Private jet to Myanmar

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has three international airports with long runways: Yangon, the largest city and business centre, Naypyidaw, the capital, and Mandalay in the centre of the country. Private flights from Europe land mostly at Yangon. A Gulfstream G650 flies there from London in 11:31 h without a stop, and a super midsize jet makes one fuel stop on the way.

Whether a flight can be operated depends on more than range. Several European governments advise against all travel to large parts of the country and against all but essential travel to others, and the advice can change at short notice. European aviation authorities ask operators to assess the risk at lower altitudes over Myanmar, while the airspace itself remains open. A flight therefore needs the operator's acceptance of the route, its insurers' cover, a landing permit and a visa for every passenger. As a broker, we check each request against the travel advice for the date and ask only operators that accept it.

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

What decides whether a flight goes ahead

• Travel advice: governments set different levels of advice for different regions, and travel insurance may not cover a journey made against it. We read the advice of the passengers' countries against the address of the stay before quoting.
• Airspace: aviation authorities in Europe have published information asking operators to take the risk at lower levels into account. The operator's safety department decides on the routing, the alternates and the fuel, and whether it accepts the flight at all.
• Landing permit: a private landing needs seven days' notice at Yangon and fourteen at other airports, and an overflight seven days. The request names a local sponsor with an address and the names and nationalities of the passengers, so we plan on two weeks.
• Visas: every passenger needs a visa issued before departure, since visas on arrival are not available.
• Fees: navigation charges are paid in advance, usually through the handling agent, together with landing and handling.

Prices and flight times

Prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, plus permit, handling, navigation charges and passenger taxes. Since European operators steer clear of closed and restricted airspace, the route runs over Turkey and the Gulf or Central Asia, and the tables add 10 % to the straight line from Europe.

From Europe

From Vienna a Praetor 600 with one stop costs EUR 87,000 and a Gulfstream G650 without a stop EUR 135,000; from London the same two cost EUR 98,000 and EUR 155,000. Naypyidaw lies slightly closer to Europe than Yangon, so the price difference between the two is small.

From the Gulf and Asia

From Dubai a Praetor 600 reaches Yangon in 5:55 h for EUR 41,000. Bangkok Don Mueang in Thailand, 1:19 h away for EUR 9,500 in a Citation CJ3, is the usual regional starting point and has scheduled flights to Yangon as well. Light jets from Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore take between 2:04 h (Hanoi) and 3:10 h (Singapore Seletar). Each European departure country adds its own passenger tax: France a per-head tax on jets that rises with distance, about EUR 2,100 on this route instead of about EUR 420 within Europe, Italy EUR 200 from or to its airports on a sector of this length, Austria EUR 12, separate amounts in Germany and the Netherlands (aircraft of 5.7 t or more), and in the UK APD at the higher rate for aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, the standard band rate for other jets and none under 5.7 t. Charges in Myanmar are listed in the quote.

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

For a route not in the tables, the calculator gives a first estimate; the offer then follows the permit and the operator's routing.

Airports

A foreign aircraft may land only at the airports named in its permit. If a programme needs to change at short notice, Bangkok, with its business aviation terminal at Don Mueang, is the nearest large alternative outside the country. To talk through a specific trip, leave your number and we call you back.

The year month by month

November to February is the most comfortable time: dry, sunny and less humid. March to May is hot, and from June to September the monsoon brings heavy rain, with August usually the wettest month in Yangon. Empty Legs to the region are most frequent around Christmas and New Year, and they usually end in Bangkok or Singapore.

Empty Legs

Empty Legs ending in Yangon hardly ever appear. Long-range jets returning to Europe from Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong after the holidays sometimes have a free sector, which a light jet from Bangkok can connect to Yangon. Permit and visas take as long as for a full charter. Requests go to empty-legs@jets.flights: name the direction and the dates you could fly.

Dogs and cats

For a short trip we advise leaving the animal at home, because a quarantine period applies on arrival.

• From the EU a dog or cat leaves with an ISO microchip, a pet passport and a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel, five animals at most; in a private jet it stays in the cabin once the operator has agreed.
• Entering Myanmar: a microchip, a rabies vaccination given between 30 days and 12 months before arrival and a health certificate issued just before travel and endorsed by the government veterinary service. The animal enters through Yangon with the owner present and is usually held in quarantine at an approved facility for at least 30 days, at the owner's cost; some breeds, including pit bulls, are restricted. The details are confirmed with the authorities for your dates.
• Coming back: Myanmar is not on the EU list of countries with simpler rules, so a rabies antibody test of at least 0.5 IU/ml is needed. Taken before leaving the EU and recorded in the passport, it avoids a three-month wait on return.
• A pet flying on to Great Britain also needs a Great Britain pet health certificate and three months between the blood sample and arrival; dogs get a tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before landing, as they do for Ireland, Malta, Finland and Norway.

Visa and entry

The sponsor named in the landing permit and the sponsor behind a business visa are separate documents, and each takes time, so both are started as soon as the dates are known.

How to book

1. Send the route, the dates, the passengers with their nationalities and the address of the stay.
2. We check the travel advice and ask operators that accept the route; you receive offers with aircraft, routing, flight time and price.
3. The contract is signed with the operator, payment is by bank transfer or card, and the cancellation terms, which depend on the operator and on how close to departure you cancel, are part of the contract.
4. Passports, the sponsor's details and the visas go to the handler, who files the permit about two weeks ahead.
5. On arrival in Yangon the handler meets the aircraft and takes the passengers through immigration and customs.

Questions about private flights to Myanmar

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

  • From EUR 74,000 one way for the whole aircraft, Larnaca - Yangon in a Praetor 600 with one stop. From London a nonstop Gulfstream G650 costs EUR 155,000; the permit, handling and taxes are extra.

• • Is the airspace open?

  • Yes. European authorities ask operators to assess the risk at lower altitudes, and each operator decides whether it accepts the route on the requested date.

• • Which airport do you fly to?

  • Yangon, with its long runway, customs around the clock and a handler on the airport. Naypyidaw is quoted on request; Mandalay and the domestic airfields are decided case by case.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • About two weeks. The landing permit needs a local sponsor and the passenger details, and every passenger needs a visa before departure.

• • Can we get a visa on arrival?

  • No. EU and UK citizens apply for a visa before travel, tourists online as an e-visa.

• • Can we continue to Bangkok?

  • Yes, Yangon - Bangkok Don Mueang takes 1:19 h in a light jet, with a separate permit for Thailand.

• • Can we take our dog?

  • It is possible, but a quarantine of at least 30 days usually applies on arrival, so we advise against it for short trips.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Myanmar is six and a half hours ahead of London in winter and five and a half in summer, with no clock change.