Private jet to Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is an independent island state in the Windward Islands and a Commonwealth realm: 617 km², about 184,000 inhabitants, Castries as the capital and the East Caribbean dollar as currency. English is spoken everywhere, and Kwéyòl, a French-based creole, is widely used. The island is steep and green, with Mount Gimie at 950 m, and the two Pitons, volcanic peaks rising straight from the sea near Soufrière, are its best-known sight.

Private flights come for the resorts around the Pitons, villas at Cap Estate and Rodney Bay, honeymoons, the jazz festival and the yacht season, when the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers finishes at Rodney Bay. Jets from Europe land at Hewanorra in the far south; the smaller George F. L. Charles airport at Castries is closer to the northern hotels but limited to smaller aircraft in daylight and good weather.

Tell us the dates, the number of passengers and the resort or berth; we come back with aircraft, routing and prices.

The Atlantic crossing

Hewanorra is 6,764 km from London Farnborough and 6,928 km from Paris Le Bourget. A Gulfstream G550 flies these routes without a stop in 8:16 h and 8:28 h, a Gulfstream G650 in 8:01 h and 8:12 h. A Legacy 650 or a Praetor 600 stops once for fuel, normally at Santa Maria in the Azores, and needs a little over ten hours. Arriving in daylight matters here: the FBO and the helicopter work until the early evening, so a morning departure from Europe that lands in the early afternoon keeps both options open. The flight home is shorter with the westerly winds.

Prices to Saint Lucia

Each figure is the one-way price of the whole aircraft, positioned from a base near the departure city. Handling, an FBO call-out outside opening hours, the fuel stop and passenger taxes are added, and the time column refers to the first aircraft of the row.

From the European hubs

A Legacy 650 with one stop costs EUR 89,000 from London and EUR 84,000 from Madrid. Non-stop from London the Gulfstream G550 costs EUR 100,000, and from Vienna it is EUR 120,000.

From the British Isles and Lisbon

From Lisbon a Praetor 600 crosses without landing for EUR 53,000; from Manchester or Edinburgh it lands once and costs EUR 71,000.

Around the Windward Islands and from Miami

Martinique is the closest neighbour, 96 km from Hewanorra and 63 km from Castries. Mustique, in St Vincent and the Grenadines, has a runway of under 1,000 m, so only the turboprop flies there, at EUR 6,000; Barbados is 0:45 h away in a Citation CJ3 for EUR 7,500. Every one of these hops is an international flight with a border check at each end, and regional legs are usually flown by an operator based in the Caribbean.

Passenger taxes depend on the departure country. The French tax grows with distance, so a jet leaving mainland France for the Caribbean pays about EUR 2,100 per passenger, against roughly EUR 420 on European routes (about EUR 210 in a turboprop), and the operator confirms in the quote the amount due on the hop from Martinique; a flight of this length to or from Italy costs EUR 200 per passenger, and Austria adds EUR 12. From the UK, Air Passenger Duty is due at the higher rate on jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats and at the standard rate on lighter jets; Germany, Norway and the Netherlands levy taxes of their own. Everything is listed 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

Sample trips and their costs

Cost per passenger

Calculator

The calculator sends an estimate for any route by e-mail:

Hewanorra and Castries

A commercial charter needs a permit from the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority at least 24 hours before landing, with the aircraft, crew, passenger numbers, insurance and the handler named, and advance passenger information is sent before arrival. We ask for passport details when you book.

Which aircraft for Hewanorra and Castries

For the crossing a Legacy 650 or a Praetor 600 with one stop keeps the cost down; a Gulfstream G550 or a Gulfstream G650 crosses in one go and suits a short stay or a large party. For Castries, Mustique and the Grenadines a Pilatus PC-12 or a Citation CJ3 is the right size, and a Citation XLS class jet fits the Castries limits for the hop to Martinique. More large cabins are in the heavy jets catalogue.

For advice on the aircraft and the island hop, leave your phone number:

From the runway to the resort

Saint Lucia Helicopters is based at Hewanorra, with a helipad and a desk in the terminal, and flies transfers, tours and hourly charters; it does not fly after sunset, so a late arrival continues by car. Landings at a villa or a hotel without its own pad need a site agreed in advance.

The year in Saint Lucia

The dry season runs from December to May, and visitor numbers peak from January to April; the Christmas fortnight and the jazz festival at the turn of April and May are the busiest dates. June to November is wetter and overlaps with the hurricane season, so summer bookings keep the dates flexible. Empty Legs are most frequent in January and after the jazz festival in May, when jets that brought guests out return to Europe or reposition to Florida.

Empty Legs to and from the island

A charter to Saint Lucia is usually one way, so jets fly home empty after the Christmas arrivals and fly out empty to bring guests back in January; the end of the season in May and the rally finish in December produce more. Many legs from the island point to Florida or another Caribbean base, so a flexible destination helps. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a window of a few days.

Entry and customs

Travelling with a pet

• Every dog and cat needs an import permit from the Veterinary and Livestock Services Division, issued before departure; the division wants the port, date, time and flight number at least three days before arrival.
• Conditions: ISO microchip, rabies vaccination at least one month before the flight, worm and tick treatment in the window written on the permit, the core vaccinations and a health certificate from the exporting country.
• The UK is in the rabies-free category and needs no blood test; for other countries the permit states whether a rabies antibody test is required.
• The animal must travel directly to the island, which a private flight does, and stays in the cabin with you once the operator has agreed.
• Saint Lucia is on the EU and UK lists for pet travel; a dog flying back to the UK needs tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before landing, through an approved route.

Booking

1. Tell us the dates, the passengers and where you will stay: the Pitons, Rodney Bay, Marigot Bay or a yacht.
2. We compare a non-stop long-range jet with a one-stop heavy jet and check whether Castries can take a smaller aircraft.
3. Each offer names the operator, the aircraft and the routing, with one price for the whole aircraft.
4. After signing and payment the operator obtains the permit, and the FBO books the stand, the call-out and the helicopter if needed.
5. On arrival the FBO takes you through immigration to the car or the helicopter.

Questions about private flights to Saint Lucia

• • What does a private jet to Saint Lucia cost?

  • From London a Legacy 650 with one stop costs EUR 89,000 and a Gulfstream G550 costs EUR 100,000 non-stop. From Lisbon a Praetor 600 costs EUR 53,000 without a stop, one way for the whole aircraft.

• • Which airport should we use?

  • Hewanorra in the south for every jet from Europe. Castries suits turboprops and smaller jets in daylight, for hops to the neighbouring islands.

• • How long does the flight take?

  • 8:16 h from London Farnborough and 8:28 h from Paris Le Bourget in a Gulfstream G550 without a stop.

• • How do we get from Hewanorra to the Pitons?

  • About an hour by car, or about 6 minutes by helicopter to the resort helipad, in daylight only.

• • Can we land late in the evening?

  • The tower works until about 23:00, but the FBO closes at 19:30, so a later arrival needs a call-out booked in advance, and the helicopter does not fly after dark.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • No, neither EU nor UK citizens need one for a holiday. The online immigration form is completed within three days before arrival.

• • Can we bring our dog?

  • Yes, with an import permit issued before departure, a microchip, rabies vaccination, parasite treatments and a health certificate.

• • When is the best time to go?

  • December to May, with the most visitors from January to April. Book early for Christmas, the jazz festival and the rally finish in December.

• • Can we fly on to Mustique?

  • Yes, in a PC-12 from Hewanorra; Mustique's runway is too short for any jet.