Private jet to Rwanda
Rwanda is a small, hilly country in the centre of the continent, and every private jet from Europe lands at one airport: Kigali International, on the eastern edge of the capital. It is open round the clock, has a 3,500 m runway and border formalities on site. From there the mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park are about two hours north by road, Akagera's savanna about two and a half hours east, and Nyungwe Forest in the south-west a long drive or a helicopter flight away.
Private clients come for two reasons: gorilla trekking, often combined with Uganda or a safari in Kenya or Tanzania, and conferences and state visits in Kigali, whose convention centre has hosted an African Union summit and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. As a broker, we compare aircraft from European and Gulf operators and arrange the permit, the handling and the ground transfer.
Send the dates, the number of passengers and the plan: Kigali, the gorillas or a trip through several countries. A consultant replies with aircraft and prices.
Why fly privately to Kigali
Prices and flight times to Rwanda
Prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, plus landing permit, handling, airport charges and taxes. The time column shows the first aircraft in each row, with a fuel stop where needed.
From the European hubs
| Route | Distance | Flight time | Super midsize Praetor 600 |
Heavy jet Challenger 650 |
Long range Falcon 7X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Farnborough - Kigali | 6,601 km | 10:15 h, 1 stop | EUR 70,000 | EUR 88,000 | EUR 99,000 |
| Paris Le Bourget - Kigali | 6,259 km | 9:49 h, 1 stop | EUR 67,000 | EUR 71,000 | EUR 95,000 |
| Geneva - Kigali | 5,856 km | 7:49 h | EUR 53,000 | EUR 68,000 | EUR 90,000 |
| Zurich - Kigali | 5,884 km | 7:51 h | EUR 53,000 | EUR 68,000 | EUR 90,000 |
| Milan Linate - Kigali | 5,659 km | 7:34 h | EUR 52,000 | EUR 66,000 | EUR 87,000 |
| Munich - Kigali | 5,870 km | 7:50 h | EUR 53,000 | EUR 68,000 | EUR 90,000 |
| Frankfurt - Kigali | 6,138 km | 8:10 h | EUR 56,000 | EUR 70,000 | EUR 93,000 |
| Vienna - Kigali | 5,722 km | 7:39 h | EUR 52,000 | EUR 67,000 | EUR 88,000 |
| Amsterdam - Kigali | 6,487 km | 10:07 h, 1 stop | EUR 69,000 | EUR 87,000 | EUR 98,000 |
| Madrid - Kigali | 5,828 km | 7:47 h | EUR 53,000 | EUR 67,000 | EUR 90,000 |
| Nice - Kigali | 5,564 km | 7:27 h | EUR 51,000 | EUR 65,000 | EUR 86,000 |
| Hamburg - Kigali | 6,458 km | 10:04 h, 1 stop | EUR 68,000 | EUR 86,000 | EUR 98,000 |
| Larnaca - Kigali | 4,113 km | 5:38 h | EUR 39,000 | EUR 54,000 | EUR 68,000 |
The Praetor 600 flies non-stop from Geneva, Zurich, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Vienna, Madrid and Nice for EUR 51,000-56,000. From London, Paris, Amsterdam and Hamburg it stops once for fuel; the long-range Falcon 7X covers those routes non-stop in about 7:40-8:05 h for EUR 95,000-99,000. Operators route around closed airspace, so the real track can be longer than the table distance.
From the region and the Gulf
| Route | Distance | Flight time | Light jet Phenom 300 |
Midsize jet Praetor 500 |
Super midsize Challenger 350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entebbe - Kigali | 340 km | 0:57 h | EUR 10,000 | EUR 11,000 | EUR 12,500 |
| Nairobi - Kigali | 758 km | 1:31 h | EUR 12,000 | EUR 13,500 | EUR 16,000 |
| Kilimanjaro - Kigali | 787 km | 1:33 h | EUR 12,000 | EUR 14,000 | EUR 16,000 |
| Dar es Salaam - Kigali | 1,143 km | 2:01 h | EUR 13,500 | EUR 16,000 | EUR 19,000 |
| Addis Ababa - Kigali | 1,550 km | 2:34 h | EUR 15,500 | EUR 18,500 | EUR 22,000 |
| Johannesburg - Kigali | 2,695 km | 4:06 h | EUR 21,000 | EUR 26,000 | EUR 32,000 |
| Dubai World Central - Kigali | 4,025 km | 5:32 h | on request | EUR 33,000 | EUR 41,000 |
From Dubai the Phenom 300 would need a stop; the Praetor 500 costs EUR 33,000 for the 5:32 h flight. A jet leaving France pays about EUR 2,100 per passenger in tax, the long-distance rate (about EUR 420 applies within Europe), and Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger on flights to and from the country beyond 1,500 km; Germany, the Netherlands (aircraft of 5.7 t or more) and the UK levy departure taxes too, and UK Air Passenger Duty uses its higher private-jet rate for aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats. Airport and permit charges in Kigali are itemised in the quote.
Business jet price per flight hour
Per passenger
| Route | Aircraft | Whole aircraft | 2 passengers | 4 passengers | 8 passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larnaca - Kigali | Praetor 600 | EUR 39,000 | EUR 19,500 | EUR 9,800 | EUR 4,900 |
| Vienna - Kigali | Praetor 600 | EUR 52,000 | EUR 26,000 | EUR 13,000 | EUR 6,500 |
| Geneva - Kigali | Challenger 650 | EUR 68,000 | EUR 34,000 | EUR 17,000 | EUR 8,500 |
| London Farnborough - Kigali | Falcon 7X | EUR 99,000 | EUR 49,500 | EUR 24,800 | EUR 12,400 |
Example: four people in a Praetor 600 from Vienna at EUR 52,000 to Kigali, two nights near Volcanoes National Park, then the 57-minute hop to Entebbe, priced like Entebbe - Kigali at EUR 10,000, for a second trek in Uganda.
