Private jet to Riga

The Latvian capital is the largest city in the Baltic states, with a busy seaport, the region's banking and logistics businesses and a medieval Old Town on the UNESCO World Heritage List, with a large Art Nouveau quarter beside it. Private flyers come for one-day meetings, for summer weeks on the beaches of Jūrmala and for tours that link the three Baltic capitals with Helsinki and Stockholm.

The airport sits in Mārupe, about 10 km west of the centre, between the city and the coast. Business jets are handled at the FBO Riga business aviation centre, a terminal separate from the airline building with its own apron, car park, helipad and a heated hangar. The airport is open 24 hours, slot-coordinated, and every flight must use a ground handler. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe and arrange the slot, the handler and the car to the city or the beach.

Say in the form where you will stay, in the city or in Jūrmala, and for how long; a consultant will reply with aircraft options and the price.

What makes a private flight to Latvia worthwhile

Flight times to the Latvian capital

Citation CJ3 times from the hubs, block to block, as in the first table:

• Stockholm 1:07 h, Copenhagen 1:29 h, Oslo 1:39 h, Berlin 1:40 h
• Hamburg 1:50 h, Vienna 2:02 h
• Munich 2:15 h, Frankfurt 2:16 h, Amsterdam 2:21 h, Zurich 2:33 h
• Milan Linate 2:46 h, Paris Le Bourget 2:50 h, Geneva 2:52 h, London Farnborough 2:53 h
• Nice 3:07 h, Larnaca 4:03 h, Madrid 4:14 h

The city sits a little further south and west than Tallinn or Helsinki, so London, Paris and Geneva are all under three hours away in a light jet. Remember the clock: a CJ3 leaving London at 08:00 lands at about 12:53 local time, two hours ahead of the UK, and the two hours come back on the way home. From Larnaca and Madrid, 2,500-2,700 km away, the XLS+ and Praetor 600 save 16-22 minutes and offer a cabin to stand in.

Private jet prices to Riga

The tables quote one-way prices for the entire aircraft, with an aircraft based close to the departure point. Handling, airport fees and passenger taxes are added in the offer, and the time shown is for the aircraft in the first price column.

From the European hubs and Scandinavia

London, Paris and Geneva all cost EUR 14,500 in the CJ3, because the three hubs are almost the same distance away. From Stockholm the same jet costs EUR 9,000.

From the neighbours and the UK regions

Between the Baltic capitals and from northern Poland the flights last about an hour, and a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop is the cheapest option. From Manchester the PC-12 needs almost four hours, so the Phenom 300 is the usual choice there.

Long-haul arrivals

The 3,200 m runway and the hangar, built for large cabins, take every long-range jet. From the Gulf and Tel Aviv all three types fly non-stop; from New York the Challenger 650 stops once to refuel.

Straight to Liepāja on the west coast

Liepāja, about 180 km west of the capital, has a 2,002 m runway with ILS and saves a drive of about 200 km. A flight from outside Schengen needs the airport's permission at least 24 hours ahead, and the office keeps weekday daytime hours:

Flight time drives the price, and a fixed part covers bringing aircraft and crew to the start. The handler's fee is a separate line, and from November to March de-icing and, if requested, a night in the heated hangar are added. The departure country sets the passenger tax. A jet from Nice or Paris carries about EUR 420 per passenger in French tax, a flight from Milan EUR 200 in Italian tax (over 1,500 km), one from Vienna EUR 12. From Stockholm there is none; German and Norwegian departure taxes and UK Air Passenger Duty are itemised 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 trips in figures

Cost per seat

The aircraft is chartered as a whole, so the cost per person falls with each additional passenger, and taxes are charged per person on top:

Quick estimate online

Fill in the route, date and number of passengers, and the calculator sends an estimate by e-mail.

Riga International and the FBO Riga centre

Riga International Airport (RIX, EVRA) is the largest airport in the Baltic states and the hub of airBaltic. It lies in the municipality of Mārupe, about 10 km west of the centre. The single runway 18/36 is 3,200 m long and 45 m wide, with Category II ILS at both ends, so runway length never limits a business jet.

Private flights use the FBO Riga business aviation centre, the first terminal built for business aviation in the Baltics. It has its own apron and car park, a helipad, a VIP area with meeting rooms and a heated hangar of 8,400 m², large enough for airliner-sized business jets. Ground handling is compulsory: the handler, for example RIX Ground Handling or Havas Latvia, requests the slot, files the paperwork, orders fuel and de-icing and tells the driver where to wait.

Customs, border control, fuelling and security work around the clock, and de-icing is available 24 hours from October to March. On snowy mornings the de-icing queue grows, so we book it early for a morning return. Two protected areas over Jūrmala shape the arrival and departure routes; they are not a curfew. A charter flown by an operator from outside the EU may need a permit from the Latvian Ministry of Transport, filed a few working days ahead; we handle it when it applies.

