Private jet to Lithuania

Lithuania is the southernmost and largest of the three Baltic states. Most private flights go to Vilnius, where the Old Town sits a few kilometres from offices across the Neris and a business world built on lasers, biotechnology and financial technology. Kaunas, the second city, has its own airport with a 3,250 m runway, longer than the capital's, and in summer the traffic turns west to Palanga, Klaipėda and the dunes of the Curonian Spit.

Three international airports take business jets day and night: Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga. All three ask for prior permission at least 24 hours before landing, requested by the handler, so a flight for tomorrow is possible when the request reaches us in time. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe and choose the airport by the address, with Kaunas as the usual second option for the capital.

Give us the route, dates and number of travellers, and the answer comes with aircraft and airport options:

Why charter a jet for a Lithuanian trip

Flight times to the Lithuanian airports

Taken from the price tables, with taxi, climb and descent counted:

• Riga: 0:52 h, Vilnius - Palanga: 0:55 h, Warsaw: 1:03 h (Citation CJ3)
• Stockholm - Palanga: 1:05 h, Copenhagen - Palanga: 1:14 h, Tallinn: 1:14 h, Helsinki: 1:23 h (Citation CJ3)
• Berlin - Kaunas: 1:33 h (Citation CJ3)
• Vienna: 1:45 h, Hamburg: 1:50 h, Munich: 2:03 h, Frankfurt: 2:09 h (Phenom 300)
• Amsterdam: 2:20 h, Zurich: 2:23 h, Milan Linate: 2:32 h, Geneva: 2:41 h, Paris Le Bourget: 2:45 h (Phenom 300)
• London Farnborough: 2:52 h to Vilnius, 2:32 h to Palanga (Phenom 300)
• Nice: 2:53 h, Larnaca: 3:33 h, Madrid: 4:02 h (Phenom 300)

Palanga lies about 250 km closer to western Europe than Vilnius, so London - Palanga takes 20 minutes less than London - Vilnius. A midsize Learjet 75 saves up to a quarter of an hour on the longest sectors. From Dubai the heavy and long-range types need 5:04-5:20 h non-stop, from New York 8:13 h in a Global 7500. The operator fixes the actual routing, which can be slightly longer than the straight line because European operators keep out of closed airspace in the region. Vilnius is two hours ahead of London all year.

Private jet prices to Lithuania

Prices cover the whole aircraft one way, based on an aircraft near the departure airport; handling, landing fees and passenger taxes come on top. The time shown is for the first aircraft of each row.

From the European hubs

A Phenom 300 from London costs EUR 16,500 to Vilnius and EUR 15,500 to Palanga. Vienna and Hamburg are the closest hubs, at EUR 12,500 and EUR 13,000 to Vilnius. From Frankfurt a Phenom 300 costs EUR 14,000 to Kaunas, the same as to Vilnius, so the choice depends only on the address.

From the Baltic and Nordic neighbours, and within Lithuania

On sectors of about an hour the turboprop is the cheapest, from EUR 7,000 for Riga - Vilnius and EUR 7,500 for Stockholm - Palanga. Vilnius - Palanga crosses the country in 0:55 h by light jet and saves about 300 km of driving; any EU operator may fly this domestic leg. Vilnius - Kaunas is only about 100 km by the A1 motorway, so for that pair a car is the sensible choice.

Long-haul flights

Vilnius and Kaunas take long-range jets; Kaunas, with 3,250 m, has the longer runway for a fully loaded departure. All three types fly from the Gulf and Israel non-stop:

Flight time and the position of the nearest free aircraft decide most of the price. For a short visit the aircraft can wait at Vilnius; for a week on the coast, two one-way flights avoid parking and crew hotels at Palanga, where general aviation stands are few. Lithuanian airport and handling charges appear in the quote. The departure country adds its own tax per passenger: France about EUR 420 on a jet and about half on a turboprop; Italy EUR 100 up to 1,500 km and EUR 200 beyond, on flights to or from Italy; Austria EUR 12 (EUR 30 up to 350 km); Germany, Norway and the Netherlands (aircraft of 5.7 t or more) tax departures as well, Sweden does not. UK Air Passenger Duty does not apply to aircraft under 5.7 t; aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats pay the higher private-jet rate, other jets the standard rate.

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 and their cost

Price per person

Shared between travellers, a one-way charter works out per seat as follows:

Online calculator

Put in the departure airport, Vilnius, Kaunas or Palanga, the date and the passengers, and an estimate follows by e-mail.

Airports and terminals

Lithuanian Airports, the state company, runs Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga. A fourth runway at Šiauliai is shared with an air base. Every non-scheduled and private flight needs prior permission (PPR), and the order matters: the handler is agreed first, then it requests the PPR at least 24 hours before landing:

The strips at Klaipėda and Nida, 500 and 790 m long, take only light aircraft up to 5,700 kg in daylight. On occasion Vilnius has suspended operations for a few hours, and flights then go to Kaunas, so a fixed-day return is planned with a margin. Riga (about 270 km) and Warsaw (396 km) serve as the foreign alternates. A charter by an operator from outside the EU needs a permit from the Lithuanian transport safety administration, which decides within five working days; we file it with the operator when it applies.

