Private jet to Mauritius

Mauritius is a volcanic island of less than 1,900 km² in the south-west Indian Ocean, about 2,000 km off the African coast, ringed by a lagoon and a coral reef with resorts on every coast. The country also includes Rodrigues, a quieter island about 600 km to the east. For private flights there is one airport that matters: Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International at Plaine Magnien in the south-east, with its own terminal for business aviation.

Most of our clients come for a family fortnight or a honeymoon at a beach resort, for golf on the island's championship courses or for big-game fishing. Business visitors fly to Port Louis, the capital and a financial centre for companies working with Africa and Asia. Many trips continue to Réunion, the Seychelles, Madagascar or South Africa on the same aircraft.

Send us the dates, the number of guests and the hotel; we reply with aircraft that fit the route and the arrival time you want.

Why a private jet for this island

How long the flight takes

The Gulfstream G550 is the first aircraft in the main table and flies all of these routes non-stop:

• Vienna 11:14 h, Nice 11:24 h, Milan Linate 11:26 h, Munich 11:33 h, Zurich 11:40 h, Geneva 11:44 h
• Frankfurt 11:55 h, Madrid 12:00 h, Hamburg 12:11 h, Paris Le Bourget 12:14 h, Amsterdam 12:23 h, London Farnborough 12:39 h
• Larnaca 8:46 h
• With one fuel stop in a Praetor 600: Athens 11:58 h, Istanbul 12:01 h, Rome 13:15 h, Warsaw 13:55 h
• From the region: Réunion 0:48 h, Antananarivo 1:57 h, Mahé 2:51 h, Johannesburg 4:35 h, Nairobi 4:38 h in a Phenom 300

This is one of the longest routes in our tables: from London about 10,600 km along the routing operators use around closed airspace, some 8 per cent more than the straight line. Only aircraft with a range of about 10,000 km or more fly it without a stop; from most hubs heavy and super midsize jets refuel once, in the Gulf or in East Africa. Westbound headwinds can force a stop on the way home even after a non-stop flight out.

Prices for private flights to Mauritius

All prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, from an aircraft based near the departure city. Permits, handling at the private terminal, the fuel stop, parking and passenger taxes are added. The flight time is that of the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs

A Challenger 650 with one fuel stop starts at EUR 115,000 from Vienna and EUR 130,000 from London. Non-stop, the Gulfstream G550 costs EUR 140,000 from Vienna, Milan, Munich and Nice and EUR 155,000 from London, and the larger Global 7500 costs EUR 150,000 from Vienna and EUR 170,000 from London. From Larnaca the Challenger 650 also needs one stop and costs EUR 94,000, while the G550 flies it direct in 8:46 h.

From other European cities

The Praetor 600 is the lowest price for up to nine passengers, from EUR 81,000 from Athens and EUR 90,000 from Rome, with one stop. The Falcon 7X flies from Rome, Istanbul and Athens without a stop and stops once from further north, where the Gulfstream G650 becomes the better buy.

Within the region

Cape Town, Malé and Dubai are beyond the non-stop range of a light jet, and Dubai also beyond a midsize jet, so those cells are on request. A popular plan starts with a safari or a business visit in South Africa and finishes on the beach: Johannesburg - Mauritius costs EUR 23,000 in a Phenom 300.

Rodrigues is part of the country, so a flight there from the main island is domestic and is flown by a local operator or the national airline, not by the jet that came from Europe. For stays of a week or more we compare the jet waiting at Plaine Magnien with flying home and returning. Mauritian passenger charges and the handling at the private terminal are listed in the quote. From Europe the departure country adds its tax: EUR 200 on flights from or to Italy at this distance and EUR 12 from Austria per passenger, and from France a solidarity tax for business jets that depends on distance and is charged at its highest band on a route this long; UK Air Passenger Duty is due at the higher rate on jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats and at the standard rate on lighter jets, and Germany, Norway and the Netherlands have their own taxes.

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 with the costs

Per person

The price of the aircraft divided by the number of guests, before passenger taxes and transfers:

Price calculator

The calculator e-mails an estimate in seconds; mention the hotel and any onward island in the comment:

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International and Rodrigues

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International (MRU / FIMP) lies at Plaine Magnien on the south-east coast, about 48 km from Port Louis. Its asphalt runway 14/32 is 3,370 m long and takes any business jet at full weight. Private aircraft park on a separate apron beside the business aviation terminal run by Jet Prime, part of the group that operates the airport; it offers handling, hangar space, flight planning, permits and catering, and passengers complete immigration, customs and health checks in its lounge.

Every flight, private ones included, needs a landing permit from the Mauritian civil aviation authority, and a foreign operator also needs an overflight clearance, normally valid for 72 hours around the requested schedule. We apply at least 72 hours ahead, and earlier for the Christmas weeks. A slot is not required for business jets, but parking for longer stays is confirmed in writing. The control tower works around the clock, while some handling offices keep weekday morning hours, so a night or weekend arrival is arranged in advance.

