Private jet to Poland

Poland is a large country with a dozen airports that take business jets, and almost all of them have runways of 2,500 m or more. Most private flights are short business trips: board meetings in Warsaw, service centres in Krakow, car and electronics plants around Wroclaw and Poznan, the port and offshore wind industry in Gdansk, aerospace suppliers near Rzeszów. Leisure traffic follows the seasons: the Tatras and Zakopane in winter, the Baltic coast and the Masurian lakes in summer.

The airport is chosen by the address, not by size. Warsaw Chopin and Krakow need a slot for every movement, Chopin also has a night rule that stops ad hoc flights at about 23:30, while Gdansk, Wroclaw and Rzeszów work without slots. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe, and for domestic legs we choose an EU operator.

Name the cities, dates and passengers, and we suggest the aircraft and the airports:

Why business travellers fly privately to Poland

Flight times to the Polish airports

Each time comes from the tables below and includes taxi, climb and descent:

• Prague - Wroclaw: 0:48 h, Berlin - Poznan: 0:49 h, Vienna - Krakow: 0:57 h (Citation CJ3)
• Copenhagen - Gdansk: 1:03 h, Vilnius - Warsaw: 1:03 h, Munich - Wroclaw: 1:10 h, Stockholm - Gdansk: 1:16 h, Hamburg - Gdansk: 1:17 h (Citation CJ3)
• Frankfurt - Poznan: 1:23 h, Zurich - Wroclaw: 1:31 h, Milan Linate - Krakow: 1:48 h, Amsterdam - Gdansk: 1:48 h (Citation CJ3)
• Geneva - Krakow: 2:02 h, Brussels - Warsaw: 2:06 h, Nice - Krakow: 2:09 h, Paris Le Bourget - Warsaw: 2:23 h (Citation CJ3)
• London Farnborough: 2:31 h to Krakow, 2:35 h to Warsaw (Citation CJ3)
• Larnaca - Warsaw: 3:31 h, Madrid - Warsaw: 3:39 h (Citation CJ3)

Within the country no sector is long: Warsaw - Krakow, Warsaw - Gdansk and Warsaw - Wroclaw all take under an hour in a jet and about an hour in a Pilatus PC-12. On those legs the turboprop costs less and loses only 9-12 minutes. From Tel Aviv a heavy jet needs 3:17-3:27 h, from Dubai 5:08-5:25 h, from New York 8:06 h in a Global 7500. Poland is one hour ahead of London all year.

Private jet prices to Poland

The prices below are for the whole aircraft, one way, with an aircraft assumed near the departure airport; handling, landing fees and passenger taxes are added. Each flight time is for the first aircraft in its row.

From the European hubs

From London a Citation CJ3 costs EUR 13,500 to Warsaw or Krakow. The neighbours are much cheaper: Vienna - Krakow costs EUR 8,500 and Munich - Wroclaw EUR 9,000 in the same light jet, Frankfurt - Poznan and Hamburg - Gdansk EUR 9,500. Vienna - Krakow is shorter than 350 km, so the Austrian departure tax on it is EUR 30 per passenger.

Domestic legs and the neighbours

A domestic leg costs EUR 7,000-8,000 in a PC-12, and Poznan - Rzeszów crosses the country in 1:07 h by light jet. Very short pairs such as Krakow - Katowice or Warsaw - Łódź are faster by car. Berlin - Poznan and Prague - Wroclaw start at EUR 6,500, the lowest prices on the page.

Long-haul flights

Warsaw Chopin's 3,690 m runway is the longest open to private traffic in Poland, and Krakow has 2,550 m. Operators route around closed airspace in the region, and the quote states the planned flight time:

Flight time, the base of the nearest free aircraft and the length of the stay make up the price. Many Polish business jets are based in Warsaw, which helps with short-notice domestic requests. Polish airport and handling charges appear in the quote. Passenger taxes depend on the departure country: France about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet and about half on a turboprop; Italy EUR 100 up to 1,500 km and EUR 200 beyond, on flights to or from Italy; Austria EUR 12 (EUR 30 up to 350 km); Germany, Norway and the Netherlands (aircraft of 5.7 t or more) also tax departures, Sweden does not. UK Air Passenger Duty does not apply to aircraft under 5.7 t; aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats pay the higher private-jet rate, other jets the standard rate.

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 and what they cost

Price per person

With the whole aircraft paid once, the share per passenger looks like this:

Online calculator

Choose the departure airport, the Polish city, the date and the passengers, and the calculator e-mails an estimate.

Airports and business aviation terminals

A flight from outside Schengen must make its first landing at an airport of entry with border control, and nearly every large Polish airport has that status. The differences lie in slots, opening hours and handling, which is compulsory at most of them:

A charter by an operator from outside the EU needs permission from the Polish Civil Aviation Authority, applied for at least three working days before the first flight; we arrange it with the operator and show it in the quote.

Choosing the aircraft

Skis and boot bags fill a hold faster than the seats: four skiers fit a light jet, six or more with ski bags need a midsize jet. For the largest types leaving Krakow fully loaded on a long sector, the elevation of 241 m and summer heat lengthen the take-off run, and the operator calculates the performance for the day.

Not sure which airport fits your programme? Leave your number and a consultant will call you.