Aircraft for Lithuanian routes

At Palanga a business jet with a wingspan over 18 m, such as a super midsize or a heavy jet, needs the stand agreed with the handler before departure, which is easiest outside July and August. Golf bags and a week's luggage for six fit best in a midsize jet; for two or four people on a regional sector a turboprop costs least.

Planning a Baltic round or a week on the coast? Leave your number and a consultant will call you.

When to fly: the year month by month

Vilnius works all year, and event weeks fill hotels and cars rather than the airports. The coast is busiest from the end of June to the middle of August, and the biggest holidays, Midsummer on 24 June and 1 November, empty the offices. The easiest months to find aircraft at short notice are February, April and October. Empty Legs are most frequent in July and August, when aircraft drop holidaymakers at Palanga and fly back to Scandinavia, Germany and Poland empty.

From the airports to the cities, the spas and the coast

Helicopter times are estimates and are confirmed for the date; the choice of helicopters is small, and a transfer to the Curonian Spit, a national park, goes to an agreed site, never to a beach or a dune. Cars entering the national park on the Spit pay an entry fee, which we add to the transfer.

Empty Legs to and from Lithuania

Empty Legs are sectors flown without passengers, after a drop-off or on the way to collect a group elsewhere. Many groups fly to Lithuania and back on two separate one-way flights, so legs come up regularly. Typical directions:

Each leg runs on the operator's schedule and is dropped if the original charter changes. Tell us at empty-legs@jets.flights which way you want to fly and when you could go, and we send what turns up.

Flying with a dog or cat

There is no quarantine: Lithuania uses the EU pet rules. The animal sits in the cabin with you once the operator has approved it before booking:

• ISO microchip, implanted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination; a vaccination dated before the chip is not accepted.
• Rabies vaccination given from 12 weeks of age, at least 21 days before travel when it is the first one.
• EU pet passport; pets from Great Britain need an animal health certificate, issued no more than ten days before arrival in the EU.
• No more than five animals per person on a non-commercial trip.
• No tapeworm treatment for Lithuania.

For the flight onwards or home: Finland requires tapeworm treatment for dogs 24-120 hours before landing, and Ireland, Malta and Norway 1-5 days before arrival. The UK has the same window and admits pets only via approved routes and handlers; after a trip of five days or less, the dog can be treated in Britain before leaving, at least 24 hours before it returns. Hotels in Palanga and in the Old Town of Vilnius have different pet rules, and we check them before booking.

Documents, customs and taxes

Checklist before departure

• Passport or ID card for every passenger, children included.
• Names, dates of birth and document numbers early enough for the PPR, at least a day before landing.
• Final address in Lithuania: Vilnius, Kaunas, the coast, Druskininkai or the north.
• Wingspan of the aircraft if the flight goes to Palanga in summer.
• Number of suitcases, golf bags and pushchairs.
• Pet papers and the hotel's pet policy.
• Does the aircraft wait, fly home or continue to Riga, Tallinn or Warsaw?
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

How to book

1. Tell us the departure airport, dates, passengers, luggage and where you are going, for example an office in Vilnius or a hotel in Palanga.
2. We choose the airport and the alternate: Vilnius with Kaunas, Kaunas for the second city, Palanga for the coast.
3. The handler is appointed and requests the PPR at least 24 hours before landing, together with the slot at Vilnius.
4. Two to four aircraft come back with operator, model, cabin photos and the price for the whole aircraft, along with the car or ferry plan.
5. After you sign with the operator and pay, we confirm the permission, handling, stand and transfer.

Questions about private flights to Lithuania

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

  • A Pilatus PC-12 from Riga to Vilnius costs EUR 7,000 one way for the whole aircraft, from Warsaw EUR 7,500. A Phenom 300 costs EUR 13,000 from Hamburg and EUR 16,500 from London. Airport fees, handling and passenger taxes appear in the quote.

• • Can we book a flight for tomorrow?

  • Often yes, but every private flight needs prior permission requested by the handler at least 24 hours before landing. Send the request as early as possible on the day before.

• • Which airport is best for the coast?

  • Palanga: it is 6.5 km from the resort and 25-32 km from Klaipėda, where the ferry leaves for the Curonian Spit. In summer its few stands are booked early.

• • Is there a VIP terminal in Vilnius?

  • Yes, in a separate building run by the airport company, with its own security check and a car to the aircraft. We confirm it for each flight.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • About 2:52 h to Vilnius and 2:32 h to Palanga in a Phenom 300, non-stop. Lithuania is two hours ahead of London.

• • Should we fly between Vilnius and Kaunas?

  • Rarely: the cities are about 100 km apart on the A1 motorway. Flying makes sense from Vilnius to Palanga, which takes 0:55 h in a light jet.

• • Do we need passports?

  • From Schengen there is no check, but every passenger needs a valid passport or ID card, and the details go into the permission request. From the UK, passports are checked at the first landing.

• • Can our dog come along?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport or animal health certificate. Lithuania requires no tapeworm treatment; the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland and Norway do for the next leg.

• • What if Vilnius is closed when we fly?

  • The flight goes to Kaunas, about 100 km away, and the car meets you there. We name the alternate before departure and warn its handler.

• • When are Empty Legs most frequent?

  • In July and August from Palanga towards Scandinavia and Germany, and on short business sectors to Warsaw and Riga all year. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How early should we book for the summer?

  • Several weeks ahead for July and August at Palanga, especially for a larger jet. In February, April or October a few days is usually enough.