Private jet to New Zealand

New Zealand lies almost on the opposite side of the globe from Europe. Auckland is about 18,400 km from London in a straight line, and the route that European operators fly around closed airspace is about a tenth longer, so the trip is among the longest a business jet can be chartered for. A Gulfstream G650 or a Global 7500 lands once on the way, usually in South-East Asia; a Falcon 7X lands twice. The journey takes about a full day.

We are a broker and ask operators of the largest long-range jets for offers to Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown, four of the six airports where a private flight from abroad can clear customs and biosecurity. Clients come for the ski fields while Europe has its summer, for Fiordland and the lakes around Queenstown, for the wine regions and for sailing, and many combine the trip with Australia or the Pacific islands, a few hours away by a smaller jet.

Tell us the airports, the dates and the number of passengers, and we reply with aircraft, routing and prices.

Reasons to fly there privately

Flight times from Europe

Gate to gate with the stops, from the price tables below:

Distances from Europe in the tables are 10 % longer than the straight line, because European operators route around closed and restricted airspace and keep clear of conflict zones. The stop is usually in Singapore or elsewhere in South-East Asia, sometimes in Australia; a routing across North America and the Pacific is also possible and is compared for your dates. The second stop of a Falcon 7X adds about two hours. After more than 20 hours on board the operator plans an augmented crew or a crew change, and the crew rests after arrival.

Prices for a private jet to New Zealand

Prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, with the stops included and the aircraft based near the departure city; handling, the stops, the crew costs of a long duty day, border levies and passenger taxes are added. The flight time in the third column is that of the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs

From London, Auckland costs EUR 330,000 in a Falcon 7X with two stops; with one stop a Gulfstream G650 costs EUR 325,000 and a Global 7500 EUR 345,000. On this distance the extra stop and the hours it adds cancel out the lower hourly rate of the smaller jet, so the choice between them is about the cabin and the sleep rather than the price. Queenstown is priced only for the Falcon 7X, because the larger jets need a longer runway than the airport has; they land in Christchurch or Auckland instead. Larnaca, the hub nearest to New Zealand, starts at EUR 280,000.

From Australia and the Pacific

Sydney - Auckland takes 3:14 h in a Citation Latitude for EUR 23,000, and Sydney - Queenstown 2:57 h for EUR 21,000. These are international sectors flown by aircraft based in the region, and they make it easy to add Fiji, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands or French Polynesia to the trip.

From Asia, the Gulf and the United States

A Falcon 7X flies Singapore - Auckland without a stop in 10:10 h for EUR 125,000, and a Global 7500 covers Los Angeles - Auckland non-stop in 12:10 h for EUR 170,000; on that sector the Falcon 7X needs a stop, which makes it the dearer of the two. From Dubai every jet needs a stop.

Domestic legs with a New Zealand operator

A foreign operator may not carry passengers between two airports in New Zealand; a domestic movement is allowed only as the continuation of an international flight on which nobody joins or leaves. The legs inside the country are therefore flown by a New Zealand operator, booked together with the long-haul flight. Auckland - Queenstown takes 1:55 h in a Citation CJ3 for EUR 11,500, and Christchurch - Queenstown under an hour.

Passenger taxes follow the country of departure. Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger at this distance, on departure and again on the flight back into Italy, and Austria EUR 12. The French tax on business aviation is not a flat sum on such a flight: it rises with the distance flown. In the UK, jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats pay Air Passenger Duty at the higher rate and lighter jets at the standard rate, while Germany and the Netherlands (aircraft from 5.7 t) levy their own departure taxes. The New Zealand border levies for customs and biosecurity are invoiced to the operator and shown 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 trips with the costs

Price per passenger

The aircraft is hired as a whole, so the share per seat falls as the cabin fills; per-passenger taxes and levies come on top.

Calculator

For another airport or a return trip, the calculator e-mails a first estimate:

The estimate follows the straight line; the offer adds the routing, the stops and the position of the aircraft.

Airports for private flights

Customs lists six airports where a private or non-scheduled flight from abroad can make its first landing: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown, Dunedin and Hamilton. Landing first anywhere else needs prior approval from Customs and the Ministry for Primary Industries at least ten working days ahead, and it is granted only in exceptional circumstances, so a lodge or vineyard strip is always a second, domestic leg.

Flights are expected to arrive and leave in the working hours of the border agencies; outside them the operator needs approval at least five working days ahead. The passenger names, passport numbers and dates of birth go to Customs at least three hours before the departure of the flight into New Zealand, which on this route means before the last leg.

Permits, biosecurity and the cabin

• A foreign operator flying paying passengers needs an authorisation from the Ministry of Transport, applied for at least five working days ahead.
• The aircraft must be disinsected before arrival. Nobody leaves the aircraft and nothing is unloaded until the customs and biosecurity officers give permission.
• Food from the catering that is not eaten counts as waste on arrival and is disposed of through approved systems, so the last meal is planned around the landing time.
• Hiking boots, fishing gear, golf clubs and camping equipment are declared and must be free of soil.

