Private jet to Réunion

Réunion is a French overseas department and region in the Indian Ocean, about 9,400 km from Paris and 231 km south-west of Mauritius. It is part of France and of the European Union, uses the euro and French law, but lies outside the Schengen area, so every arrival passes border control. The island covers about 2,500 km², has about 900,000 inhabitants and is one volcanic massif: Piton des Neiges rises to about 3,070 m, and the Piton de la Fournaise in the east is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

Private flights come for the mountains rather than for beach resorts: hiking in the cirques of Mafate, Salazie and Cilaos, helicopter flights over the volcano, family visits and business in Saint-Denis. Many trips are combined with Mauritius, which is 48 minutes away. The island has two airports for business jets, Roland Garros next to the capital and Pierrefonds in the south.

Tell us the dates, the number of travellers and the airport you prefer, Roland Garros or Pierrefonds; the offer comes back with aircraft, routing and fuel stop.

Flight times and routing

The Gulfstream G550 flies every hub in the main table without a stop: Vienna 11:10 h, Nice 11:18 h, Milan Linate 11:20 h, Munich 11:28 h, Zurich 11:35 h, Geneva 11:38 h, Frankfurt 11:50 h, Paris Le Bourget 12:08 h, Amsterdam 12:18 h and London Farnborough 12:33 h; from Larnaca it takes 8:43 h. A Challenger 650 lands once for fuel, usually in the Gulf or in East Africa, which adds almost two hours. The routing around closed and restricted airspace makes the flight about 8 per cent longer than the straight line, and on the way back to Europe headwinds can call for a stop.

Prices to Roland Garros and Pierrefonds

Each price covers the whole aircraft one way, with a jet based close to the departure city; handling, the fuel stop, parking at Roland Garros and passenger taxes come on top. The time column refers to the first model in each row.

From the European hubs

With one fuel stop, a Challenger 650 costs from EUR 115,000 out of Vienna and EUR 125,000 out of Paris. Non-stop, a Gulfstream G550 costs EUR 135,000 from Vienna and EUR 150,000 from Paris. Larnaca is the closest hub: EUR 94,000 in the Challenger 650 with one stop and EUR 105,000 in the G550 without one.

From other cities in France and Europe

The Praetor 600 with one stop costs from EUR 89,000 out of Rome and EUR 94,000 out of Marseille. From Lyon the Gulfstream G650 reads on request because the business airport at Bron has a short runway, so a long-range jet is quoted from a longer runway nearby.

From Mauritius, the Seychelles, Madagascar and Johannesburg

Flights between mainland France and Réunion are French domestic flights in law: they can be flown by an operator from the EU, but not by an operator from outside it. A departure from the island pays French passenger taxes. A business jet between Paris and Réunion is normally charged the European rate of the French tax, about EUR 420 per passenger, which the operator confirms in the quote; international legs of greater length cost more, about EUR 1,015 or EUR 2,100 depending on distance. From Italy EUR 200 per passenger applies at this distance and from Austria EUR 12; UK Air Passenger Duty is charged at the higher rate on jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, at the standard rate on lighter jets, and Germany, Norway and the Netherlands add their own taxes. Each of these is itemised in the offer.

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

Two trips with the costs

Per passenger

Calculator

For another departure city, the calculator sends an estimate by e-mail:

The two airports

Neither airport offers hangar space to visiting jets, so an aircraft staying for a week waits on the apron; in the cyclone months it is safer to plan for it to leave the island and come back. Pierrefonds is about 50 km from Roland Garros in a straight line.

Which aircraft

From Europe only long-range jets such as the Gulfstream G550, Gulfstream G650 or Global 7500 fly without a stop; a Challenger 650 or a Praetor 600 lands once and costs less. For Mauritius, Madagascar, Mayotte and the Seychelles a Phenom 300 is enough. The ultra long range catalogue lists further models with enough range for a non-stop flight.

For a call about the long-range options, leave a number:

Around the island

Shark risk is real on parts of the coast, so swimming is advised only in the protected lagoon areas.

Seasons and events

The seasons are the reverse of Europe's. May to October is the dry, cooler season and the best time for walking, with June to August the driest; November to April is hot and humid, the sea is at its warmest, and January to March brings the main cyclone risk. Empty Legs are most frequent around Christmas and New Year and in July and August, when long-range jets fly back empty after bringing families or fly out empty to collect them.

Empty Legs

Long-range jets bring families out for the holidays and fly back to Europe empty, or fly out empty to collect them; regional legs appear between Réunion, Mauritius and Johannesburg. Send the direction and your dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, and an open return date helps.

Entry rules, customs and pets

• As in mainland France, a dog or cat needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before the flight and an EU pet passport; from outside the EU an animal health certificate replaces the passport.
• French law bans the import of attack dogs of the first category, so the breed is checked before booking.
• Up to five animals per person fly in the cabin next to their owners, once the operator has approved them.
• For a return to Britain, a dog is treated against tapeworm 1-5 days before landing there, and only approved routes into the UK accept pets.

How to book

1. Send the route, dates, passengers and the part of the island you are going to.
2. We choose Roland Garros or Pierrefonds and compare a non-stop long-range jet with a one-stop option.
3. You receive the offers with operator, model, flight time and price for the whole aircraft.
4. After signing and payment the operator files the flight and the handler books the stand and the lounge.
5. On arrival the handler meets you at the aircraft and takes you through passport control.

Questions about private flights to Réunion

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

  • From Larnaca a Challenger 650 costs EUR 94,000 with one fuel stop. From Paris it is EUR 125,000 with one stop or EUR 150,000 non-stop in a Gulfstream G550, one way for the whole aircraft.

• • Is Réunion part of France and the EU?

  • Yes, it is a French overseas department and part of the EU, with the euro. It is not in the Schengen area, so passports or ID cards are checked on arrival.

• • Which airport should we use?

  • Roland Garros near Saint-Denis for every flight from Europe; Pierrefonds in the south suits smaller jets from Mauritius or Madagascar.

• • Is a non-stop flight from Europe possible?

  • Yes, in a Gulfstream G550, G650 or Global 7500: 12:08 h from Paris Le Bourget and 11:10 h from Vienna in the G550.

• • Can we combine Réunion with Mauritius?

  • Yes, the flight takes 0:48 h in a Phenom 300 for EUR 9,500. Mauritius is another country, so there is border control at each end.

• • Can we bring our dog?

  • Yes, with the same papers as for mainland France: microchip, rabies vaccination and EU pet passport. Attack dogs of the first category are not admitted.

• • Which months suit a trip best?

  • May to October for hiking and dry weather. January to March is the cyclone season.

• • Can an operator from outside the EU fly the Paris route?

  • No, a flight between mainland France and Réunion is domestic in law and must be flown by an EU operator.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Réunion is three hours ahead of Paris in winter and two in summer, and four hours ahead of London in winter.