Liepāja, Jūrmala airfield and the alternates

Other Latvian airfields are far from the capital and serve specific trips. The Jūrmala airfield near Tukums has a 2,502 m runway but is limited to visual flights and lies farther from the beaches than the main airport, so it is used for parking and hangar space rather than transfers. Spilve, the old field on the Daugava, takes national visual flights only. Straight-line distances from RIX:

Aircraft classes for this route

Light jets cover most trips here, since London, Paris, Geneva and Milan are all under three hours away. For golf or ski bags and luggage for a week, the hold of a midsize jet is the safer choice.

Need help choosing between two aircraft, or a slot for an early return? Give us a phone number and we will call you.

Seasons and holidays in Latvia

Business travel runs all year, while leisure traffic peaks in summer, when families fly in for Jūrmala:

For July and August book the beach hotel before confirming the aircraft, because the best addresses go early. June before Midsummer and September are quieter months for the coast.

From the airport to the Old Town and Jūrmala

Empty Legs around the Baltic

An Empty Leg is a flight without passengers, made when an aircraft returns to base or positions for its next clients. Aircraft circulate between the Nordic and Baltic capitals, so such sectors come up regularly on these routes:

The operator fixes the time of an Empty Leg, so it suits flexible travellers; with a fixed meeting, a regular charter is the safer choice. Tell us at empty-legs@jets.flights which way you want to go and when, and matching sectors reach you by e-mail.

Pets on board

A pet stays with its owner in the cabin, once the operator has said yes. Latvia applies the EU entry rules and has no quarantine:

• Identification by ISO microchip, placed before vaccination.
• Valid rabies vaccination; the animal must be at least 12 weeks old, and after the first dose 21 days have to pass before travel.
• Pet passport from an EU country; animals from Great Britain travel on an animal health certificate.
• A limit of five pets per person for non-commercial travel.
• Latvia does not ask for a tapeworm treatment.

Documents, customs and taxes

Checklist for departure

• Travel documents for the whole group, children's included.
• Passenger data for the handler (names, birth dates, document numbers) no later than the day before.
• Hotel address in the city or in Jūrmala, for the driver.
• Meeting room at the airport, if you plan to meet without going into town.
• Luggage count, especially for a beach week or golf bags.
• Pet passport and, if continuing to Finland, the tapeworm treatment.
• Billing company and VAT number.

How the booking works

1. Send the route, the date, the number of passengers and luggage, and where you stay, in the city or in Jūrmala.
2. For stays of more than two nights we compare parking at Riga with two one-way flights, and check the slot and the handler.
3. You receive 2-4 aircraft options with operator, model, year, cabin photos and the price for the whole aircraft.
4. After signature and payment we send the passenger data to the handler and book the car, the meeting room or the hangar.
5. On the day, the car waits at the business aviation centre and drives you to the Old Town or straight to the beach.

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

Your questions about flying privately to Riga

• • What is the price of a private jet to Riga?

  • From Vilnius a Pilatus PC-12 costs EUR 7,000 one way for the whole aircraft, and a Citation CJ3 from Stockholm EUR 9,000. From London, Paris or Geneva the CJ3 costs EUR 14,500; handling and taxes are added.

• • Where do business jets park?

  • At the FBO Riga business aviation centre, which has its own terminal, apron and car park, away from the airline building.

• • How far is Jūrmala from the airport?

  • 18 km to Majori on the A10, without crossing the city. The Jūrmala entry toll is included in the car price.

• • Is the airport open at night?

  • Yes, 24 hours, with customs and border control around the clock. Crew duty time and the opening hours of the departure airport usually limit a night flight more than Riga does.

• • What is the flight time from London?

  • 2:53 h in a Citation CJ3 from Farnborough, 2:42 h in a Citation XLS+. Riga clocks run two hours ahead of London.

• • Can we hold a meeting at the airport?

  • Yes. The VIP centre has meeting rooms, and the airport hotel has conference rooms, so a team can fly in and out the same day without driving to the city.

• • Do I need a passport for Latvia?

  • EU citizens can travel with a national ID card, and flights from Schengen airports have no border check. UK citizens need a passport and pass border control on arrival.

• • Is a tapeworm treatment needed for Latvia?

  • No. It becomes necessary only if the dog flies on to Finland, the UK, Ireland, Malta or Norway.

• • Can we combine Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius?

  • Yes. Each hop takes about an hour or less, and all three countries are in Schengen. The aircraft waits at each stop or repositions, as you prefer.

• • Are Empty Legs available to Riga?

  • Yes, mostly from Vilnius, Tallinn, Stockholm and Helsinki, and from Poland. Send the route and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How far in advance should I book for the summer?

  • For July and August, book the aircraft and the beach hotel 2-3 weeks ahead. Out of season, a day or two of notice is often enough.