Private jet to the Netherlands

Distances in the Netherlands are short and the country is densely built, so a private trip here is rarely about range. It is about which airport fits the address and the time you want to fly home. Most flights are working days: banks, law firms and technology groups on the Zuidas in Amsterdam, ministries, embassies and the international courts in The Hague, shipping, energy and logistics around the port of Rotterdam, the largest seaport in Europe, and the chip equipment makers of the Brainport region around Eindhoven.

Schiphol takes every aircraft type but needs a slot for every flight and does not handle general aviation at night. Rotterdam The Hague, 45 km to the south, needs no slot for a business jet and is the usual answer for The Hague, the port and late returns. Maastricht serves Limburg, Aachen and the TEFAF art fair, and Groningen covers the north. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe and match the airport to the meeting.

Tell us the route, the date, the number of passengers and the address of the meeting through the form:

Why companies fly privately to Dutch cities

Flight times from Europe and beyond

Times below are for a Citation CJ3 on the main table routes, taxi, climb and descent included:

Apart from Madrid and Larnaca, every hub in the table is under two hours away, so a faster jet saves only minutes: Geneva - Amsterdam takes 1:22 h in the Citation XLS+ against 1:27 h in the CJ3. Madrid - Rotterdam takes 2:28 h, and from Larnaca only the midsize and super midsize columns fly non-stop, in 4:20 h and 4:14 h. From the North Sea oil cities a Phenom 300 needs 1:28 h from Aberdeen and 1:32 h from Stavanger to Rotterdam. Long-range jets reach Amsterdam from Dubai in 6:16-6:36 h and from New York in 7:00-7:23 h.

What a private flight to the Netherlands costs

All prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, plus handling, airport charges and passenger taxes, with an aircraft available near the departure airport. Times in the table are those of the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs

London costs the same EUR 8,500 in a CJ3 to Amsterdam or Rotterdam, so the choice between the two airports depends on the address, not the fare. The lowest price in the table is Hamburg - Groningen at EUR 8,000.

From the UK regions, the North Sea and other cities

On longer or busier sectors the light jet column uses the Phenom 300 with its larger hold, and the Legacy 500 and Gulfstream G280 have stand-up cabins:

Long-haul flights

Schiphol's runways of up to 3,800 m take any long-range jet, and Rotterdam's 2,200 m runway takes all the types below. From Houston the Challenger 650 needs one fuel stop; the other routes are non-stop:

Flight time sets most of the price; the rest covers positioning the aircraft and crew. On short Dutch sectors the class of aircraft moves the price more than the distance does. On the way home the Netherlands charges a tax per passenger on departures in aircraft of 5.7 t or more, which covers every jet in these tables. Departure taxes elsewhere: France about EUR 420 per passenger 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 and Norway charge their own, Sweden none. UK 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. All amounts 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

Three typical trips

Cost per seat

The aircraft is chartered as a whole, so the price per head falls with each passenger. Passenger taxes are added per person:

Price calculator

For your own route, date and group size, the calculator sends an estimate by e-mail within minutes.

Dutch airports for business aviation

One airport takes every type without limits on size, and a handful of smaller ones have rules that suit particular trips better. Slots, opening hours and the road at the other end decide:

For an evening that may run late in Amsterdam, the safe plan is a departure from Rotterdam, an hour's drive south. In autumn and winter, morning fog can affect all the coastal airports at once, so the operator names an inland or foreign alternate such as Maastricht, Düsseldorf or Brussels.

Which aircraft fits the trip

On a one-hour sector to the Netherlands most groups of up to six travel in light jets. Broadcast equipment for IBC, display panels or golf bags need the hold of a midsize jet. Groningen's terminal limit of 18.5 t still admits the super midsize class, while the heavy types use Schiphol, Rotterdam or Maastricht.

Need help with a slot or the choice of airport? A consultant can call you back: just leave your number.

The Dutch year: fairs, flowers and festivals

Business aviation in the Netherlands has no off-season: demand follows the fair calendar and the working week. The best months for a combined business and leisure trip are April to June and September, when the bulb fields, the coast and the cities are at their best. Empty Legs come up all year because of the many day trips, and most often after the big fairs and on summer weekends, when aircraft that brought families north reposition.

