Private jet to Odesa

Odesa is the largest Ukrainian port on the Black Sea, and its historic centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city airport, Odesa International (ODS), has a 2,800 m runway, but Ukrainian airspace is closed to civil flights, and no business jet can land there. The practical route runs through Moldova: a private jet to Chișinău, then about 184 km by road.

Chișinău International Airport (RMO) is open around the clock, needs no slots and receives private passengers in a VIP terminal. Typical travellers are business people, and families or teams who must reach the city on a fixed day. Iași in Romania is the closest EU airport, with a longer road. As a broker, we compare aircraft from European operators and plan the flight and the car.

Send the date, the number of passengers and how you want to continue from Moldova, and a consultant will reply with aircraft and prices.

Why travellers fly privately towards Odesa

Flight times to Chișinău

Times for a Citation CJ3 from the price tables below, including taxi, climb and descent:

• Bucharest: 0:58 h
• Sofia: 1:23 h, Istanbul: 1:26 h, Budapest: 1:31 h
• Vienna: 1:54 h, Munich: 2:25 h, Larnaca: 2:35 h
• Milan Linate: 2:45 h, Zurich, Frankfurt and Hamburg: 2:47 h
• Nice: 3:04 h, Geneva: 3:05 h, Amsterdam: 3:13 h
• Paris Le Bourget: 3:26 h, London Farnborough: 3:46 h, Madrid: 4:30 h

The direct track from London, Frankfurt or Hamburg crosses Ukraine, so the aircraft flies around it over Hungary and Romania. Distances from the hubs therefore include an allowance of about 7 % over the straight line for this detour and for airway routing. From Bucharest, Sofia, Budapest and Istanbul the route needs no detour worth counting. A Challenger 350 saves little: 3:09 h from Paris against 3:26 h in the CJ3. Iași is about 10 minutes closer from the west.

Prices for the flight to Moldova or Romania

All prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, to the airport in the row, plus handling, airport charges and passenger taxes. The car or coach to Odesa is not included. Flight times are those of the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs to Chișinău

Even from London and Madrid the light jet flies non-stop, in 3:46 h and 4:30 h.

From south-east Europe

Groups that meet in the region, and aircraft based there, fly much shorter sectors:

To Iași instead

Iași lies inside the EU and the Schengen area. It suits a trip that also covers north-eastern Romania, and it is slightly cheaper from the west:

The price follows the flight time plus a fixed share for positioning the aircraft and crew. Passenger tax follows the country of departure: about EUR 1,015 per passenger on a jet leaving France and EUR 12 from Vienna; Italy charges EUR 200 from Milan, as the sector exceeds 1,500 km. Germany charges a departure tax, and the UK charges Air Passenger Duty, at the standard rate of the distance band for jets like the CJ3 and the Challenger 350. Moldovan airport charges and the handling fee in Chișinău 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

What the trip really costs

Price per person

The aircraft is chartered as a whole, so the price per seat falls with every passenger. Taxes are added per head:

Calculator

The calculator uses the straight line, so for Chișinău its estimate may come out a little below the tables, which include the detour. A consultant then sends the exact figure.

Airports: Odesa, Chișinău and the alternatives

Odesa International (ODS, UKOO) lies about 7 km south-west of the centre, with a 2,800 m runway (16/34). It accepts no civil flights while Ukrainian airspace is closed.

Chișinău International Airport Eugen Doga (RMO, LUKK) is 13 km south-east of the Moldovan capital, and the old code KIV still appears in some booking systems. A handler is compulsory; Euro Jet, FCG Ops and Evropa Jet Services work there. Private passengers clear border and customs in the VIP terminal. Foreign operators need a permit from the Moldovan civil aviation authority for non-scheduled commercial flights.

Other airports outside Ukraine

Road distances to Odesa from route planners; waiting time at the border comes on top:

Which aircraft for the Moldova route

After landing, every bag passes the Moldovan exit check and the Ukrainian entry check, so a compact load speeds up the border. In the air, the Phenom 300 carries more luggage than the CJ3, and midsize jets take boxes of documents or equipment that do not fit a light jet.