Fuel, including Jet A-1, is available from several suppliers. Firearms on board must be named in the permit request, and dangerous goods are declared in advance.

Choosing the aircraft

On a flight of eleven to twelve hours most families choose ultra long range jets with a crew rest area and beds; a heavy jet with a stop costs less and suits couples who do not mind the extra time. Helicopters to the resorts take limited baggage, so large cases can follow by car.

Not sure whether to fly direct or with a stop? Leave your number for a call back:

From the airport to the coasts

The airport is in the south-east, so the drive depends on the coast you stay on:

Helicopters land only at approved pads, some of them at the resorts, and fly in daylight after a weather check, so we book them together with the jet.

When to go: summer, winter and the cyclone months

The island has a warm, humid summer from November to April and a cooler, drier winter from June to September, with only about four degrees between the two averages. Cyclones are most likely from January to March. Diving is best from November to April, big-game fishing from October to April and surfing from June to August. Demand peaks over Christmas and New Year and in the European summer holidays. Empty Legs are most common in early January and at the end of the cyclone season, when long-range jets return to Europe, and in December, when aircraft fly out to collect families.

If a cyclone warning is issued, people must stay indoors and the airport may close, so in the summer months we ask the operator to set out in the contract what happens to the aircraft and crew during a warning.

Empty Legs from and to the island

A window of a few days instead of a fixed date improves the chances. Send it with the direction to empty-legs@jets.flights.

Pets on a flight to Mauritius

Bringing a dog or cat is possible but takes months of preparation:

• An import permit from the Livestock and Veterinary Division, applied for at least 45 days before departure; three to six months of preparation is realistic.
• Microchip, rabies vaccination and an antibody test of at least 0.5 IU/ml, then a wait of about three months from the blood sample.
• Dogs also need negative tests for ehrlichiosis within 45 days of travel and for Brucella canis, plus the usual dog vaccinations.
• Dogs and cats must be neutered and not pregnant; a dog stays in quarantine at Réduit for 5 days to one month, depending on the country it comes from.
• Several breeds are banned, among them American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Boerboel.
• Entry only through Plaine Magnien; the guidance describes the animal as declared cargo, so travel in the cabin is confirmed with the authority before booking.
• The return is easier: no antibody test is needed for the EU or the UK. Dogs flying to the UK need tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival there, and the UK accepts pets only through approved routes.

Entry and customs

Before departure

• Passports valid for the whole stay, with a blank page.
• All in One travel form completed for each passenger.
• Hotel address and the transfer: car or helicopter.
• Yellow fever certificate if the fuel stop or the trip includes an affected country.
• Golf bags, rods and dive gear listed for the loading plan.
• Passenger names to us early, for the permit and the terminal.

Booking in five steps

1. Send the route, dates, passengers and hotel, and whether the aircraft should wait on the island.
2. We compare a non-stop long-range jet with a cheaper one-stop option and, if you wish, the onward islands.
3. You receive the offers with operator, model, cabin photos, flight time and price for the whole aircraft.
4. After the contract and payment the operator obtains the landing and overflight permits, and we book the terminal and the transfer.
5. On arrival the Jet Prime team meets the aircraft and takes you through the lounge to the car or helicopter.

Your questions about Mauritius by private jet

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

  • From EUR 81,000 one way from Athens in a Praetor 600 with one stop. From the main hubs a Challenger 650 with a stop costs EUR 115,000 to EUR 130,000, while a non-stop Gulfstream G550 costs EUR 140,000 to EUR 155,000, for the whole aircraft.

• • Can we fly non-stop from London?

  • Yes, in a Gulfstream G550 in 12:39 h or a Global 7500. Smaller jets stop once for fuel.

• • Which airport do private jets use?

  • Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International at Plaine Magnien, with the Jet Prime terminal for business aviation.

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

  • By car, 30 minutes to over an hour depending on the coast, or by helicopter in 15 to 20 minutes.

• • Can the jet fly us to Rodrigues?

  • No, that is a domestic flight: Rodrigues is reached on a local turboprop, and the jet waits at Plaine Magnien.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • Not for a holiday as an EU or UK citizen. Complete the All in One travel form online before arrival.

• • When is the cyclone season?

  • Cyclones are most likely from January to March, within a wider season from November to May. We plan a day of margin at either end in those months.

• • Can we bring our dog?

  • Yes, but only with an import permit, blood tests and a short quarantine, which takes three to six months to prepare. Several breeds are banned.

• • Can we combine Mauritius with Réunion or the Seychelles?

  • Yes. Réunion is 0:48 h away in a Phenom 300 for EUR 9,500, Mahé 2:51 h for EUR 16,500, each with its own landing permit.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Mauritius is four hours ahead of London in winter and three in summer, and three hours ahead of Paris in winter, two in summer.

• • Are there Empty Legs?

  • Yes, mostly long-range jets returning to Europe after a drop-off and regional legs from South Africa and the Seychelles. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.