For a first estimate with your dates, use the calculator:
Kigali International and the ground plan
Kigali International (KGL / HRYR) lies in the Kanombe district, east of the city centre, at about 1,480 m. Runway 10/28 is 3,500 m long and 45 m wide, with instrument approaches. Customs, immigration, fuel and handling are published as round the clock, slots are not required, and Jet A-1 is available. Private aircraft park on a general aviation area of the apron, and a VIP terminal in the older building beside the main terminal can be used on request. Handling is provided by RwandAir and by agents such as General Aviation Services; we confirm in writing where passengers are processed.
| Airport | Code | Runway | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kigali International | KGL / HRYR | 3,500 m | Every business jet, 24 h, border clearance |
| Gisenyi | GYI / HRYG | about 1,000 m | Light aircraft, Lake Kivu; no jets |
| Kamembe | KME / HRZA | about 1,500 m | In the border area covered by travel advice; not planned |
| Bugesera | under construction | - | Future airport south of Kigali; not open |
Kigali is high, so on a warm afternoon a full aircraft needs a longer take-off run. The runway leaves a wide margin, but the operator checks the take-off weight for the day, especially for a non-stop flight back to Europe with a full cabin.
A foreign aircraft needs a landing permit from the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority. Agents quote 24 to 48 hours of lead time; a landing permit is valid for 24 hours and an overflight approval for 72 hours. Crew visas are issued on arrival. There are no domestic jet flights: the country is small, and passengers travel by road or by helicopter. Akagera Aviation, based at Kigali International, flies helicopter transfers, for example about 30 minutes to Musanze near the gorilla park; each landing site is confirmed in advance.
To plan the jet, the trek and the transfers together, leave your number:
Seasons and dates
The long dry season from June to September and the short dry spell in January and February are the easiest months for trekking. The long rains from March to May make roads and trails slower. Empty Legs from Kigali are rare; they appear mostly after the summer and in early January.
On the last Saturday of each month, Umuganda community work closes most services in the morning, so transfers and handling are timed around it. Daytime highs in Kigali are about 25-28 °C; the north-west near the volcanoes is cooler and wetter.
Empty Legs
On a route this long Empty Legs are rare. The leg most often offered is the return to Europe of a jet that dropped a group in Kigali and did not wait; regional legs to Entebbe and Nairobi also appear. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates; a landing permit is filed for your group even on an empty leg.
Travelling with a dog or cat
The pet flies in the cabin if the operator agrees. We obtain the Rwandan requirements in writing before the aircraft is confirmed:
- Import permit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, applied for well in advance; entry through Kigali International.
- Rabies vaccination between 30 days and 12 months before entry, and a health certificate completed by a licensed vet in the 14 days before arrival.
- Treatment against internal parasites, tapeworm included, one to five days before arrival; Rwanda publishes a list of banned dog breeds, which we check before booking.
- Return to the EU or UK: Rwanda is not a listed country, so a microchip and a rabies antibody test are needed, ideally done before departure to avoid the three-month wait; for the UK also a pet health certificate, an approved route and tapeworm treatment for dogs 1-5 days before arrival.
Entry rules and travel advice
Booking
- Send dates, passengers, the trekking or conference programme and any other country in the trip.
- We match the aircraft to the group and the trekking dates and ask the operator to confirm the take-off weight at Kigali's altitude for the flight home.
- You receive 2-4 offers with operator, model, cabin photos and the price for the whole aircraft.
- After signing and payment we apply for the landing permit and book the handler, the VIP terminal if wanted, and the transfer.
- On the day, bring passports; the handler meets the aircraft in Kigali and takes you through the formalities.
Questions about private flights to Rwanda
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- How much does a private jet to Rwanda cost?
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A Praetor 600 to Kigali costs from EUR 51,000 one way from Nice and EUR 52,000 from Milan or Vienna, for the whole aircraft. From Larnaca it is EUR 39,000.
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- How long is the flight from Europe?
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About 7:27-8:10 h non-stop in a Praetor 600 from Nice, Milan, Vienna, Geneva, Zurich, Munich, Madrid and Frankfurt. From London a Falcon 7X takes 8:05 h non-stop.
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- Which airport do private jets use?
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Kigali International, open 24 hours with border clearance and a 3,500 m runway. There are no domestic jet flights in Rwanda.
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- How do we get to the gorillas?
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By road, about two hours from Kigali to the Musanze area, or by helicopter in about 30 minutes. The trek starts the next morning.
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- Do we need a visa?
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A visa on arrival is available to all nationalities and is free for 30 days for Commonwealth and Francophonie citizens, including British, French, Belgian and Swiss passport holders. Others pay a fee.
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- How long does the landing permit take?
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Agents quote 24 to 48 hours for a complete request; we apply as soon as passenger details are final.
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- Can we combine Rwanda and Uganda?
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Yes. Kigali - Entebbe takes 57 minutes in a Phenom 300, at EUR 10,000 for the whole aircraft.
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- Are there Empty Legs to Kigali?
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Rarely, mostly back to Europe after the summer and in early January. Send your dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.
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