Questions about the aircraft or the road? Leave your number and we will call you back.

When to plan the trip

The route has no high season, but the weather and the border shape the plan:

• December to February: frost and snow in Chișinău, de-icing before morning departures and slower roads.
• July, August and the days before public holidays: longer queues at border crossings, so plan extra hours.

From Chișinău to Odesa

Empty Legs towards Moldova

An Empty Leg is a flight an operator makes without passengers, for example to collect clients or to return to base. On this route they are rarer than in western Europe, but they appear:

The operator sets the date and time, so an Empty Leg suits a flexible return. Send the direction and a window of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, and matching flights reach you as operators release them.

Flying with a dog or cat

In a private jet the pet travels in the cabin beside you, and the operator approves it in advance. The EU rules and the extra step for this route:

• ISO microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccine.
• First rabies vaccination at least 21 days before the flight.
• Pet passport issued in the EU; an animal health certificate for pets from Great Britain.
• No more than five dogs, cats or ferrets per person, on a non-commercial trip.
• Rabies antibody test: Moldova and Ukraine are not on the EU list of countries exempt from it. Blood taken at least 30 days after vaccination, at least 0.5 IU/ml in an EU-approved laboratory, entered in the passport before you leave the EU; otherwise the return waits three months.

Documents, borders and taxes

Before departure: checklist

• Passport for every passenger, valid for the whole stay, children included.
• Names and passport numbers of all passengers, with us by the day before.
• Car or coach from Chișinău, and a hotel there for a late landing.
• Written confirmation from the insurer covering Moldova and Ukraine.
• Rabies antibody result written into the pet passport.
• Address in Odesa and a contact for the host on the Ukrainian side.

How to book a trip towards Odesa

1. Send the date you need to be in the city, the number of passengers and bags, and your choice of car or coach from Chișinău.
2. We confirm Chișinău or Iași, check the routing around Ukraine and request the Moldovan permit with the operator.
3. You receive 2-3 aircraft options with operator, model, flight time and the price for the whole aircraft, with a car from the aircraft if you want one.
4. You sign the contract and pay; we send the passenger list to the handler and book the car.
5. Passengers arrive at the departure terminal 20-30 minutes before the flight. In Chișinău you pass border control in the VIP terminal and continue by road.

Our team

Charlotte McKinney

Commercial Director

charlotte.m@jets.flights

Henry Richter

Head of Aviation Department and Data Protection Officer

henry.r@jets.flights

Emma Miller

Director of Development

emma.m@jets.flights

Liam Bishop

Senior Aviation Consultant

liam.b@jets.flights

Oliver Davis

Aviation Consultant

oliver.d@jets.flights

Anna Laurent

Aviation Consultant

anna.l@jets.flights

Odesa by private jet: questions and answers

• • Can a private jet land in Odesa?

  • No. Ukrainian airspace is closed to civil flights, so we fly you to Chișinău in Moldova and you continue by road.

• • How much does a private jet towards Odesa cost?

  • A light jet to Chișinău costs from EUR 8,500 one way from Bucharest and from EUR 11,500 from Vienna, for the whole aircraft. Taxes and the road onward come on top.

• • Which open airport is closest to Odesa?

  • Chișinău, about 184 km by road. Iași in Romania is about 320 km away.

• • How long is the road from Chișinău to Odesa?

  • Coaches are listed at about four hours including the border. The waiting time at the crossing varies, so plan several hours.

• • Can we fly home on the same day?

  • From a meeting in Chișinău, yes, as the airport works 24 hours. From Odesa itself we usually plan a night.

• • Which documents do we need?

  • A passport for every traveller. Citizens of the EU, the UK and the USA need no visa for Moldova or Ukraine for up to 90 days in any 180.

• • Can our dog come along?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, rabies vaccination, pet passport and a rabies antibody test entered before you leave the EU.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Chișinău?

  • Sometimes: positioning flights from Bucharest, Istanbul or Sofia, and empty returns towards Vienna and Munich. Your direction and dates go to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • As soon as the date is known, because the operator needs a permit from the Moldovan civil aviation authority for the flight.