Private jet to Marseille

Marseille is the second city of France and its main port on the Mediterranean, but most private passengers who land here are heading for Provence: a rented house in the Luberon, a hotel in Aix-en-Provence or Cassis, a yacht in the Vieux-Port or a vineyard near Bandol. Marseille Provence airport lies in Marignane, on the shore of the Étang de Berre lagoon, about 27 km by road north-west of the Vieux-Port.

Business aircraft use a separate general aviation terminal run by Jetex, open 24 hours, and the airport requires no slot for private flights, so the arrival time fits the programme rather than the other way round. Aix-en-Provence is about 20 minutes from the aircraft, the Vieux-Port 25-30 minutes and Cassis about 50 minutes. Business traffic runs all year; holiday traffic peaks from June to September.

Tell us where you are going after landing, Marseille, Aix, Cassis or a yacht, and we will send aircraft options and prices.

What a private flight to Provence gives you

Flight times to Marignane

Times in a Phenom 300 light jet, as in the tables, with taxi, climb and descent:

From Nice, Geneva and Milan the flight is about an hour or less, from Zurich and Paris 1:09-1:22 h. Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid and Brussels take 1:30-1:37 h, London, Amsterdam and Vienna 1:48-1:52 h. A turboprop from Barcelona or Ajaccio needs 1:11-1:13 h, about a quarter of an hour more than a jet. From Tel Aviv a Falcon 7X takes 3:49 h, from Dubai 6:11 h and from New York 7:43 h, all non-stop.

Prices for private flights to Marseille

The prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, with an aircraft available near the departure airport. Handling, parking and passenger taxes are added in the quote, and the flight time is for the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs

Nice is the shortest sector at EUR 9,000 in a Phenom 300, Geneva costs EUR 9,500 and Milan Linate EUR 10,000. Paris Le Bourget costs EUR 11,500 and London Farnborough EUR 13,000, or EUR 18,000 in a Challenger 350. From Larnaca, under four hours away, the light jet still flies non-stop.

From Spain, Corsica, Italy and western France

Many of these sectors are about an hour, which makes a turboprop good value for small groups:

A PC-12 from Barcelona or Ajaccio costs EUR 7,000, the lowest whole-aircraft price on this page. From Palma and Bordeaux the turboprop costs EUR 8,000, and from Rome the PC-24 saves almost 25 minutes.

To Le Castellet for Paul Ricard and the Bandol coast

Le Castellet accepts only flights from within Schengen, and its short runway limits the choice to turboprops and light jets:

From the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and Poland

Manchester is 2:13 h away in a PC-24, Edinburgh and Warsaw 2:37 h. From Stockholm the flight takes 3:14 h, and a family with a week of luggage is better off in a Praetor 500 or a G280.

Long-haul flights

The 3,500 m runway takes any long-range jet, and all three types fly these routes non-stop:

Prices depend on the flight time, the season and where the nearest free aircraft is based: from June to September Provence and the Riviera are among the busiest destinations in Europe, and during the Monaco Grand Prix fewer aircraft are free in the whole region. There is no French tax on arrival. Every departure from France, the flight home from Marseille included, pays the solidarity tax: about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet within Europe, about half on a turboprop, more on long-haul routes. Departures from the UK pay Air Passenger Duty: none on aircraft under 5.7 t such as the PC-12, the higher private-jet rate on aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, the standard rate on other jets. Flights to and from Italy pay EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km and EUR 200 beyond, departures from Germany a departure tax. The quote lists all 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 budgets

Cost per seat

The aircraft is hired as a whole, so the cost per person falls as the cabin fills. The French tax on the way home is per passenger:

Online calculator

Fill in the departure airport, date and number of passengers, and the calculator e-mails an estimate.

Marseille Provence airport and the smaller fields nearby

Marseille Provence (MRS, LFML) is one of the largest airports in France by passenger numbers and the principal airport of Provence. It has two runways, 13L/31R at about 3,500 m and 13R/31L at about 2,370 m, so every business jet and VIP airliner can use it. The airport is open 24 hours, seven days a week, and rarely has capacity problems for business aviation.

Private passengers use the general aviation terminal, separate from the airline halls and run by Jetex around the clock. A handling agent is mandatory, so the request goes to the terminal together with the flight confirmation, but no slot is needed for business aviation, even in summer. Customs and border police clear flights from outside Schengen on site; from Schengen airports there is no check, and the walk from the aircraft to the car takes a few minutes. For stays of more than two or three days, parking at Marignane is compared with sending the aircraft home.

Le Castellet, Aix-les-Milles and Toulon-Hyères

Smaller airports make sense when the trip ends east of Cassis, at the race track or near Hyères. Distances are straight-line from the Vieux-Port:

Le Castellet sits on a plateau above 400 m next to the circuit, about 5 km north of the village. It works in daytime, with shorter hours in winter and later movements only by arrangement at extra cost, and it is not used in crosswinds above 15 knots. Toulon-Hyères is a joint civil and military airport, so its hours are confirmed for each date. For a trip that combines Provence with the French Riviera, many clients land in Marseille and fly home from Nice, or the other way round.