Which aircraft for the journey

A heavy jet such as the Challenger 650 would need three stops from Europe, so the journey starts at the long-range class. For skis, golf bags and fishing gear the larger cabins of the Global 7500 or the G650 have room to spare; on the domestic legs a midsize jet takes up to nine passengers with bags. Models and seating in the ultra long range catalogue.

Leave your number and a consultant will call you back:

The year month by month

The seasons are the reverse of Europe's: summer from December to February and winter from June to August, with fast changes of weather in the mountains of the South Island. The best months are December to April for the coast, the vineyards and the North Island, and June to September for skiing around Queenstown. Empty Legs are most frequent around Christmas and New Year, when long-range jets bring families out and return empty.

From the airport to the city

Empty Legs to and from New Zealand

A long-range jet that brings a party to New Zealand has to go back, and holding it for weeks is costly, so it often returns empty. Such legs appear occasionally, not every week, and they suit a client in the same city: a leg from Christchurch does not help a party in Auckland.

Send the direction and a range of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights; a flexible month gives the best chance of a match.

Entry rules and documents

Flying with a dog or cat

New Zealand is free of rabies and protects that status with strict rules. Dogs and cats from the UK and from EU countries can be imported, but only with a permit from the Ministry for Primary Industries and a preparation of several months:

1. Microchip first, then a rabies vaccination kept valid from the day of the blood sample.
2. A rabies antibody test with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, sampled at least three months before departure.
3. An identity check by a government vet, at least six months before shipment under the current import standard; we confirm the window for your dates.
4. The import permit, which takes the Ministry at least 30 working days, with the quarantine place booked at the same time.
5. Parasite treatments and a veterinary examination in the set windows before departure.
6. Arrival only through Auckland or Christchurch and at least 10 days in an approved quarantine facility.

Some breeds cannot be imported at all, among them the Brazilian Fila, the Dogo Argentino, the Japanese Tosa, the Perro de Presa Canario and the American Pit Bull Terrier type. Whether the animal may travel in the cabin of a private jet is decided by the Ministry with the permit, so we raise it at the start. The return is simpler: New Zealand is on the EU list, so no new antibody test is needed, and a dog flying to Britain is treated against tapeworm 1 to 5 days before arrival there.

Before departure

• Passports for every passenger, valid for at least three months after leaving.
• An approved NZeTA for each passenger and the Traveller Declaration completed.
• Names, passport numbers and dates of birth to us a few days before the flight.
• Clean boots, rods, clubs and camping gear; no fresh food in the bags.
• The domestic legs, transfers and, for Queenstown, an arrival time with a margin for the weather.
• For a pet: the permit, the test results and the quarantine booking.

How to book

1. Send the airports, the dates, the number of passengers and the plan inside the country.
2. We compare a Falcon 7X with two stops against a G650 or Global 7500 with one, and Christchurch against Queenstown for the South Island.
3. Each offer names the operator, the aircraft, the stops and the price for the whole jet.
4. After signing and payment the operator applies for the authorisation and sends the passenger data to Customs.
5. We book the domestic legs with a New Zealand operator, the transfers and the parking or the empty flight home.

Questions about private flights to New Zealand

• • How much does a private jet to New Zealand cost?

  • From London to Auckland EUR 325,000 in a Gulfstream G650 with one stop or EUR 330,000 in a Falcon 7X with two, one way for the whole aircraft. From Larnaca prices start at EUR 280,000.

• • Can we fly without a stop?

  • No. The route is over 20,000 km from London, far beyond the range of any business jet; the largest jets land once, smaller long-range jets twice.

• • How long does the journey take?

  • About 24 to 26 hours from the western European hubs in a Global 7500 with one stop, and about two hours more with two stops.

• • Can a large jet land in Queenstown?

  • The airport clears flights from abroad, but the runway is short, the approach runs between mountains and it is open only from 06:00 to 22:00. Many parties land in Christchurch or Auckland and continue on a local jet.

• • Can the same jet fly us inside New Zealand?

  • No. A foreign operator may not carry passengers between two New Zealand airports, so we book a local operator for the domestic legs.

• • Do EU citizens need a visa?

  • No, they stay up to three months without one, but each passenger needs an NZeTA before departure and pays the tourist levy with it.

• • What happens on arrival?

  • Customs and biosecurity officers meet the aircraft, and nobody leaves it before they allow. Food, plants and used outdoor gear are declared.

• • What is the time difference?

  • New Zealand is 12 hours ahead of Central Europe in the European winter and 10 hours in the European summer, 11 for a few weeks in between.

• • Can we bring our dog?

  • Only with an import permit, a blood test at least three months before departure and at least 10 days of quarantine, arriving at Auckland or Christchurch.

• • Can we combine New Zealand with Australia?

  • Yes. Sydney - Auckland takes 3:14 h in a Citation Latitude for EUR 23,000, so the long flight from Europe is paid only once.

• • Are there Empty Legs?

  • Now and then, mainly long-range jets flying back to Europe after bringing a party out; send your dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.