Private jet to Osaka

The Kansai region around Osaka Bay is Japan's second largest economic area, with industry, trading houses and research centres in Osaka and Kobe, and the temples and gardens of Kyoto and Nara less than two hours away by road. Private flyers come for meetings and factory visits, for family trips built around cherry blossom or the autumn colours, and for a few days of Kyoto added to a business week. Most programmes cover several cities, so the hotel address matters as much to the planning as the aircraft.

From Europe, business jets land at Kansai International, built on an artificial island in the bay and open 24 hours. Passengers clear security, immigration, customs and quarantine in Premium Gate Tamayura, a separate terminal for business aviation, and the car waits at its own entrance. A heavy jet reaches the island with one fuel stop; a Global 7500 flies from most European hubs without landing. As a broker, we gather offers from operators in Europe, the Gulf and Asia and compare both options.

Tell us the route, the dates, the size of the group and the city where you will stay, and a consultant will reply with aircraft options and prices.

Reasons to fly privately to Kansai

Flight times to Kansai

Operators based in Europe avoid closed airspace and file a route over Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia, or across the polar region, so the tables count about 20 % more than the straight line. Nonstop times in the ultra long range columns:

• Helsinki: 10:49 h and Stockholm: 11:17 h in a Gulfstream G650
• Oslo: 11:36 h, Warsaw: 11:48 h, Copenhagen: 12:00 h
• Istanbul: 12:09 h, Larnaca: 12:15 h, Hamburg: 12:22 h, Vienna: 12:30 h
• Munich and Amsterdam: 12:49 h, Frankfurt: 12:51 h in a Global 7500
• Zurich: 13:08 h, London Farnborough: 13:15 h, Milan Linate: 13:18 h
• Paris Le Bourget: 13:21 h, Geneva: 13:26 h, Nice: 13:39 h

A Challenger 650 needs one stop from anywhere in Europe; the stop lasts about an hour and is chosen by the operator according to the route and overflight permits. With a full cabin and the jet stream against the aircraft, the westbound flight home often takes longer, and a jet that came out nonstop may need a stop on the return. On sectors of more than 12 hours the operator carries an augmented crew or plans crew rest before the next flight.

Private jet prices to Osaka

Prices are for the whole aircraft, one way to Kansai, plus handling, parking and passenger taxes. The flight time column refers to the Challenger 650 with its fuel stop.

From the main European hubs

The middle column shows where the range limit lies: the Gulfstream G650 is nonstop from Vienna, Hamburg, Larnaca, Helsinki, Istanbul and Warsaw, and needs a stop from the cities further west, where the Global 7500 flies nonstop for a similar price. From Madrid only one-stop options are priced.

From other cities in Europe

Short flights within East Asia

Regional sectors are flown by aircraft based in Korea, China, Taiwan or Hong Kong, on direct routes:

From the Gulf, India and Singapore

Three things shape the price on this route: the hours flown, whether the aircraft has to be positioned from Europe or the Gulf, and what happens while you stay. Few long range jets are based in Japan, so a one-way charter carries the cost of the empty flight home, and one aircraft for both directions is usually cheaper. Departure taxes in Europe follow national rules: Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger on sectors beyond 1,500 km, France applies a per-passenger tax on business jets that grows with distance, about EUR 420 within Europe and about EUR 2,100 to Japan, the UK charges Air Passenger Duty according to aircraft weight and seats, and Germany, Austria and the Netherlands have their own taxes. Every passenger aged two or older leaving Japan pays the international tourist tax. All amounts appear 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 sample trips

What each seat costs

Divided between the passengers, the fare on the long sectors falls quickly with group size:

Calculator

Mention in the comment if you prefer a nonstop flight and how long the aircraft should stay in Japan, and the calculator sends an estimate by e-mail.

Kansai International and the region's other airports

Kansai International Airport (KIX, RJBB) lies on two joined artificial islands in Osaka Bay, about 50 km south-west of central Osaka. Its runways measure 3,500 m and 4,000 m, so every business jet and VIP airliner can use it, and customs, immigration and quarantine are staffed around the clock. A slot is needed for each arrival and departure, and a charter flight also needs a permit from the Japanese civil aviation authority.

Premium Gate Tamayura, the business aviation terminal by Terminal 2, has its own security check, passport and customs desks, a lounge and a car park with a drop-off point. The check for a business jet usually takes about 20 minutes. Give the driver this entrance, not just the airport name. The only road and rail link to the mainland is a bridge across the bay, and in strong winds or a typhoon traffic on it can be restricted, so on a bad forecast extra time is planned for the transfer.