Which aircraft to choose

A family of six with soft bags fits in a Phenom 300; with hard cases, golf bags and a pushchair a midsize jet is the safer choice. For a yacht charter, ask the captain how much luggage the boat can take before deciding on the aircraft.

If you would like to discuss the aircraft, the airport or the transfer, leave your number and a consultant will call you.

When to go: wind, heat and the Provence calendar

Weather and the national park rules shape the trip as much as the events:

For a quiet stay, May, June before the holidays and September are the best months. The mistral, a cold north-westerly averaging about 50 km/h with gusts of double that, blows mostly in winter and spring and can last several days.

Transfers: city, Aix, Cassis and the Calanques

The car can drive onto the quay, and we agree the arrival time with the yacht's captain so that the bags go straight on board. A helicopter from the airport reaches the coast and hotels in Provence quickly, and it is booked with the flight.

With a Calanques walk in the programme, we always keep a second plan, such as a boat along the coast, a day in Cassis or in Aix, and confirm the pick-up time the evening before.

Empty Legs to and from Marseille

Aircraft often reach or leave Marignane without passengers between paid trips, and these flights are sold well below the normal price. Typical directions:

An Empty Leg runs on the timing of the paid flight and can be cancelled if that flight moves, so it fits flexible dates. Send your direction and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, and we will forward matching flights.

Bringing a dog or cat

Pets travel in the cabin next to you, never in a hold, after the operator has approved them. France follows the EU rules:

• Microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel when it is the first one, given at 12 weeks of age or older.
• EU pet passport; pets from Great Britain need an animal health certificate from a government-authorised vet, issued within 10 days of travel.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets per person on a private trip.
• No tapeworm treatment is needed to enter France.

In July and August the apron gets very hot, so with an animal we plan a morning or evening departure and an air-conditioned car close to the aircraft. Dogs flying on to the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway need tapeworm treatment from a vet 1-5 days before arrival, and the UK accepts pets only through approved routes and handlers.

Documents, customs and taxes

What to prepare

• Passport or ID card for every passenger.
• Names and document numbers sent the day before.
• Final address: hotel, house, quay and name of the yacht.
• Number of bags, golf bags and pushchairs for a week's stay.
• Whether the aircraft stays or flies home in between.
• Calanques plans, so we can keep a second option ready.
• Pet documents and a plan for summer heat.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

Booking, step by step

1. Send the dates, passengers, luggage and the final address in Provence, in the city or on a yacht.
2. We choose Marignane, or Le Castellet, Avignon or Toulon-Hyères if they are closer and the aircraft fits.
3. You receive 2-4 offers with operator, model, cabin photos and the price for the whole aircraft, plus the car or helicopter.
4. You sign the contract with the operator and pay; we book the handling agent, catering and the transfer.
5. The car waits outside the private terminal, and the driver knows the address of the house, hotel or quay.

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

Questions about private jets to Marseille

• • What does a private jet to Marseille cost?

  • For the whole aircraft, a Phenom 300 costs EUR 9,000 one way from Nice and EUR 9,500 from Geneva. From Paris Le Bourget it costs EUR 11,500, from London Farnborough EUR 13,000. A turboprop from Barcelona or Ajaccio costs EUR 7,000. Fees and the French tax on departure are added.

• • Where do private jets land?

  • At Marseille Provence airport in Marignane, about 27 km by road from the Vieux-Port. Private flights use the Jetex general aviation terminal, open 24 hours.

• • Do I need a slot?

  • No, business aviation needs no slot at Marignane, but a handling agent is mandatory and is booked with the flight.

• • How far is it to Aix and Cassis?

  • Aix-en-Provence is about 20 minutes by car, Cassis about 50 minutes. On July and August weekends allow more time.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • About 1:48 h from Farnborough in a Phenom 300 and 1:44 h in a Challenger 350, non-stop.

• • Can I land closer to Circuit Paul Ricard?

  • Yes, at Le Castellet next to the track, with a turboprop or a light jet, for flights from within Schengen announced the day before.

• • Should the aircraft wait during a week's holiday?

  • For more than two or three days, two one-way flights are usually cheaper. We price both options side by side.

• • Are the Calanques always open in summer?

  • No. From June to September the prefecture decides each evening whether the massifs open the next day, and on high fire-risk days access from land is closed. The coves can still be seen from a licensed boat.

• • Can my dog come?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport. France bans pit bull, boerboel and tosa type dogs without a pedigree.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Marseille?

  • Yes, often from Nice, Lyon, Geneva and Paris, and back to the UK and northern Europe at the end of summer. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • When is the best time to visit?

  • May, June before the school holidays and September: warm weather and lighter traffic than in July and August.