From the airport to the meeting

The car waits at the general aviation terminal, so from landing to the road usually takes 10-15 minutes. On King's Day, Pride weekend and during ADE the centre of Amsterdam is hard to reach by car, and the driver plans a drop-off point at the edge of the canal ring.

Empty Legs to and from the Netherlands

An Empty Leg is a flight the operator has to make without passengers, for example after a morning drop-off at Schiphol. The Netherlands sits in a busy corridor between London, Paris, Brussels, Germany and Scandinavia, so such flights come up often. Typical directions:

Dates and times of an Empty Leg are set by the operator, so they suit a trip with some slack. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates, and we send matching flights as they come up.

Travelling with a dog or cat

The animal travels in the cabin beside you, and the operator must approve it in advance. The Netherlands applies the EU rules without additions:

• Microchip, implanted before or together with the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination given from 12 weeks of age, at least 21 days before travel for a first vaccination.
• EU pet passport; animals from Great Britain travel with an animal health certificate.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets per person on a non-commercial trip.
• No tapeworm treatment is needed to enter the Netherlands.

A large dog or several animals are confirmed with the operator before booking. A dog living in Britain on a trip of five days or less can be treated by a vet there before leaving, provided it lands back in Britain within 120 hours of the treatment.

Documents, customs and passenger tax

Before you fly: checklist

• Passport or ID card for every passenger flying to the Netherlands, children included.
• Names, birth dates and passport or ID numbers, sent a day ahead.
• Return time checked against the Schiphol hours, or Rotterdam chosen for a late departure.
• Fair hall, ministry or office address for the driver.
• Samples, display material or artworks from outside the EU, with documents.
• Pet passport or health certificate, and the tapeworm date if a dog flies on to the UK.
• Company and VAT number for invoicing.

How to book

1. Send the route, dates, preferred times, passengers and luggage, and the address in the Netherlands.
2. We check the Schiphol slot, the hours at Maastricht or Groningen and the return time, and propose Rotterdam where it is closer or more flexible.
3. You receive 2-4 aircraft options with operator, model, cabin photos and the whole-aircraft price, with waiting time shown on a day return.
4. After you sign the operator's contract and pay, we confirm the slot, handling, car and catering.
5. On the day the car waits at the general aviation terminal and takes you straight to the meeting.

Questions about private flights to the Netherlands

• • How much does a private jet to the Netherlands cost?

  • A Citation CJ3 costs EUR 8,500 one way from London or Paris to Amsterdam, from Frankfurt to Groningen, and EUR 8,000 from Hamburg to Groningen, always for the whole aircraft. Handling, airport charges and passenger taxes are added.

• • Schiphol or Rotterdam?

  • Schiphol for Amsterdam, the Zuidas and the RAI. Rotterdam for The Hague, Delft and the port, and whenever no Schiphol slot is free or the return is after 23:00.

• • Can we fly home after 23:00?

  • Not from Schiphol, which does not handle general aviation between 23:00 and 07:00. Rotterdam accepts business flights in aircraft with fewer than 20 seats at night.

• • Do we need a slot?

  • At Schiphol, yes, for every flight, and general aviation slots are allocated month by month, so an early request helps. Rotterdam needs none for a business jet, and Groningen sets no fixed time windows.

• • Which airport for TEFAF?

  • Maastricht Aachen, a short drive from the fair. In the fair week parking is scarce, so book early; Liège is the alternate across the border.

• • Can we land at Eindhoven?

  • Rarely. The airport keeps private flights to a minimum, so for the Brainport region we land at Rotterdam or Schiphol and continue by car or helicopter.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • About an hour: 1:01 h to Rotterdam and 1:03 h to Amsterdam in a Citation CJ3.

• • Is there a Dutch tax on the return flight?

  • Yes, per passenger on aircraft of 5.7 t or more, which includes almost every jet. The amount is shown in the quote.

• • Do we need passports?

  • From Schengen countries there is no routine check, but every passenger needs a valid passport or ID card. Flights from the UK pass passport control at the business aviation terminal.

• • Can our dog come along?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, rabies vaccination and EU pet passport or animal health certificate. No tapeworm treatment is needed for the Netherlands.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Amsterdam?

  • Often, especially on routes to London, after big fairs and in summer from the Mediterranean. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the route and dates you have in mind.