Private jet to Romania

The Carpathians split the country into three parts that are hard to link by road: Bucharest on the southern plain, the cities of Transylvania inside the mountain arc, and the Black Sea coast in the east. A drive from the capital to Sibiu or Cluj-Napoca takes several hours over the mountains, while a light jet covers any domestic leg in about an hour. From Vienna the flight to Bucharest is 1:39 h, from London 3:27 h.

Most private flights to Romania are business trips: the capital produces about a quarter of the national output, and many plants, IT offices and service centres sit in Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Sibiu and Brașov. In summer the traffic adds festival weekends in Cluj and the beaches of Mamaia, in winter ski trips to Poiana Brașov. As a broker, we find the aircraft with operators across Europe and plan the route through the right airport, not just the biggest one.

Send the cities, dates, number of passengers and the address of the first meeting or hotel, and we will reply with the airport, aircraft and price.

Why charter a jet to Romania

Flight times to Romanian airports

Times in a Citation CJ3 from the price tables below, including taxi, climb and descent:

From Central Europe a light jet reaches any Romanian airport in about two hours; from London, Paris and Madrid the flight is three to four hours, still without a fuel stop. Transylvania and Timișoara lie west of the Carpathians, so they are 15-25 minutes closer to Western Europe than Bucharest or Constanța. From Poland, the Baltic states and Scandinavia the direct line crosses the closed airspace of western Ukraine, so the operator routes over Slovakia and Hungary and the flight is longer than a straight line suggests.

Private jet prices to Romania

Each price is for the whole aircraft, one way, with an aircraft available near the departure airport. Handling, airport charges and passenger taxes are added in the quote. The flight time refers to the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs

A Citation CJ3 from London costs EUR 16,500 to Bucharest and EUR 15,500 to Sibiu, from Paris EUR 15,000 to the capital. The shortest hub routes are Vienna - Bucharest at EUR 10,500 and Milan - Timișoara at EUR 11,000. A Challenger 350 with a stand-up cabin costs EUR 27,000 from London and EUR 19,500 from Munich to Bucharest.

From the region and Central Europe

Sofia - Bucharest costs EUR 7,000 in a PC-12 and Belgrade - Timișoara EUR 6,500. Chișinău, Istanbul and Belgrade are outside Schengen, so these legs include a passport check at both ends.

Domestic flights

Bucharest - Brașov, Sibiu or Constanța costs EUR 6,500 in a PC-12, Bucharest - Cluj-Napoca EUR 7,000. Romania is in the EU, so any EU operator may fly these legs; a UK or other non-EU operator may not carry passengers between two Romanian airports. On a tour of several cities we put the legs in order, for example Bucharest, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca and home, instead of returning to the capital each time.

Long-haul flights

Large cabins use Henri Coandă, Timișoara or Constanța, which all have runways of 3,500 m. Prices depend on the flight time, where the nearest free aircraft is based, the season and how long the aircraft must wait. Romanian airport and handling charges are listed in the quote, and the departure country may add its own tax, such as the French, Italian or Austrian passenger taxes or UK Air Passenger Duty, explained below.

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

What a trip really costs

Price per person

A private jet is chartered as a whole, so the cost per seat drops with every extra passenger:

Online calculator

Enter the route, date and number of passengers to any Romanian airport, and the calculator sends an estimate by e-mail within minutes.

Airports for business aviation

Romania has two airports in Bucharest and five regional airports that take business jets without difficulty. Not all of them work through the night, and some need advance notice, so the airport is chosen by the address and the hours of the trip:

Iași in the north-east and Suceava, the airport for the painted monasteries of Bukovina, take light and midsize jets, with customs and handling arranged case by case. A commercial charter by an operator from outside the EU, a British one included, needs a landing permit from the Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority; the usual lead time is 24-48 working hours.

Which aircraft for a Romanian trip

Skis and boots take hold space quickly: a group of five with ski gear for Poiana Brașov is better off in one of the midsize jets than in a light jet. For Cluj-Napoca, tell us the passenger numbers and luggage early, because the shorter runway can limit the take-off weight of the largest aircraft.

Want to plan several Romanian cities or a trip on to Moldova or Bulgaria? Leave your number and a consultant will call you.

When to fly: the Romanian year

Business travel to Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Timișoara runs all year, so Romania has no dead season, only peaks: ski weekends in winter, festivals and the coast in summer. The easiest months for a tour of Transylvania are May, June, September and October, warm but without the July heat in Bucharest. Empty Legs are most frequent after the Cluj festivals in July and August, at the end of the beach season, and on weekdays all year, when jets that brought executives fly home empty.

