Private jet to Norway

Norway stretches more than 1,700 km from the North Sea coast to Finnmark in the far north-east, and fjords and mountains make the road far longer than the line on the map. In much of the country the aircraft replaces the road, which is why it has a dense network of small airports. Private flights come in two rhythms. Oslo, Stavanger and Bergen draw shipowners, energy companies, banks and investors all year. The north has seasons set by the light: the northern lights and the polar night in winter, the midnight sun, the fjords and the salmon rivers in summer.

Norway is in Schengen but not in the EU customs union. From a Schengen airport there is no passport check, but goods, cash and animals go through Norwegian customs, and dogs need a worm treatment timed to the landing. Gardermoen, Bergen and Tromsø require a slot for every flight, and handling is compulsory. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe, pick the airport nearest the address and plan the customs, the vet appointment and the car, boat or helicopter onward.

Send the route, the date, the number of passengers and the town, fjord or lodge you are heading to, and a consultant replies with aircraft, airport and price.

What a private flight changes in a country of fjords

Flight times from the main hubs

Phenom 300 block times from the tables below, taxi included:

The west coast is closer to Britain and the Netherlands than the capital is: Amsterdam - Stavanger is 732 km, London - Gardermoen 1,236 km. From southern Europe the sectors grow long, with Madrid - Oslo at 3:43 h, and in the north they grow longer still: London - Tromsø is 2,289 km, Oslo - Tromsø 1,115 km. On flights of three hours or more a midsize or super midsize jet saves only minutes, but it gives a stand-up cabin and room for winter luggage.

Private jet prices for Norwegian routes

All figures are one-way prices for the whole aircraft, based on an aircraft positioned near your departure point; handling, airport charges and passenger taxes come on top. The time column shows the first aircraft in each row. Rows go to five Norwegian airports, from Stavanger in the south-west to Tromsø in the Arctic.

From the European hubs

Copenhagen - Oslo is the cheapest row of this table at EUR 10,500 in a Phenom 300, followed by Stockholm - Trondheim at EUR 11,000 and Amsterdam - Stavanger at EUR 11,500. London, Munich and Vienna to Gardermoen all sit at EUR 14,000-14,500. From Larnaca, about 3,250 km away, light jets need a fuel stop, so we quote a super midsize or larger for that route.

From the UK, Sweden, Finland and Poland

Gothenburg - Oslo takes 0:54 h and costs EUR 8,000 in a CJ3. Across the North Sea, Aberdeen - Stavanger costs EUR 9,000 and Edinburgh - Bergen EUR 10,000. London - Tromsø is the long row: EUR 17,000 in a CJ3 or EUR 23,000 in a Praetor 500 with a larger hold for parkas and camera bags.

Within the country

Norway is in the European Economic Area, so operators licensed in the EU or the EEA may fly between two Norwegian airports:

From the capital to Bergen, Stavanger or Trondheim the light jet costs EUR 8,500 and the turboprop EUR 7,000-7,500, with 13-14 minutes between them. To Tromsø the gap widens to 44 minutes, so most clients take a jet. Bergen - Stavanger, along the coast, is the cheapest leg in all the tables.

Long-haul flights

Dubai and New York are flown non-stop into Gardermoen, whose longest runway is 3,600 m. Houston, the American centre of the oil and gas industry, is linked to Stavanger: the Falcon 7X and the Global 7500 fly it direct, the Challenger 650 with one fuel stop.

Two things drive the figure: the hours in the air and any empty flight needed to bring the aircraft to your departure airport. Norway charges a passenger tax on departures from its airports, charter flights and domestic legs included, so the flight home carries it. On the way in, the departure country decides: France about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet and about half on a turboprop, Italy EUR 200 per passenger at these distances on flights to or from Italy, Austria EUR 12 per passenger. Denmark taxes departures in aircraft over 5.7 t or with more than 10 seats, Germany and the Netherlands have their own taxes, Sweden has none, and the UK charges Air Passenger Duty on aircraft over 5.7 t: the standard rate of the distance band for most jets and the higher rate for aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats. All of it is listed in the quote, with de-icing from October to April.

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 their full cost

Price per person

Split between the passengers, the whole-aircraft fares from the tables above come to:

Calculator

Planning Oslo plus Tromsø, a fjord airport not listed here or a return? The calculator sends an estimate by e-mail:

Airports for business aviation

Avinor, a state company, runs nearly every airport in the country. The main airports of the cities have long runways and handlers for business jets; many regional airports on the coast and in the north have short runways that only turboprops can use. The address decides the airport more than in most countries, because a fjord can turn 30 km in a straight line into two hours on the road.

The south coast, the far north and the short runways

Kristiansand is the nearest airport for Sørlandet and its summer coast. In the north, Bodø has a runway of about 2,800 m, and Harstad/Narvik Evenes, with about 2,800 m, is the jet airport for the Lofoten islands and Vesterålen; the two Lofoten airports at Leknes and Svolvær have runways of under 1,000 m, too short for business jets. Alta serves Finnmark and the inland aurora areas. Sogndal and Førde, deep in the fjords, are turboprop fields only. Moss Rygge, south of Oslo, has no scheduled traffic and is used by business aviation only case by case.

