Private jet to Tokyo

Japan's capital is one of the largest economic centres in Asia: head offices of banks and industrial groups in Marunouchi and Otemachi, trade fairs at Tokyo Big Sight and Makuhari Messe, and a steady flow of delegations, investor road shows and family trips that continue to Kyoto, Hakone or the ski slopes of Hokkaido and Nagano. From Europe the trip is one of the longest in business aviation, so the choice is between a nonstop flight of 11-14 hours in an ultra long range jet and a cheaper heavy jet with one technical stop.

Two airports take private flights from abroad. Haneda (HND) lies on Tokyo Bay about 15 km from Tokyo Station, works around the clock and has a Business Aviation Gate in Terminal 3 with its own passport and customs control, but a visiting aircraft may stay there for four nights at most. Narita (NRT), roughly an hour by car to the east, closes at night and lets the aircraft park for up to about a month, with the Premier Gate terminal for business jets. As a broker, we compare operators in Europe, the Gulf and Asia and quote both airports when the length of stay makes the choice matter.

Write the route, the dates, the number of passengers and the number of nights in Japan in the form, and a consultant will come back with aircraft, airport and price.

Why charter a business jet for Japan

How long the flight takes

Nonstop times in a Global 7500 to Haneda, taken from the price tables below:

• Helsinki: 10:56 h, Warsaw: 11:58 h
• Istanbul: 12:26 h, Hamburg: 12:29 h, Larnaca: 12:36 h
• Vienna: 12:41 h, Amsterdam: 12:55 h
• Frankfurt and Munich: 12:59 h, Zurich: 13:17 h
• London Farnborough: 13:20 h, Paris Le Bourget: 13:27 h
• Milan Linate: 13:28 h, Geneva: 13:35 h, Nice: 13:49 h
• Madrid: 16:21 h with one stop, even in a Global 7500

European operators fly around closed airspace, either south over Turkey and Central Asia or north across the polar region, so the tables count a route about a fifth longer than the straight line. A heavy jet such as the Challenger 650 needs one fuel stop from every European city, which brings London - Haneda to 15:35 h. Eastbound, tailwinds help; on the way home the jet stream blows against the aircraft, so a jet that reaches Japan nonstop may need a stop on the return with a full cabin. The operator checks range against the real passenger and baggage weight before the contract, not on the day.

Private jet prices to Tokyo

Prices are for the whole aircraft, one way to Haneda, plus handling, parking and passenger taxes. The flight time column shows the heavy jet, including its fuel stop; the Global 7500 flies the sector nonstop except from Madrid.

From the European hubs

From Madrid the heavy jet would need two stops, so that cell is on request. Between Helsinki at EUR 115,000 and Nice at EUR 145,000 in the Challenger 650, the departure city moves the price less than the choice between a stop and a nonstop sector.

From other European cities

Within East Asia

Short sectors from Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong are flown on aircraft based in the region, so the table uses midsize and super midsize jets and no detour:

From the Gulf, Singapore and the USA

The price follows the hours in the air, the positioning of the aircraft and, on this route, the second crew or rest period that a 12-hour sector requires. Passenger taxes depend on the country of departure: Italy charges EUR 200 per passenger beyond 1,500 km, which covers every Italian departure to Japan. France charges a per-passenger tax on business jets that rises with distance, reaching about EUR 2,100 on a flight to Japan against about EUR 420 within Europe, the UK applies Air Passenger Duty at the higher rate to large private jets of 20 t or more, and Germany, Austria and the Netherlands charge their own departure taxes. Leaving Japan, each passenger from the age of two pays the international tourist tax before boarding. The quote shows each amount separately.

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

What a trip really costs

Price per person

The aircraft is chartered as a whole, so on a sector of this length the cost per seat depends almost entirely on the size of the group:

Quick estimate

Enter the route and the number of passengers, and add the number of nights in Japan in the comment so the estimate can take the airport into account.

Haneda, Narita and the alternates

Tokyo International Airport (Haneda, HND, RJTT) occupies reclaimed land on Tokyo Bay in Ota ward. It has four runways, the longest 3,360 m, and accepts business jets 24 hours a day. Private passengers use the Business Aviation Gate in Terminal 3, where immigration and customs are handled separately from the airline halls. Capacity is the limit: a non-scheduled flight needs a landing slot, a departure slot and a parking stand, all granted separately, and holding a slot is worth nothing without a stand. There are only a few stands for business aviation, no hangar space for visiting aircraft, and parking ends after four nights.

Narita International Airport (NRT, RJAA) lies in Chiba prefecture, about 60 km east of central Tokyo. Its longer runway is 4,000 m. The airport is closed to movements from 23:00 to 06:00, and the closure is strictly enforced. In return, parking for up to about 30 days is possible, hangar space can be found and the Premier Gate terminal for business aviation has its own border and customs desks. Many airline slots go unused here, so access is usually simpler than at Haneda.

There are no fixed base operators in the European sense in Japan: a handling agent arranges fuel, catering and the terminal, and needs at least 24 hours' notice. Refuelling with passengers on board is not permitted at Japanese airports, so on an onward flight from Tokyo the passengers leave the cabin while the aircraft is fuelled.

Other airports for the trip

If slots or parking in Tokyo are not available, or the programme continues elsewhere in Japan, the operator looks at these airports. Distances are straight-line from Haneda:

Choosing the aircraft

The difference between one stop and none is mostly money: on the London row the heavy jet costs EUR 140,000 against EUR 185,000 in the Global 7500, for about two and a quarter hours more travel. On a flight of 12 hours or more the operator plans an augmented crew with an extra pilot, or a rest period before the return, and both are part of the price. For ski or golf groups, the baggage hold of an ultra long range jet takes skis and boot bags for the whole party; on the domestic leg to Hokkaido the same aircraft can continue rather than a smaller local one.

