Private jet to Taiwan

Taiwan is one of the world's main producers of semiconductors and electronics, and most private flights from Europe to the island carry buyers, engineers and boards to factories and suppliers in Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. Others come for offshore wind projects in the strait, for Computex in Taipei, or to add Taroko Gorge and Sun Moon Lake to a business week.

Taiwan has its own border and immigration control, entry rules, currency and civil aviation authority, so the trip is planned on its own terms. Entry is simple for Europeans, but the aircraft needs a landing permit with a formal deadline of 10 working days and a sponsor letter from a company or person in Taiwan. Taipei has two airports for business jets from abroad: Taoyuan, open 24 hours, and Songshan inside the city. As a broker, we compare operators that fly to East Asia and start the permit as soon as the passenger list is known.

Send the cities, the dates and the number of passengers, and the name of the company that invites you. A consultant replies with aircraft, airport and price, and a timetable for the permit.

Why fly privately to Taiwan

Flight times from Europe

From the price tables below, including taxi, climb, descent and, where a stop is shown, about 1:30 h on the ground:

The distances in the tables are 20 % longer than the straight line, because European operators route around closed and restricted airspace, over Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The island is under 400 km long, so Taipei and Kaohsiung are almost equally far from Europe. From Helsinki, Hamburg, Vienna, Warsaw, Istanbul and Larnaca a Gulfstream G650 flies without landing; from London, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Nice it stops once, and the Global 7500 is the jet that stays non-stop. Songshan's runway of about 2,600 m takes the largest long-range jets.

Prices for a private jet to Taiwan

Prices are for the whole aircraft, one way, before handling, parking, crew hotels and passenger taxes, assuming an aircraft available near the departure airport. The flight time is that of the first priced aircraft in each row.

From the European hubs and nearby capitals

A Challenger 650 with one stop is the lowest price on every row it can fly: London - Taoyuan costs EUR 145,000, Frankfurt EUR 135,000 and Helsinki - Songshan EUR 120,000. From London the Global 7500 costs EUR 190,000 non-stop, less than the EUR 200,000 of a Gulfstream G650 that lands once. Madrid needs two stops in a heavy jet, so that cell is on request, and even the ultra long range jets stop once. Kaohsiung costs the same as Taipei: EUR 140,000 from Zurich and EUR 125,000 from Larnaca with one stop.

Within the region

Regional sectors are flown by aircraft based in East and South-East Asia, on the direct route:

Hong Kong - Taoyuan takes 1:34 h in a Phenom 300 for EUR 12,000, and Okinawa - Taoyuan EUR 11,500. Tokyo Haneda - Songshan costs EUR 18,000 and Singapore - Kaohsiung EUR 22,000 in the light jet. Aircraft registered outside Taiwan and the mainland, European ones included, are not cleared to fly directly between the two; such a leg is routed via Hong Kong, Macau or another third point, confirmed with the permits.

From the Gulf

Dubai - Taoyuan costs EUR 88,000 in a Challenger 650 with a stop and EUR 105,000 non-stop in a Gulfstream G650.

On sectors of eleven to sixteen hours, flight time is most of the price, and the stop matters far more than the choice of airport on the island. Handling, parking, the landing permit, overflight charges and local airport fees are added in the quote. Each European departure country adds its own passenger tax. Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger on sectors over 1,500 km, inbound as well as outbound, and Austria EUR 12; the French tax on business jets rises with distance and is highest, about EUR 2,100 per passenger, on long-haul sectors such as this one, against about EUR 420 within Europe. Germany and Norway levy departure taxes, and the Dutch tax applies to aircraft of 5.7 t or more. From Britain, Air Passenger Duty is at the higher rate, since every jet in the European tables weighs 20 t or more and has fewer than 19 seats.

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

Three trips worked through

Price per person

The aircraft is chartered as a whole, so the share per seat falls as the cabin fills; per-passenger taxes come on top:

Calculator

For a return trip or another airport on the island, the calculator e-mails a first estimate:

The estimate uses the direct distance; the firm offer adds the longer track and the positioning of the nearest free aircraft.

Airports for business jets

Full service for private flights from abroad is found at Taoyuan, Songshan and Kaohsiung. At each a handling agent meets the aircraft and takes passengers through passport and customs control; with the passport and the online arrival card in order, the check is short. Taichung, Tainan and Hualien share their runways with the air force, so the hours of the civil side are confirmed for the date.

All five runways are long enough for the jets priced above. For a daytime arrival and a short stay in the capital we usually choose Songshan; for a night arrival or a trip on to the south, Taoyuan.

Permits and domestic legs

• The landing permit is issued by the civil aviation authority; the application is due 10 working days before the flight.
• Urgent requests are handled by a separate office, without a guarantee of approval.
• The application contains crew and passenger data, the purpose of the trip, the aircraft's noise certificate and a sponsor letter from a company or person in Taiwan; the authority may contact the sponsor.
• An aircraft registered outside Taiwan may not carry passengers between two airports on the island; it may only reposition empty, for example from Taoyuan to Kaohsiung.
• Domestic legs with passengers are flown by a local operator, and along the west coast the high-speed train covers Taipei - Kaohsiung in about an hour and a half.