Itami, Kobe and the alternates

Osaka's older city airport, Itami, is close to the centre but handles only domestic flights and works from 07:00 to 21:00, so it suits a domestic leg once the group has already entered Japan. Kobe Airport, on its own island, has a single 2,500 m runway and is considered case by case. If weather or capacity rule out Kansai, the operator plans one of these airports. Distances are straight-line from Kansai:

Which aircraft to choose

For the short sectors inside Asia a midsize jet such as the Citation XLS+ is enough, and a light jet like the Phenom 300 covers Seoul or Busan. Golf bags and large suitcases for a group of ten fit in the hold of the long range types, but the operator checks the total weight against range before confirming a nonstop plan.

Questions about range, stops or cabin layout? Leave a phone number, and a consultant will ring you to go through the options.

The Kansai calendar

Festivals, Japanese holidays and the weather decide when hotels in Kyoto and cars with drivers become scarce:

When a typhoon warning is issued, the operator moves the arrival and we add time for the transfer. Outside the peaks, aircraft and slots are usually available at a few days' notice.

From the island to Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe

Empty Legs to and from Kansai

Empty sectors come up most often on short routes inside East Asia and now and then on the long sector from Europe, when a large jet goes to Japan to collect passengers. The operator sets the date and time, and even an empty flight sold to passengers needs a Japanese charter permit and a slot. Typical directions:

To hear about matching flights, write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates. If a dog or cat travels with you, the date must match the notification filed 40 days before.

Travelling with a dog or cat

The animal flies in the cabin with you all the way, and the operator must agree to it in advance. Leaving the EU it needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an EU pet passport, with up to five animals per person. Japan, which is free of rabies, adds a procedure that takes at least seven months:

Passports, permits and customs

Checklist before the flight

• A passport for each traveller, children included, valid for the entire stay.
• Visit Japan Web completed before departure.
• Names and passport numbers in good time for the charter permit.
• The city of each hotel night: Osaka, Kyoto or Kobe.
• Whether the aircraft waits at Kansai or leaves and comes back.
• For a pet: test result, 180-day count and the notification date.
• Payment of the Japanese departure tax arranged with the handling agent.

Booking step by step

1. Send the dates, the group size and the cities where you will stay. The length of the stay decides whether the aircraft waits at Kansai or flies on.
2. We collect offers for a nonstop aircraft and a cheaper one with a fuel stop, and check range against your passengers and baggage.
3. You choose from 2-4 offers showing operator, model, cabin photos, routing and the price for the whole aircraft, with parking and crew hotel as separate items.
4. Contract and payment; the operator files the slot and the charter permit, and we book the car, train tickets or the ferry to Kobe.
5. On arrival, passport, customs and quarantine checks take place in Premium Gate Tamayura, and the driver is waiting at its entrance.

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

Private flights to Kansai: questions and answers

• • What does a private jet from Europe to Osaka cost?

  • From EUR 115,000 one way from Helsinki and EUR 140,000 from London in a Challenger 650 with one stop, for the whole aircraft. A Gulfstream G650 nonstop from Vienna costs EUR 165,000, and a Global 7500 from London EUR 185,000.

• • Can a business jet land at Kansai at night?

  • Yes. The airport and Premium Gate Tamayura both work 24 hours, so the departure time in Europe can be chosen freely. Itami, the city airport, closes at night and takes only domestic flights.

• • How many hours does the flight from Europe take?

  • Nonstop, from 10:49 h from Helsinki to 13:39 h from Nice. With one fuel stop in a heavy jet, London - Kansai takes 15:30 h.

• • How do we get from the airport to Kyoto?

  • About 100 minutes by car with a driver, who waits at the business aviation terminal, or about 80 minutes on the Haruka express. During Golden Week the car is the safer choice because trains are full.

• • Do EU citizens need a visa?

  • No, stays of up to 90 days for tourism or business are visa-free for EU, UK and Swiss citizens. The aircraft needs a charter permit, which the operator obtains.

• • Can we bring the dog?

  • Yes, in the cabin, after at least seven months of preparation: microchip, two rabies vaccinations, a blood test, 180 days of waiting and notification 40 days ahead. Kansai is an approved port for dogs.

• • Can the same aircraft take us on to Tokyo or Seoul?

  • Yes. Within Japan it may carry only the passengers who arrived on it or will leave Japan on it, and each leg needs a permit. Seoul Gimpo is 1:37 h away in a Phenom 300.

• • Are Empty Legs available?

  • Mostly on short regional routes from Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei, and occasionally from Europe. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with your dates.

• • Should the aircraft wait in Japan?

  • For a short stay, yes. For a week or more we compare parking and crew costs with the aircraft flying on and coming back, and one-way pricing is sometimes lower.

• • How much luggage fits on board?

  • Long range jets carry golf bags and full suitcases for a group of ten or more. On a nonstop flight the operator checks the total weight against fuel and range.

• • When is the busiest time in the region?

  • Cherry blossom in late March and early April, Golden Week, the July festivals and the autumn colours in late November. In those weeks book hotels and cars before confirming the flight.