Not sure which class fits your group and the length of stay? Leave a number and a consultant will call you back.

When slots are hardest to get

In a few weeks of the year the whole of Japan travels at once, and slots, parking and hotels run short at the same time:

In the peak weeks many aircraft compete for the few business aviation stands at Haneda, and requests are handled in order of arrival. With a fixed date, apply for slots and parking several weeks ahead, and keep Narita as the second option.

From the airport to the city

Empty Legs on the Japan route

An Empty Leg is a sector the operator has to fly without passengers, usually to bring an aircraft home or to the next client. Few long range jets are based in Japan, so aircraft that brought clients from Europe often fly back empty, and regional jets shuttle constantly between Tokyo, Korea and China. Typical directions:

Even an empty sector needs approved slots and parking in Tokyo, so a last-minute booking is rarely possible, and the operator sets the date and time. Send your direction and a range of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, and we let you know when a matching flight comes up.

Flying with a dog or cat

Japan is free of rabies and has some of the strictest import rules for pets anywhere. Whatever the aircraft, the timetable is set by Japanese law and runs to seven or eight months from the first vet visit. On board the animal stays with you in the cabin, once the operator has agreed to it beforehand. The steps, in the order they have to happen:

1. Leaving the EU: ISO microchip, rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel and an EU pet passport; up to five animals per person.
2. For Japan: the microchip is implanted no later than the first rabies vaccination, given from 91 days of age, and a second vaccination follows at least 30 days later.
3. A blood test at a laboratory recognised by Japan must show at least 0.5 IU/ml; the result is valid for two years.
4. The animal waits at least 180 days outside Japan, counted from the day the blood sample is taken.
5. The animal quarantine service at Haneda or Narita receives the advance notification at least 40 days before arrival.
6. A vet examines the animal within 10 days of departure, and the certificates are endorsed by the authorities.

Entry rules, permits and taxes

Checklist before departure

• Passport for every passenger, valid for the entire stay.
• Number of nights in Japan, which decides between Haneda and Narita.
• Fixed arrival and departure times for the slot applications.
• Passenger list with names and passport numbers that will not change after approval.
• Skis, golf bags or equipment cases, so the operator can check weight against range.
• For a pet: the 40-day notification, the blood test result and the endorsed certificates.
• Any onward legs to Osaka, Sapporo or abroad, booked in the same request.
• Company details for the invoice.

How the booking works

1. Send the dates, the number of passengers, the length of stay and the address in Tokyo. Up to four nights we aim for Haneda, longer stays go to Narita or include moving the aircraft.
2. We compare nonstop and one-stop options from operators in Europe and the Gulf and check the loaded range for your group.
3. You receive 2-4 offers with operator, model, cabin photos, routing, airport and the price for the whole aircraft, with any repositioning shown separately.
4. After signature and payment, the operator applies for the slots, the stand and the landing permit; we book handling, the car and catering at least three days ahead.
5. On the day, passport and customs control take place at the business aviation terminal, and the car is waiting at the exit.

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

Frequently asked questions about flying privately to Japan's capital

• • How much does a private jet from Europe to Tokyo cost?

  • A heavy jet with one fuel stop costs from EUR 115,000 one way from Helsinki and EUR 140,000 from London, for the whole aircraft. Nonstop in a Global 7500 the London fare is EUR 185,000, plus handling, parking and taxes.

• • Can I fly nonstop from Europe?

  • Yes, in an ultra long range jet such as the Global 7500, which reaches Haneda from London in 13:20 h. From Madrid even this aircraft needs a stop, and on the westbound return headwinds can make a stop necessary with a full cabin.

• • Haneda or Narita?

  • For up to four nights, Haneda: close to the centre and open 24 hours. For a longer stay, Narita, where the aircraft can park for up to about a month, or Haneda with the aircraft moved elsewhere in the meantime.

• • Which terminal do private passengers use?

  • At Haneda the Business Aviation Gate in Terminal 3, at Narita the Premier Gate. Both have their own immigration and customs control.

• • Do I need a visa for Japan?

  • Citizens of the EU, the UK and Switzerland can stay up to 90 days without a visa for business or tourism. A charter flight needs a landing permit, which the operator obtains.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Japan does not use daylight saving time, so Tokyo is 8 hours ahead of London in summer and 9 hours in winter. Slot and parking times are filed in Japanese local time.

• • Can my dog come with me?

  • Yes, in the cabin, but only after the full Japanese procedure: two rabies vaccinations, a blood test, a 180-day wait and notification at least 40 days before arrival. Plan seven to eight months ahead.

• • Are there Empty Legs to or from Tokyo?

  • Yes, mostly long range jets flying back to Europe and regional jets between Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai. Even an empty sector needs approved slots, so write to empty-legs@jets.flights well ahead.

• • Can the aircraft continue within Japan?

  • Yes, with the passengers who arrived on it from abroad, for example to Osaka or Sapporo. A domestic flight with new passengers needs a Japanese operator.

• • How much luggage can we take?

  • Long range and ultra long range jets carry skis, golf bags and full suitcases for the whole group. The operator checks the total weight against range, especially for a nonstop flight.

• • How far ahead should I book?

  • Two weeks is a comfortable margin outside the peak periods, because slots, stands and the landing permit all have to be filed. For cherry blossom, Golden Week, November and New Year, book months ahead.