From the runway to the address

Choosing the aircraft

For trips of an hour or two from the Nordic capitals, Germany or Scotland, light jets carry most groups of up to six. Ski bags, parkas and fishing gear take more room than a summer suitcase, so for four or more people on a leisure trip we often suggest a midsize jet. On a snow-covered runway in the north the operator recalculates the landing and take-off performance for each date, and light aircraft have the widest margin.

Norway through the year: light, snow and events

For business, any month works, with September, October and May the easiest. For the northern lights, late August to early April gives dark enough skies, with the busiest weeks around New Year and in February. For the fjords and the salmon, June to August brings long days and the most demand. Empty Legs are most frequent on weekday evenings between Oslo and the other Nordic capitals and, in winter, from Tromsø southwards after the aurora groups have been dropped off.

Empty Legs to and from Norwegian airports

When a jet drops clients at Gardermoen or in Tromsø and flies back to base without passengers, the operator sells that sector cheaper as an Empty Leg, on a date and hour it sets itself. Typical directions:

If the paid trip behind it moves, the leg moves or disappears, so keep a day or two of slack. Send the direction and a date range to empty-legs@jets.flights, and we forward the legs that fit.

Dogs and cats: Norway's own rules

Norway is not in the EU but accepts the EU pet passport and the EU rabies rules. On board, the dog or cat stays in the cabin with you, once the operator has accepted it.

What the animal needs:

• Microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, and a vaccination at least 21 days old for a first vaccination.
• EU pet passport; from the UK an animal health certificate.
• Dogs: tapeworm treatment by a vet no earlier than 120 and no later than 24 hours before arrival, entered in the passport with date and time. Cats are exempt.
• Dogs arriving directly from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland or Malta are exempt from the tapeworm rule.
• At the airport, the dog or cat and its papers are declared to Norwegian customs.
• Up to five animals per person on a non-commercial trip.

Owners who travel often can choose a regular regime instead: two treatments no more than 28 days apart, then one every 28 days at most, recorded by the vet. Back in Great Britain, a dog needs tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival on an approved route; after a trip of five days or less, the treatment can be given in the UK before leaving, at least 24 hours before the return.

Border, customs and taxes

Before departure

• Passport or ID card for every passenger, children included; a passport for anyone coming from the UK or going on to Svalbard.
• Names and document numbers of all passengers by the day before the flight.
• Landing time, checked against the staffed hours of the terminal or customs.
• Goods to declare: samples, equipment, cash over NOK 25,000, alcohol above the allowance.
• Vet appointment for the dog, timed to the 24-120 hour window before landing.
• Skis, boots, rods and camera bags listed for the hold.
• Billing company and its VAT number.

How to book

1. Send the route, the date, the town, fjord or lodge, the number of passengers and their luggage.
2. We choose the airport by the address and check the slot, the terminal hours and, for Trondheim and Svalbard, the permits.
3. You receive aircraft options from several operators with prices and flight times; for domestic legs only EU or EEA operators are offered.
4. You sign the contract and pay; we book handling, de-icing, customs notice, the car and any boat or helicopter.
5. Be at the airport 20-30 minutes before departure; at Gardermoen the car meets you at the general aviation terminal.

Questions about private flights to Norway

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

  • Bergen - Stavanger by turboprop costs EUR 6,500, the cheapest row in our tables. In a Phenom 300, Copenhagen - Oslo is EUR 10,500 and London - Oslo EUR 14,000, one way for the whole aircraft, taxes extra.

• • Do I pass customs when flying from Denmark or Germany?

  • Yes. There is no passport check within Schengen, but Norway is outside the EU customs union, so goods, cash over NOK 25,000 and animals are declared.

• • What does my dog need for Norway?

  • A microchip, a rabies vaccination, an EU pet passport and a tapeworm treatment by a vet 24-120 hours before landing, entered in the passport. Cats need no worm treatment.

• • Can we fly straight from London to Tromsø?

  • Yes, a Citation CJ3 does it non-stop in 3:41 h. With a dog on board, the flight lands at Gardermoen first for the pet check.

• • Which airport for the oil industry?

  • Stavanger Sola, about 11 km from the centre, with a terminal for the helicopters to the North Sea. Bergen Flesland also has helicopter flights to the platforms.

• • Can a British operator fly us from Oslo to Bergen?

  • No. Legs between two Norwegian airports are flown by EU or EEA operators, so we use one for the domestic part.

• • Is there a passenger tax?

  • Norway taxes departures from its airports, domestic legs included. The inbound leg follows the taxes of its departure country.

• • Can we fly to Svalbard?

  • Yes, with a permit the operator requests at least two working days ahead. Svalbard is outside Schengen, so every passenger needs a passport, and cats are not allowed there.

• • When is the best time for the northern lights?

  • From late August to early April, on clear dark nights. Plan three nights, and book the Christmas, New Year and February weeks early.

• • Are there Empty Legs to and from Norway?

  • Yes, often between Oslo and the other Nordic capitals and, in winter, from Tromsø southwards. Send the direction and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, and we reply with what fits.

• • Is Gardermoen open at night?

  • The airport works around the clock, but the general aviation terminal keeps staffed hours, so a late arrival is agreed with the handler in advance.