Private jet to the Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands are a chain of six large islands and hundreds of smaller ones east of Papua New Guinea, with about 720,000 people and a capital, Honiara, on the north coast of Guadalcanal. English is the language of the state, Solomons Pijin the language of the street, and the currency is the Solomon Islands dollar. Visitors are few, about 29,000 in a typical year, and private clients are mostly delegations, aid and survey teams, film crews, historians of the Pacific war and dive groups heading for the Western Province.

Long-range jets land at Honiara International, built as Henderson Field during the battle for Guadalcanal. Its 2,200 m runway takes every business jet, but there is no business aviation terminal, the published opening hours are short and scheduled international flights are few, mainly from Brisbane, Port Moresby, Nadi and Port Vila. From Europe the trip needs one or two fuel stops; from Brisbane it is 3:27 h in a light jet.

Tell us the dates, the group and the islands you want to reach; a consultant comes back with aircraft, stops and price.

Routes and prices

Prices are one way for the whole aircraft and exclude permits, handling, stopover charges and passenger taxes. European operators route around closed and restricted airspace, so the tables count the straight line from Europe plus 10 %. The Global 7500 and the Falcon 7X refuel once, usually in the Gulf or in South-East Asia, while the Challenger 650 lands twice and is the cheapest option.

From Europe

Vienna - Honiara costs EUR 200,000 in a Challenger 650 and EUR 275,000 in a Global 7500, and the larger jet saves one stop and about two and a half hours. Larnaca is the shortest European start at EUR 195,000. Each stop brings landing, handling and fuel charges in another country, and on a trip of more than 20 hours the operator adds a second crew, which the quote shows.

From the Gulf and Asia

Within the region

The regional rows suit a group that reaches Australia, Fiji or Papua New Guinea by scheduled flight: Port Vila in Vanuatu - Honiara costs EUR 12,500 in a Citation CJ3, Brisbane - Honiara EUR 16,500. From Hong Kong a Praetor 600 flies without a stop for EUR 56,000. Passenger taxes are set where the jet takes off. The French solidarity tax rises with distance: a departure from Paris or Nice to the Pacific costs about EUR 2,100 per passenger in a jet, five times the roughly EUR 420 of a flight within Europe. Austria charges EUR 12; Germany and the Netherlands (aircraft of 5.7 t or more) levy their own departure taxes. British Air Passenger Duty follows distance bands: aircraft under 5.7 t are exempt, and the higher private-jet rate applies from 20 t with fewer than 19 seats. Solomon Islands charges 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

Per passenger

The calculator estimates any other route in seconds; the firm offer then depends on the permit, the fuel plan and the airport hours.

Honiara and the island airfields

• Landing and overflight permits come from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Solomon Islands; we apply as soon as the dates are firm and allow a week.
• The passport data of everyone on board go to the operator and the agent several days before departure.
• Arrivals are timed for a weekday morning and avoid public holidays, when permit office, officers and fuel supplier are all affected.
• Munda is too short and unlit to serve as an alternate for a long-range jet, so the crew carries fuel for a diversion to an airport such as Port Moresby or Port Vila.

For advice on the right airport and the timing, leave your number and a consultant will call.

Seasons and holidays

The islands are hot and humid all year, around 30 °C in Honiara. June to August are the driest months in the capital and the most comfortable for the battlefield sites, while the Western Province is drier from May to November, the season for diving and Marovo Lagoon. Rain is heaviest from November to April, March being the wettest month in Honiara, and the cyclone season runs from November to May. Earthquakes and tsunami warnings can come at any time. Empty Legs are rare; the best chance is a long-range jet repositioning between Australia and Asia around the Christmas holidays.

Empty Legs to Honiara

Few aircraft ever fly to the Solomon Islands, so an Empty Leg into Honiara is a rare event. A jet that has brought a party usually flies home empty along the same route, and a jet sent out to collect guests is the other source. With open dates a match is possible; a light jet repositioning in Australia or Fiji is more likely than a long-range jet from Europe. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the route and the range of dates.

Travelling with pets

Bringing a dog or cat from Europe is in practice not possible, and we advise leaving the animal at home.

• To leave the EU a dog or cat carries an ISO microchip and an EU pet passport with a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days earlier; one owner may take up to five animals.
• Biosecurity Solomon Islands issues an import permit. The published conditions are written for animals from a few rabies-free countries such as Australia and New Zealand; the animal must have lived there for at least six months.
• Dogs must be desexed, vaccinated against the main canine diseases, examined and treated for parasites within three days of departure, with a certificate from a government vet.
• Animals arrive only through Honiara, and an animal without complete papers is quarantined, sent back or destroyed at the owner's cost.
• The return is the harder part: because the Solomon Islands are missing from the EU list of countries with simpler rules, the animal needs a rabies antibody test, and one taken in Europe before the trip spares the three-month wait. Dogs bound for Great Britain, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway also need tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival.
• In the aircraft the pet stays in the cabin with you, subject to the operator's approval.

Documents and local conditions

A passenger with an EU passport who flies on to the UK after the trip needs an electronic travel authorisation. Hotels in Honiara are few, so rooms for passengers and crew are reserved together with the flight.

Booking a flight

1. Send the route, the dates, the number of passengers and their nationalities, and which islands you plan to visit.
2. We pick the aircraft and the fuel stops so that the landing in Honiara falls on a weekday within the airport hours.
3. You compare offers with operator, aircraft, stops, flight time and the price for the whole aircraft; domestic flights to Munda or Gizo are quoted separately.
4. The charter contract is concluded with the operator; payment goes by bank transfer or card, and the contract sets the cancellation scale, which differs by operator and by the days left before departure.
5. The agent in Honiara obtains the permit, orders fuel and arranges the officers, the car and the hotel.

Frequently asked questions

• • What does a private jet to the Solomon Islands cost?

  • The lowest price from Europe is EUR 195,000 for the whole aircraft one way, Larnaca - Honiara in a Challenger 650 with two stops. London - Honiara costs EUR 285,000 in a Global 7500; permits, handling and taxes are added.

• • How long does the flight from Europe take?

  • A Global 7500 with one fuel stop needs 20:23 h from London; a Challenger 650 with two stops, 22:58 h.

• • Can we land in Honiara at night or at the weekend?

  • Published hours are weekday office hours, so a night or weekend landing needs an arrangement made well ahead and confirmed in writing.

• • Can a jet fly directly to Munda or Gizo?

  • Gizo, no: the strip is for turboprops. Munda can take a light jet in daylight, after the operator's performance check, with fuel for the return and customs arranged beforehand; most groups fly on from Honiara with Solomon Airlines.

• • Do EU and UK citizens need a visa?

  • No visa for Schengen citizens for up to 90 days in any 180; British visitors receive a permit on arrival for up to 30 days.

• • Is there a cheaper way than flying from Europe?

  • Fly to Brisbane or Port Moresby on a scheduled flight and charter the last leg: Brisbane - Honiara costs EUR 16,500 in a Citation CJ3.

• • When is the best time to go?

  • June to August in Honiara and May to November in the Western Province; the wet and cyclone season runs from November to April or May.

• • Can we take our dog?

  • From Europe, practically no: the import permit is written for animals from a few rabies-free countries such as Australia and New Zealand.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Eleven hours ahead of London in winter and ten in summer; the clocks do not change.