Private jet to Lebanon

Private flights to Lebanon go to one airport: Beirut Rafic Hariri International, on the coast about 9 km south of the city centre. Most passengers are families visiting relatives, business travellers with meetings in Beirut and people relocating for a longer stay. From central Europe a midsize jet needs three and a half to four hours, from London about five.

Whether a given flight can be operated depends on more than distance. European aviation safety bulletins, the operator's own risk assessment and its insurers, the landing permit and the government travel advice for the date all have to allow it. As a broker, we ask only operators that accept the route on your date, and when Beirut cannot be confirmed, we quote a flight to Cyprus, about 200-300 km away, as the alternative.

Send the route, the dates, the number of passengers and their nationalities, and we reply with what can be operated on your date, the aircraft and the price.

What can be arranged

Flight times

Flight times of the Citation Latitude in the first price column, with taxi, climb and descent:

The arrival is flown from the Mediterranean side, and notices warn crews of satellite navigation jamming and spoofing in the region, so they plan conventional routes and ground-based approaches. That can lengthen a sector slightly, and the exact time comes from the flight plan for the day. From Larnaca the hop takes 0:47 h in a Phenom 300.

Prices

Each price is for the whole aircraft, one way, with an aircraft available near the departure airport, plus handling, the landing permit, airport charges and taxes. The flight time refers to the first aircraft in each row.

To Beirut from the European hubs

Vienna and Rome are the cheapest hubs at EUR 23,000 in the Citation Latitude, Munich and Milan cost EUR 25,000, London EUR 30,000. A Challenger 650 for up to 12 passengers costs EUR 49,000 from London.

To the Cypriot alternatives

From London, Larnaca costs EUR 29,000 against EUR 30,000 for Beirut, so the point of the alternative is a predictable arrival. More on private jets to Larnaca and Paphos.

From Cyprus and the region

Larnaca - Beirut costs EUR 9,000 in a Phenom 300, and Cairo - Beirut EUR 11,000. On top of the table price come handling and the permit in Beirut, and, with some operators, a war-risk insurance surcharge. The departure country adds its own taxes: France about EUR 1,015 per passenger on a jet and EUR 675 on a turboprop, as its tax grows with distance (about EUR 420 on a jet within Europe), Italy EUR 200 per passenger on sectors over 1,500 km, charged on departures from and arrivals in Italy, Austria EUR 12. Germany and Norway charge departure taxes, and the Netherlands taxes passengers on aircraft of 5.7 t or more. British Air Passenger Duty does not apply to aircraft under 5.7 t, the higher private-jet rate applies to aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, and other jets pay the standard rate of their distance band. Sweden has no passenger tax.

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

Two trips worked through

Price per person

Calculator

For another departure airport, the calculator sends an estimate by e-mail; we then check whether the route can be operated on your date:

Beirut airport and the Cypriot gateways

Beirut airport lies in the southern suburbs of the city. One of its three runways extends into the sea, and arrivals come in over the water. The permit is obtained through the handler from the Lebanese civil aviation authority; no fixed lead time is published, so we apply as soon as the dates are set. The handler advises on the road into the city on the day.

Which aircraft

Questions about the route, the permit or the alternative through Cyprus? Leave your number, and a consultant calls back.

Through the year

The coast has hot, humid summers and mild, rainy winters, with snow in the mountains. Family visits peak in July and August and around Christmas, Easter and the Eid holidays, which move about 11 days earlier each year. The airspace situation weighs more on planning than the season. Empty Legs are scarce in every month; the westbound ones after the summer and the winter holidays are the most likely.

Empty Legs

Fewer aircraft position to or from Beirut with an empty cabin than to the resorts of the Mediterranean, and an aircraft that delivers a group often waits for the return. When an empty sector appears, it is usually westbound, which suits a client leaving Lebanon. Legs between Cyprus and western Europe are more frequent and can be combined with a short flight to Beirut. The permit is tied to the date and the airport, so a leg that moves by a day may need a new one. Your direction and possible dates go to empty-legs@jets.flights.

Travelling with a dog or cat

The animal flies in the cabin beside you, and the operator must approve it in advance. Because plans can change at short notice on this route, the paperwork has to work for both Beirut and Cyprus:

• Microchip, rabies vaccination given at least 30 days and not more than 12 months before entry, and a health certificate issued by a vet within 10 days of travel and endorsed by a government vet; the import permit is issued at customs on arrival in Beirut.
• The Lebanese requirements are confirmed in writing with the handler before the animal is booked; an animal that does not meet them can be refused or quarantined at the owner's cost.
• Lebanon is not on the EU list of approved countries, so the return needs a rabies antibody test; taken before departure and recorded in the pet passport, it avoids the three-month wait.

Entry rules and documents

Before departure

• Passports and visa rules checked for every passenger.
• Passenger names and passport numbers sent to us as soon as the dates are fixed, for the permit.
• The address in Beirut, checked against the travel advice.
• Travel insurance confirmed for the trip.
• A decision on what happens if Beirut cannot be confirmed: wait, or land in Larnaca or Paphos.

How the booking works

1. Send the route, the dates, the number of passengers and their nationalities.
2. We ask operators whether they accept Beirut on your date under their risk assessment and insurance, and price the Cypriot alternative in parallel.
3. You receive the offers with aircraft, flight time and price, and the written terms if the flight to Beirut cannot go.
4. After you sign and pay, the handler requests the landing permit and books the terminal and the car.
5. Before departure the operator checks the bulletins and the airport status again and confirms the flight.

Questions about private flights to Lebanon

• • Can a private jet fly to Beirut?

  • Yes, when the operator accepts the route on the date. European safety bulletins make an exception for flights to and from Beirut airport that approach from the sea and depart over the sea, and each flight also depends on the operator's risk assessment, its insurers and the landing permit.

• • How much does it cost?

  • A Citation Latitude costs EUR 23,000 one way from Vienna or Rome and EUR 30,000 from London, for the whole aircraft. From Larnaca a Phenom 300 costs EUR 9,000.

• • What happens if Beirut cannot be confirmed?

  • The flight goes to Larnaca or Paphos in Cyprus instead, and the last stage follows when it can be confirmed. The terms are written into the contract before payment.

• • Are other Lebanese airports possible?

  • No. The other airfields are military or not verified for business aviation, so we plan only Beirut.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • About 4:55 h from Farnborough in a Citation Latitude. Routing and navigation warnings can make it slightly longer.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • British citizens can normally get a free visa on arrival, valid for one month. Other passports are checked before departure, and a passport with Israeli stamps may lead to refusal of entry.

• • Can our dog come?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, rabies vaccination and a health certificate endorsed by a government vet. The return to the EU needs a rabies antibody test, best done before departure.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Beirut?

  • Rarely. Westbound legs after the summer and winter holidays are the most likely, and legs between Cyprus and Europe are more frequent. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Lebanon is one hour ahead of Central Europe and two hours ahead of London. The dates of the clock change have varied, so we confirm the local time for your date.