Private jet to Salzburg

Salzburg has two seasons for private flights. In summer guests come for the Festival, the concerts and the baroque old town on the Salzach; in winter skiers land here on the way to Zell am See, Saalbach, Kaprun and Bad Gastein. The airport lies on the western edge of the city, close to the Bavarian border and about 4 km from the old town, so the drive from the aircraft to the Festspielhaus takes 10-15 minutes.

Compared with the airports deep in the Alpine valleys, Salzburg is simpler for a jet: one long runway, open country to the north and an instrument landing system for poor visibility. The planning points are the hours, set by noise rules, the mandatory handling package and, from mid-December, prior permission on busy days. Winter Saturdays bring the heaviest traffic, with a queue for de-icing. As a broker we compare aircraft from operators across Europe and plan the arrival, the stay of the aircraft and the transfer as one trip.

Send the route, dates, number of passengers and, for the Festival, the date of the performance:

Why fly to Salzburg privately

Flight times to Salzburg

Times for a Citation CJ3, as in the price tables, with taxi, climb and descent:

Amsterdam is 1:34 h away, Hamburg 1:27 h and Geneva 1:16 h. From Venice or Prague a turboprop needs about an hour. A larger jet cuts only a few minutes on these sectors: from London the Gulfstream G280 needs 1:48 h against 1:59 h in the CJ3. Leaving a London airfield at seven in the morning, you land shortly before ten local time.

Prices for private flights to Salzburg

Prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, plus the handling package, de-icing, airport fees and passenger taxes, with an aircraft available near the departure airport. The flight time refers to the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs

From Vienna the CJ3 costs EUR 8,000; this is a domestic Austrian flight, and the Austrian tax on it is EUR 30 per passenger rather than EUR 12. From London the CJ3 costs EUR 11,500 and the Citation XLS+ EUR 15,000. Munich is only 0:39 h away, but most travellers from there take the car.

From Italy and central Europe

From Venice, Verona, Prague, Zagreb and Budapest the distance is short enough for a turboprop:

The PC-12 from Venice, Verona, Prague or Zagreb costs EUR 7,000, the lowest price on this page. The Italian tax of EUR 100 per passenger applies in both directions, and the return from Salzburg to Venice or Verona also carries the Austrian rate of EUR 30, as both lie within 350 km.

From Scandinavia, Poland and the UK regions

For a ski family from Scandinavia the hold decides the class: from Copenhagen the Citation XLS+ costs EUR 14,000 against EUR 12,500 for the PC-24 and takes skis for the whole group more easily.

Long-haul flights

The runway of about 2,750 m takes long-range jets; for a fully loaded intercontinental departure the operator checks the take-off weight, and Munich, about 1:30 h by car, remains the alternative:

Prices rise in the Festival weeks and on winter weekends, when many aircraft head for the same airport and free aircraft become scarce. Austria charges EUR 12 per departing passenger on aircraft over 2 t, also on the way back to the Gulf or the United States, and EUR 30 on flights up to 350 km. Flights from the UK pay Air Passenger Duty at the standard rate of the distance band (the higher private-jet rate applies only to aircraft of 20 t or more, and a PC-12 under 5.7 t is exempt), flights from France about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet, flights to or from Italy EUR 100 per passenger and flights from Germany a departure tax. All of them are 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

Price per person

The price covers the whole aircraft, so it falls per seat as the group grows. Taxes are added per passenger:

Cost calculator

For a first estimate, enter the route, date and number of passengers; mention the resort or the performance date in the comments.

Salzburg W. A. Mozart airport and its private terminal

Salzburg Airport W. A. Mozart (SZG, LOWS) is run by Salzburger Flughafen GmbH. It has a single runway, 15/33, of about 2,750 m by 45 m, at about 430 m above sea level. Mountains rise to the south, so most landings come from the north onto runway 15, which has an ILS of category III for very low visibility; the approach from the south needs a special procedure. Private flights use the general aviation terminal named after Herbert von Karajan, separate from the airline terminal, where MAGNUM FBO runs a lounge for passengers and crews. The airport has a hangar, and space for a visiting aircraft is checked case by case.

Every aircraft of 3.5 t or more must book the airport's General Aviation Handling package: transport on the apron, passport and customs assistance, crew briefing, slot and prior permission requests, and a VIP lounge on request. A booking made less than 24 hours ahead costs 25 % more, so we send the passenger list straight away. Landings are accepted until 22:00, and until 23:00 for aircraft quieter than 84 dB; take-offs run from 06:00 to 22:00 for commercial flights, which include charters, and from 07:00 for non-commercial ones. At night only ambulance flights operate. From mid-December the airport usually asks for prior permission, announced each year in November. Jet fuel is sold against a BP or OMV fuel release only, not by card, which the operator arranges.