For Untold, Electric Castle and summer weekends on the coast, book the aircraft and the stand several weeks ahead. The rest of the year a trip can usually be arranged within a few days, allowing time for the permit when the operator is from outside the EU.

From the airport to the city, the mountains and the sea

Empty Legs to and from Romania

Many trips to Romania are one way: the jet drops executives in Bucharest or Cluj-Napoca and flies back to its base in Western Europe the same day. Those legs are sold at a reduced price. Typical directions:

The date belongs to the original booking, so Empty Legs suit flexible plans. Send the direction and a date range to empty-legs@jets.flights and we will forward matching flights.

Flying with a dog or cat

Your dog or cat travels in the cabin with you, not in the hold. The operator must approve the animal before the booking and needs its species, breed and weight. Romania applies the EU rules:

• Microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks of age or older, at least 21 days before travel when it is the first one.
• EU pet passport; pets from Great Britain travel with an animal health certificate, valid for entry for ten days from issue.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets per person on a non-commercial trip.
• No tapeworm treatment is required to enter Romania.

Going on to Moldova needs planning at home: Moldova is not on the EU list of countries exempt from the rabies antibody test, so the blood test is taken at least 30 days after vaccination and well before the trip. Flying back to the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway, dogs need tapeworm treatment by a vet 1-5 days before arrival, and the UK admits pets only through approved routes and handlers.

Documents, entry rules and taxes

Checklist before departure

• Valid passport or ID card for every passenger; a passport for anyone travelling from the UK or continuing to Moldova, Serbia or Turkey.
• Full names, dates of birth and document numbers, sent no later than the day before, earlier when a permit is needed.
• All cities on the trip and the order of the legs.
• The return time, so we can avoid Băneasa after 22:00 and Brașov after 23:00.
• Number of suitcases, skis or golf bags.
• For a dog or cat: the documents, the breed and the airport of entry.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

How to book

1. Send the cities, dates, passengers and luggage: a meeting in Bucharest, a plant in Timișoara, a hotel in Poiana Brașov or a villa near Mamaia.
2. We choose the airport for each address and time, check opening hours, handling and, for a non-EU operator, the landing permit.
3. You receive 2-4 aircraft options with operator, model, cabin photos and the price for the whole aircraft, with domestic legs and crew nights as separate lines.
4. You sign the contract with the operator and pay; we confirm the handler, the VIP terminal at Henri Coandă and the cars in each city.
5. On the day, the driver waits at the terminal or the aircraft, and the crew has the next leg filed before you land.

Questions about private flights to Romania

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

  • From the European hubs a Citation CJ3 costs from EUR 10,500 one way, Vienna - Bucharest, and EUR 16,500 from London. Domestic legs by turboprop start at EUR 6,500. Handling, airport charges and taxes are added in the quote.

• • Henri Coandă or Băneasa: which Bucharest airport?

  • Henri Coandă works 24 hours, has two long runways and the VIP terminal, and takes every aircraft. Băneasa is closer to the centre and the northern business districts, but noise rules apply from 22:00, so it suits daytime trips in smaller jets.

• • Which airport for Transylvania?

  • Cluj-Napoca for the north-west, Sibiu for the Saxon villages and the Transfăgărășan, Brașov-Ghimbav for Brașov, Poiana Brașov and Bran. All three are within an hour of Bucharest by jet.

• • Can we visit several cities with the same aircraft?

  • Yes. An EU operator may fly between Romanian airports, and a jet leg from Bucharest to another Romanian city in the tables takes about an hour or less. The crew's night stops and waiting time appear in the quote.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • About 3:27 h to Bucharest and 3:10 h to Sibiu in a Citation CJ3, non-stop. Romania is two hours ahead of London.

• • Is there a passport check?

  • Not from other Schengen countries, but the operator needs a valid passport or ID card. From the UK passports are checked on arrival, and British visitors need no visa for up to 90 days in any 180.

• • Can we land late at night?

  • At Henri Coandă, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu and Timișoara, yes. Brașov-Ghimbav closes at 23:00, and Băneasa has noise rules from 22:00, so late flights use one of the 24-hour airports.

• • Can my dog fly with us?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport or animal health certificate. No tapeworm treatment is needed for Romania, and some breeds such as pit bull types are restricted.

• • Are there Empty Legs from Romania?

  • Yes, mostly from Bucharest after business trips, from Cluj-Napoca after the summer festivals and from Constanța at the end of the beach season. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and dates.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • A few days are usually enough. For festival weekends in Cluj and summer weekends on the coast, book several weeks ahead, and allow 24-48 working hours for the permit if the operator is from outside the EU.

• • Which currency is used?

  • The Romanian leu (RON). The charter is invoiced in euros, while hotels, restaurants and drivers are paid in lei or by card.