no landing permit; a charter needs a permit from the Japanese civil aviation authority, usually about three working days ahead.
• Slots and the stand are issued for set times, so a change of plan means new requests.
• The jet from Europe may fly between Japanese airports only with passengers who arrived on it or will leave Japan on it, and each domestic leg needs its own permit.
• A domestic flight with new passengers needs a Japanese operator; between Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka the Shinkansen is often quicker.
• Dogs may enter only through designated airports, Haneda, Narita, Kansai, Chubu, New Chitose, Fukuoka and Naha among them.

Choosing the aircraft

For a couple or a family of four, the Challenger 650 with a stop is the best value. For ten people, or for skis and golf bags, the larger cabin of a Global 7500 saves the stop and gives each passenger a bed. A sector of more than twelve hours means an augmented crew or a rest day before the aircraft flies back. Models and cabins are in the catalogue under ultra long range jets and heavy jets.

The Japanese year month by month

Business travel runs all year, but in a few weeks the whole country travels at once, and slots, stands and hotels run short together. Late March to early April, Golden Week, mid-August and November need planning a month ahead or more; the ski season matters for Hokkaido from December to March. Empty Legs are most frequent after the cherry blossom, after Golden Week and in early January, when jets that brought families for the holidays fly back to Europe.

Entry rules and documents

Flying with a dog or cat

Japan is free of rabies and has some of the strictest import rules for pets. Leaving the EU, the animal needs an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an EU pet passport; for Japan the full procedure takes at least seven months from the first vet visit:

1. Microchip, then two rabies vaccinations at least 30 days apart, in the right order; a break in the sequence restarts it.
2. A blood test at a laboratory recognised by Japan showing at least 0.5 IU/ml.
3. At least 180 days outside Japan, counted from the day the blood sample is taken.
4. Notification to the animal quarantine service at the arrival airport at least 40 days before landing.
5. Health certificates endorsed by a government vet, and inspection on arrival.

The operator must agree to the animal beforehand; it then flies in the cabin with you. If anything is missing, quarantine of up to 180 days at the owner's cost can follow. The way back is simpler: Japan is on the EU list of approved countries, so no new blood test is needed. Dogs bound for the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway need tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival, and the UK admits pets only on approved routes through approved handlers.

Empty Legs between Europe and Japan

Long-range jets that bring families to Tokyo or skiers to Sapporo often return to Europe empty. A leg that matches your dates costs much less, but even an empty sector needs approved slots and a stand in Japan, so it is booked days, not hours, ahead. Typical patterns:

Send your direction and a window of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

Before departure

• A passport for each traveller, valid until the day you leave Japan.
• The number of nights in each city, which decides between Haneda, Narita and the other airports.
• Fixed arrival and departure times for the slot requests.
• A passenger list that will not change after approval.
• For a pet: the 40-day notification, the blood test result and the endorsed certificates.
• Ski and golf equipment listed, so that the hold is planned.

How to book

1. Send the cities, the dates, the number of nights and the number of passengers.
2. We choose the airports by the length of stay and compare a heavy jet with a stop against an ultra long range jet non-stop.
3. You receive offers with operator, aircraft, cabin photos, routing and price, with parking, crew hotels and repositioning listed.
4. After you sign and pay, the operator applies for the slots, the stand and the charter permit.
5. On arrival passport, customs and quarantine checks take place at the business aviation terminal, and the car waits at its exit.

Questions about private flights to Japan

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

  • From Helsinki a Challenger 650 with one stop flies to Sapporo for EUR 110,000 one way for the whole aircraft. London - Tokyo costs EUR 140,000 in the same jet and EUR 185,000 non-stop in a Global 7500. Handling, parking and taxes are billed on top.

• • Can we fly non-stop from Europe?

  • Yes, in an ultra long range jet. The Global 7500 reaches Haneda from London in 13:20 h; the Gulfstream G650 flies non-stop from Vienna, Warsaw or Istanbul and to Sapporo from northern Europe.

• • Haneda or Narita?

  • Haneda for up to four nights: it is close to the centre and open 24 hours. For a longer stay Narita, where the aircraft can park for about a month, or Haneda with the jet moved elsewhere in the meantime.

• • Can the jet from Europe fly us on to Osaka or Sapporo?

  • Yes, if the passengers are the ones who arrived on it or will leave Japan on it; each leg needs its own permit. A domestic flight with new guests needs a Japanese operator.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • Two weeks is a comfortable margin outside the peaks. For the cherry blossom, Golden Week, Obon and November, start a month or more ahead, because slots and stands go first.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • No. Citizens of the EU, the UK and Switzerland stay up to 90 days for business or tourism without a visa; the passport must be valid for the whole stay.

• • Which airport for skiing in Niseko?

  • New Chitose near Sapporo, a little over two hours from Niseko by car. In winter we allow time for snow and de-icing.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Japan does not change the clocks: it is 9 hours ahead of London in winter and 8 hours in summer. Slots are filed in Japanese local time.

• • Can our dog come with us?

  • Yes, in the cabin, after the full procedure: two vaccinations, a blood test, a 180-day wait and notification at least 40 days before arrival. For the EU, the return needs no new blood test.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Japan?

  • Mostly on regional routes from Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong, and westbound long-range legs after the holidays. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights well ahead, as even an empty sector needs slots.

• • Can the aircraft wait for us in Tokyo?

  • At Haneda for four nights at most. For a longer stay it moves to Narita, where it can park for about a month, or flies home and comes back, and the quote compares both.