Other airports nearby

When weather or a full Saturday rules out Salzburg, the operator can choose one of these:

Aircraft for the city and the slopes

Festival luggage is light, ski luggage is not. Four skiers with full equipment usually need a midsize jet for the hold; for a couple going to the opera, a light jet is enough. Tell us the number of skis and snowboards with the request.

Want to discuss the timing of a performance, the aircraft or the transfer? Leave your number and a consultant will call you.

Festival, Advent and ski season

The year at the airport follows the music and the snow:

For Christmas, the February holidays and the Festival, secure the aircraft and the arrival time several weeks ahead, or months ahead for the Festival premieres. Outside these periods a flight can usually be arranged at a few days' notice.

Transfers to the old town, the lakes and the resorts

The driver waits at the exit of the private terminal, and skis go straight from the hold into the car. On winter Saturdays and after snowfall the mountain roads take longer than the times above. If the hotel has its own landing site, a local helicopter operator can fly the last stretch; in low cloud the car is always kept in reserve. For a group of several families we book two cars or a minibus with a ski trailer, so no one waits for a second run. The Red Bull Hangar-7, with its aircraft collection and restaurant, sits on the edge of the airfield.

Empty Legs to and from Salzburg

Empty Legs are flights an aircraft makes without passengers, on its way home or to the next client. Salzburg produces them mostly on winter weekends and at the end of the Festival. Typical directions:

Departure times follow the original booking and must fit the airport's hours. Send the direction and a range of dates 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 beside you and passes through the private terminal, away from the airline halls. Austria applies the EU rules and adds no extra requirements:

• Microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination is not valid.
• Rabies vaccination from 12 weeks of age, at least 21 days before travel when it is the first one.
• EU pet passport issued by an authorised vet.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets per person on a private trip.
• No tapeworm treatment needed for Austria.

Transfer companies have their own rules on animals, so we tell the driver in advance that a dog or cat is travelling. Operators set their own rules: in some aircraft the dog may lie beside the seat, in others it stays in a carrier, and some charge for cabin cleaning. We also check whether the hotel in the mountains accepts dogs.

Documents, borders and taxes

Checklist

• Valid passport or ID card for every passenger, children included.
• Passenger list sent early, so the handling package is booked more than 24 hours ahead.
• Performance date and end time, if the trip is for the Festival.
• Return departure planned before 22:00, or the next morning.
• Number of skis, snowboards and boot bags.
• Hotel address in the city or the resort.
• Passports in the car if the plan includes Berchtesgaden or Munich.
• Pet passport or, from Great Britain, the animal health certificate.

How the booking works

1. Send the departure airport, dates, passengers, skis and the hotel or resort.
2. We check arrival and departure times against the noise hours, and in winter whether prior permission or a Saturday arrival time is still available.
3. You receive 2-4 options with operator, model, cabin photos and price, and the cost of waiting compared with two one-way flights.
4. You sign the contract with the operator and pay; we book the handling package, de-icing if needed and the car.
5. The driver meets you at the general aviation terminal, and the luggage goes straight from the hold into the car.

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

Private flights to Salzburg: questions and answers

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

  • For the whole aircraft, one way, a Citation CJ3 costs EUR 8,000 from Vienna and EUR 11,500 from London. A PC-12 from Venice, Verona or Prague costs EUR 7,000. Handling, de-icing and taxes are added in the quote.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • About 1:59 h from Farnborough in a Citation CJ3 and 1:48 h in a Gulfstream G280.

• • Until what time can we land or take off?

  • Landings until 22:00, or 23:00 for aircraft quieter than 84 dB. Charter take-offs run from 06:00 to 22:00, so after a late performance the return is usually the next morning.

• • Where do private passengers arrive?

  • At the general aviation terminal named after Herbert von Karajan, separate from the airline terminal, with a lounge run by MAGNUM FBO.

• • How far are the ski resorts?

  • Zell am See and Kaprun 77-85 km, Saalbach about 80 km and Kitzbühel about 81 km, each roughly 1:15-1:30 h by car.

• • Can a large jet land at Salzburg?

  • Yes, the runway of about 2,750 m takes every class of business jet. For a fully loaded intercontinental departure the operator checks the take-off weight.

• • Can the aircraft wait during the Festival?

  • For a night or two, usually yes, with parking and crew hotel in the quote. For a longer stay two one-way flights are normally cheaper.

• • Is a passport checked?

  • Not from Schengen countries, though operators need an ID card or passport. Flights from the UK go through passport control at Salzburg.

• • Can I bring my dog?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport. Pets from Great Britain need an animal health certificate issued within ten days of arrival.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Salzburg?

  • Yes, mostly on winter weekends and around the Festival, often to London, Vienna, Munich and northern Italy. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • Which tax applies on departure from Salzburg?

  • EUR 12 per passenger, or EUR 30 on flights up to 350 km such as Vienna, Munich, Venice or Verona.