Private jet to Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea takes up the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and several hundred islands to the north and east, from New Britain and New Ireland to Bougainville and Milne Bay. Most private flights here are work: gas and mining projects in the Highlands and the west, banks and ministries in Port Moresby, survey teams, delegations. Leisure clients come for the Highland shows, the Kokoda Track, Mount Wilhelm at 4,509 m and the reefs of Milne Bay and Kimbe Bay. The country has about 840 living languages and no road from the capital to Lae or the Highlands, so the aircraft does the work that roads do elsewhere.

Every jet arriving in Papua New Guinea from abroad normally lands first at Jacksons International in Port Moresby, the only airport with permanent customs, immigration and quarantine. From Europe the trip takes one fuel stop in the longest-range jets and two in a heavy jet, usually in the Gulf and in South-East Asia. From Cairns in northern Australia it is a flight of 842 km, 1:40 h in a light jet.

Send the dates, the number of passengers with their nationalities and the places you need to reach inside the country; a consultant replies with routing, aircraft and price.

Prices and flight times

All prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, before permits, handling, stopover fees and passenger taxes. European operators route around closed and restricted airspace, so the tables add 10 % to the straight line from Europe; the real route runs over the Middle East and South-East Asia. On these distances the choice of aircraft is a choice of stops: the Global 7500 and the Falcon 7X land once, the Challenger 650 twice. A crew that flies close to 20 hours needs to be augmented or changed at the stop, and that is part of the quote.

From the European hubs

Larnaca is the cheapest European start: a Challenger 650 with two stops costs EUR 180,000, because the route is the shortest. From London the same jet costs EUR 200,000, while the Falcon 7X costs EUR 250,000 and the Global 7500 costs EUR 275,000. The second stop of the Challenger 650 adds about two and a half hours to the trip compared with the Global 7500.

From the Gulf and Asia

From Australia and the Pacific

For Papua New Guinea many travellers take a scheduled flight to Singapore or Australia and charter only the last sector: Singapore - Port Moresby costs EUR 46,000 in a Praetor 600 without a stop, Cairns - Port Moresby EUR 10,500 in a Citation CJ3. From Dubai the Praetor 600 lands once on the way, for EUR 105,000. The departure country sets the passenger taxes: France a levy on business jets that rises with distance (about EUR 2,100 per passenger here, about EUR 420 on a European flight); Italy EUR 200 beyond 1,500 km on flights from or to Italy; Austria EUR 12; the UK Air Passenger Duty by distance band (aircraft under 5.7 t exempt, the higher private-jet rate for aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats); Germany and the Netherlands (aircraft of 5.7 t or more) also tax departing passengers. Charges in Papua New Guinea 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

Cost per seat

For another route, the calculator gives a first figure; the offer then follows the permits, the stops and the crew plan.

Airports and permits

A foreign aircraft lands in Papua New Guinea only where its permit allows. Port Moresby takes the international arrival; the other airports below are reached either on a domestic flight by a locally certified operator or, for a foreign jet arriving straight from abroad, with prior approval from customs.

Domestic sectors, such as Port Moresby - Mount Hagen or Port Moresby - Hoskins for Kimbe Bay, are flown by operators certified in Papua New Guinea, and we book them together with the international flight. Cloud builds over the mountains during the day, so these flights are planned for the morning.

If you are unsure which airport suits the programme, leave a number and a consultant will call you back.

The year month by month

Port Moresby is driest from about June to October, the easier months for the capital, the Kokoda Track and road transfers; most of the rain falls from December to March, when floods and landslides can cut roads, and the cyclone season of the region runs through the same months. The calendar of business visitors is steady, while leisure trips follow the cultural shows of July to September. Empty Legs are rare all year; the most likely time is around Christmas and New Year, when long-range jets reposition between Europe, Asia and Australia.

Empty Legs

Few jets fly to Port Moresby and stay. An aircraft that has brought a party usually leaves again within a day or two, so the legs worth watching run out of the country towards Singapore, the Gulf or Europe, or arrive from Australia and Asia. A permit is issued for a date, so a moved leg can mean a new application, and only a client who can move by a week or two has a real chance. A cheaper option is often an Empty Leg for part of the route, for example from Singapore or Cairns, followed by a short charter. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and the range of dates.

Dogs and cats

Papua New Guinea is free of rabies and protects that status, so taking a pet from Europe is very difficult and, for a short trip, not advisable.

• Leaving the EU: ISO microchip, rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel, EU pet passport, up to five animals.
• An import permit from the National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) is needed before the animal travels, with health certificates endorsed by a government vet.
• Dogs are accepted directly only from a few countries of the region, such as Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands; an animal from Europe first has to complete quarantine in Australia, New Zealand or Hawaii, which takes months.
• Animals enter through Port Moresby and spend a period in the government quarantine station there; the length depends on the origin and is set in the permit.
• Coming back: Papua New Guinea is not on the EU list of countries with simpler rules, so a rabies antibody test with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml is needed, and a test done in Europe before departure avoids the three-month wait. For Great Britain the animal needs a Great Britain pet health certificate, and a dog needs tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival; Ireland, Malta, Finland and Norway ask for tapeworm treatment too.
• Whether the animal may travel in the cabin is agreed in writing with NAQIA and the operator.

Visa, entry and safety

The entry rules are strict, and the papers are checked for the aircraft as well as for each passenger.

How to book

1. Send the dates, the passengers with their nationalities and the places inside the country you need to reach.
2. We propose aircraft and stops, check the visa situation of each passenger and decide whether a direct arrival at Lae, Mount Hagen or Tokua is worth a customs approval.
3. You receive offers with operator, aircraft, stops, flight time and the price for the whole aircraft, with domestic sectors and security transport listed separately.
4. The contract is signed with the operator and paid by bank transfer or card; cancellation terms depend on the operator and the time to departure and are set out in the contract.
5. The handler files the landing permit and passenger data, orders the fuel 48 hours ahead and meets the aircraft with the car.

Questions about private flights to Papua New Guinea

• • How much does a private jet to Papua New Guinea cost?

  • From EUR 180,000 one way for the whole aircraft from Europe, Larnaca - Port Moresby in a Challenger 650 with two stops. From London a Global 7500 costs EUR 275,000; permits, handling and taxes come on top.

• • Can a business jet fly from Europe to Port Moresby without a stop?

  • No. Even the longest-range jets need one fuel stop on the route around closed airspace, and a heavy jet needs two.

• • How many hours does the trip from London take?

  • About 19:45 h in a Global 7500 with one stop, and 22:18 h in a Challenger 650 with two stops.

• • Which airport do we land at?

  • Jacksons International in Port Moresby, the only airport with permanent customs and immigration. Lae, Mount Hagen and Tokua are possible for a direct arrival only with prior customs approval.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • At least two weeks: the landing permit takes 5-7 business days, longer from September to December, and visas may be needed before departure.

• • Is it cheaper to charter from Australia or Singapore?

  • Usually much cheaper. Cairns - Port Moresby takes 1:40 h in a Citation CJ3 for EUR 10,500, and Singapore - Port Moresby costs EUR 46,000 in a Praetor 600.

• • Can we fly to the Highlands for the Mount Hagen or Goroka Show?

  • Yes, usually on a domestic flight from Port Moresby with a local operator, planned for the morning; book rooms with the flight because hotels are few.

• • Can we bring a dog?

  • Only with an import permit and after quarantine in Australia, New Zealand or Hawaii, which takes months, so for a short trip it is not practical.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Port Moresby is ten hours ahead of London in winter and nine in summer; the country does not change the clocks.