When to fly: the year month by month

Business travel runs all year and peaks in September and October, when the fairs in Poznan and the conferences in Warsaw fill hotels. The coast and the lakes are busiest in July and August, the Tatras from late December to the end of February. The calmest months for short-notice requests are March and November. Empty Legs are most frequent at the end of the summer holidays and in the ski season, when aircraft that brought groups to Krakow or Gdansk return to Germany, Scandinavia and Britain.

From the airports to the cities, the mountains and the coast

On winter weekends the road from Krakow to Zakopane can take an extra hour, and on summer weekends the single road down the Hel peninsula slows down; in both cases a helicopter to a landing site agreed in advance saves the time. Civil airspace over Ukraine is closed to flights, so trips to Lviv or Kyiv land at Rzeszów or Lublin and continue by car or train; the Medyka and Korczowa crossings are 1.5-2 hours by road from Rzeszów.

Empty Legs to and from Poland

An operator often has to fly a sector with nobody on board, for example after dropping a group in Krakow; that sector is sold as an Empty Leg. Many Polish business jets are based in Warsaw and fly out empty to collect clients abroad, and foreign aircraft fly home empty after drop-offs. Typical directions:

Timing is fixed by the operator, and a leg is withdrawn if the original booking shifts. A message to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and your possible days is enough for us to send matching legs.

Flying with a dog or cat

Poland applies the EU rules and has no quarantine. The animal flies in the cabin beside you, not in the hold, and the operator must approve it in advance:

• ISO microchip, implanted before or together with the rabies vaccination; a vaccination dated earlier is not valid.
• Rabies vaccination from 12 weeks of age, at least 21 days before travel when it is the first one.
• EU pet passport, or for pets from Great Britain an animal health certificate issued within ten days before arrival in the EU.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets per person on a non-commercial trip.
• No tapeworm treatment is needed to enter Poland.

For the way home: the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland and Norway require tapeworm treatment for dogs 1-5 days before arrival, and the UK admits pets only via approved routes and handlers; after a trip of five days or less, the dog can be treated in Britain before leaving, at least 24 hours before coming back. Ukraine is outside the EU, and bringing an animal back into the EU from there requires a rabies antibody test months in advance.

Documents, customs and taxes

Checklist before departure

• Passport or ID card for every passenger, children included; the Polish document for dual nationals.
• Names, dates of birth and document numbers, sent the day before.
• Last possible return time from Warsaw, checked against the 23:30 rule.
• Final address in Poland: city office, fair grounds, Zakopane, Sopot or the lakes.
• Number of suitcases, ski bags, golf bags and pushchairs.
• Pet papers, and the entry airport if the animal comes from outside the EU.
• Whether the aircraft waits, flies home or continues to another Polish city.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

How to book

1. Send the cities, dates, passengers, luggage and the addresses, for example the fair grounds in Poznan or a hotel in Zakopane.
2. We choose the airports and an alternate: Chopin or Modlin for Warsaw, Krakow or Katowice for the south, Rzeszów or Lublin for the east.
3. The handler requests the slot or the prior permission; for Warsaw we check the night rule against your return time.
4. The offer shows two to four aircraft with operator, model, cabin photos and the whole-aircraft price, and an EU operator for any domestic leg.
5. With the operator's contract signed and paid, we confirm slots, handling, parking and the car or helicopter.

Questions about private flights to Poland

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

  • Short flights from Berlin to Poznan or from Prague to Wroclaw start at EUR 6,500 in a Pilatus PC-12. A Citation CJ3 costs EUR 9,000 from Munich to Wroclaw and EUR 13,500 from London to Warsaw or Krakow, for the whole aircraft. Fees and passenger taxes are shown separately.

• • Can we fly home late from Warsaw?

  • Chopin stops private and ad hoc movements from 23:30 to 05:30, and a slot that slips by more than about two hours has to be requested again. For a later departure we plan Modlin, which has no night curfew.

• • Which airport is best for Zakopane?

  • Krakow: 110 km by road, 2-2.5 hours, or about 30 minutes by helicopter. Poprad-Tatry on the Slovak side is the alternative.

• • Can we fly between Polish cities?

  • Yes, with an EU operator. Warsaw - Krakow takes 0:51 h in a Citation CJ3 and costs EUR 8,000, or EUR 7,000 in a PC-12.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • About 2:35 h to Warsaw and 2:31 h to Krakow in a Citation CJ3, non-stop. Poland is one hour ahead of London.

• • Do we need passports?

  • Within Schengen there is no check, but every passenger needs a valid passport or ID card for the operator. From the UK, passports are checked at the first Polish landing.

• • Can our dog fly with us?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport or animal health certificate. Poland requires no tapeworm treatment; animals from outside the EU arrive at a designated airport.

• • How do we travel on to Ukraine?

  • Civil airspace over Ukraine is closed, so the flight lands at Rzeszów or Lublin and the trip continues by car or train. The border crossings at Medyka and Korczowa are 1.5-2 hours by road from Rzeszów.

• • Is it hard to find parking during the Poznan fairs?

  • On the biggest fair days stands at Ławica are scarce, so the aircraft often drops you off and returns for the flight home. Hotels in the city also fill weeks ahead.

• • When are Empty Legs most likely?

  • At the end of the summer holidays, at the end of the ski season and on routes from Warsaw to western Europe all year. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and dates.

• • How early should we book?

  • For September and October fair weeks, the ski holidays and summer weekends on the coast, several weeks ahead. In March and November a few days is usually enough.