Which aircraft suits the trip

For a small team the Challenger 650 with a stop is the lowest price; for a board of ten, an ultra long range cabin saves more than two hours and gives everyone a bed. After a flight of over twelve hours the crew must rest, so a quick return to Europe means a second crew or a day's pause, and the offer says which. Both classes are compared in the catalogue: ultra long range jets and heavy jets.

When to go: the year month by month

Business travel runs all year. The weather is set by humid summers, the spring rains and the typhoon season from July to September; October to December is the calmest time for both meetings and travel around the island. The lunar new year and Computex are the weeks that need the earliest booking. Empty Legs are most frequent after Computex and after the new year holidays, when jets that brought visitors fly back to Europe, and on short regional routes all year.

Entry rules and documents

Taiwan is outside Schengen and the EU customs union, so passengers clear customs on arrival and again on return to Europe. Longer stays and work need a visa; we check the rules for the date of travel.

Flying with a dog or cat

Leaving the EU, a pet needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an EU pet passport, up to five animals per owner. Unless the animal comes from a country Taiwan lists as free of rabies, the preparation takes at least four months:

1. Microchip and a rabies vaccination with an inactivated vaccine, given at least 30 days and at most a year before entry; the animal must be at least 90 days old.
2. A blood test showing at least 0.5 IU/ml at a WOAH reference laboratory or one recognised by Taiwan, with the sample taken no more than a year and at least 90 days before travel.
3. An import permit and a place in quarantine booked with Taiwan's animal and plant health authority at least 20 days before the trip.
4. A health certificate on Taiwan's own form, endorsed by a government vet.
5. Seven days in quarantine after arrival, with a second antibody check.

On a private jet the pet travels in the cabin beside you, once the operator has approved it. The way home is simple: Taiwan is on the EU list of approved countries, so no new blood test is needed. Dogs bound for the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway need tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival, and the UK admits pets only on approved routes.

Empty Legs to and from Taiwan

A jet that brings a team to Taipei often has to return to Europe empty. Such a leg can be bought at a reduced price if your dates are flexible, but it still needs the landing permit and the sponsor letter, so it is matched days in advance. Typical patterns:

Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and your possible dates; passport details are needed early, because the permit still applies.

Before departure

• Passports valid for six months from entry, and proof of the return flight.
• The online arrival card for every passenger.
• The sponsor letter and the purpose of the trip, at least two weeks before departure.
• Names, nationalities and passport numbers for the landing permit.
• For Songshan, an arrival time outside 23:00-06:00.
• Pet documents: chip, vaccination, antibody result, import permit, quarantine booking and health certificate.

How to book

1. Send the cities, the dates, the number of passengers and the name of the inviting company in Taiwan.
2. We choose the airport by the arrival time and the programme, and compare a heavy jet with a stop against a non-stop ultra long range jet.
3. The offers show operator, aircraft, cabin photos, routing and price, and list parking and crew costs separately.
4. After you sign and pay, the operator files the landing permit with the sponsor letter, ideally ten working days ahead.
5. On landing the handling agent takes you through passport and customs control, and the car waits outside.

Questions about private flights to Taiwan

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

  • From Helsinki a Challenger 650 with one stop flies to Taipei Songshan for EUR 120,000 one way for the whole aircraft. London - Taoyuan costs EUR 145,000 in the same jet and EUR 190,000 non-stop in a Global 7500. Handling, parking and passenger taxes are added.

• • Can we fly non-stop from Europe?

  • Yes. A Global 7500 flies London - Taoyuan in 13:35 h, and a Gulfstream G650 flies non-stop from Helsinki, Vienna, Warsaw or Istanbul. Smaller cabins land once.

• • Taoyuan or Songshan?

  • Songshan is in the city, a short drive from the business district, but closed from 23:00 to 06:00. Taoyuan, about 40 km away, works around the clock. For a daytime arrival and a short stay we usually choose Songshan.

• • How far ahead should we book?

  • The landing permit application is due 10 working days ahead, so ideally contact us two weeks or more before the trip. Shorter notice is possible but approval is not guaranteed.

• • What is a sponsor letter?

  • A letter from a company or person in Taiwan confirming the purpose of the visit. It goes with the landing permit application, and the authority may contact the sponsor.

• • Can the same jet take us from Taipei to Kaohsiung?

  • Not with passengers: an aircraft registered outside Taiwan may only reposition empty between two airports on the island. We book a local operator, or you take the high-speed train in about an hour and a half.

• • Can we fly to Taiwan straight from mainland China?

  • Not in a European-registered aircraft. The leg routes via Hong Kong, Macau or a third country, with separate permits on each side.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • No, for stays of up to 90 days with an EU or UK passport valid for six months from entry, plus proof of the return flight and the online arrival card.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Taiwan does not change the clocks: it is 8 hours ahead of London in winter and 7 hours in summer.

• • Can our dog come with us?

  • Yes, but start at least four months ahead: chip, vaccination, an antibody test at least 90 days before travel, an import permit and seven days of quarantine on arrival. Returning to the EU, no new test is required.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Taiwan?

  • Mostly on short routes from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul and Manila, and westbound long-range legs after Computex and the lunar new year. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.