Private jet to Turkey

For private flyers Turkey is several destinations on one map: Istanbul, the business city on both sides of the Bosphorus, Ankara with the ministries and embassies, the golf and beach hotels around Antalya, the marinas and bays of Bodrum, Göcek and Marmaris, and the balloon valleys of Cappadocia. Every main airport works around the clock and has its own terminal or lounge for private passengers with passport and customs control on site.

The country is outside the EU and Schengen, so each charter flight with a foreign aircraft needs a landing permit from the Turkish civil aviation authority, and every arrival passes border control. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe, request the permit, the slot and the handling through the operator, and choose the airport by the address rather than by the city name.

Send the route, the dates, the number of passengers and the address in Turkey, and we reply with aircraft options, the permit timing and a price.

Why clients fly privately to Turkey

Flight times from the main hubs

Times for a Citation CJ3 light jet, taken from the price tables, including taxi, climb and descent:

From the Balkans Istanbul is about an hour away; from western Europe Turkey is one of the longest sectors a light jet flies on the continent. On flights of three and a half to four hours a midsize jet is the more comfortable choice: from London to Bodrum a Citation XLS+ takes 3:59 h and offers a cabin with more headroom and a larger hold. From Madrid a light jet would need a fuel stop to Antalya, so that row starts with the midsize column.

What a private flight to Turkey costs

Each price is for the whole aircraft, one way, with an aircraft available near the departure airport, plus handling, the permit, private terminal fees and passenger taxes. Times are given for the aircraft in the first price column. Rows go to different Turkish airports to show the spread of distances.

From the European hubs

Munich - Istanbul and Vienna - Ankara are the cheapest rows at EUR 14,000 in a light jet. From London a CJ3 to Bodrum costs EUR 19,000 and a Challenger 350 with a stand-up cabin EUR 32,000. The coast and Istanbul cost almost the same from central Europe: Frankfurt - Antalya is EUR 17,000, Paris - Istanbul EUR 17,000.

From Greece, the Balkans, Poland, Scandinavia and the Caucasus

Athens - Bodrum takes 0:57 h and costs EUR 10,000 in a light jet; the flight crosses the Schengen border, so passports are checked at both ends. Bucharest and Sofia are about an hour from Istanbul. From Stockholm a Phenom 300 needs 4:01 h to Dalaman, close to the limit of the class, and a Praetor 500 at EUR 25,000 is the more comfortable choice.

Domestic legs inside Turkey

Flights between two Turkish airports are domestic, and foreign-registered aircraft have only limited access to them. For these legs we normally use a Turkish operator and state in the quote which aircraft flies which sector. Indicative prices:

Istanbul - Ankara takes 1:17 h in a turboprop for EUR 7,500, and a light jet costs EUR 8,500. Cappadocia is served by Nevşehir and Kayseri, which take domestic flights from Istanbul in a little over an hour.

Long-haul flights

None of the three needs a stop from the Gulf: Riyadh - Bodrum takes 3:10 h in a Falcon 900EX, Dubai - Istanbul 4:05 h. From New York the Falcon 7X and the Global 7500 reach Istanbul in 9:44 h and 9:25 h, while the Falcon 900EX needs one fuel stop.

Season and the location of the nearest available jet move the price. In July and August the coast fills up, parking at Bodrum and Dalaman is limited to a few days, and a week-long stay often means two one-way flights with empty legs. Turkish airport charges, terminal fees and the permit are listed in the quote. Taxes at the departure end vary by country: France a distance-based tax per passenger, about EUR 1,015 on a jet and EUR 675 on a turboprop for Turkey (about EUR 420 on a jet within Europe), Italy EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km and EUR 200 beyond, Austria EUR 12 (EUR 30 up to 350 km). Germany and Norway charge departure taxes; British Air Passenger Duty does not apply to aircraft under 5.7 t, the higher private-jet rate applies to aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, and other jets pay the standard rate. The Netherlands taxes passengers on aircraft of 5.7 t or more, and Sweden has no passenger tax.

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 booked as a unit, so the cost per traveller drops as seats fill. Figures use the CJ3 column of the European table:

Calculator

For another Turkish airport or a return trip, the calculator gives an estimate in a few seconds:

Airports and private terminals

Turkey has dozens of airports that accept business jets, most of them open 24 hours with customs. The differences are in the terminals, the slot rules and the parking. Istanbul alone has three airports for business aviation, and the right one depends on the side of the city and the length of the stay.

Other airports for business jets

On the Aegean the Greek islands are close: Kos is 72 km from Milas-Bodrum and Rhodes 72 km from Dalaman, see Greece. A flight between the two countries crosses the Schengen border, so passports are checked on both sides.

From the airport to the address

Aircraft classes by route and airport

Runways rarely limit the choice: every main airport has 3,000 m or more, and only Gazipaşa and Atatürk are shorter. The distance is the deciding factor. For the classes, see the catalogue pages for light jets, midsize jets and heavy jets.

When to fly: the year month by month

For the coast, May, June, September and October give warm weather, a warm sea from June and easier slots than the summer peak. Istanbul and Ankara work all year, and Belek has its golf season in spring and autumn. Empty Legs are most frequent in October, when the coastal season ends and aircraft return to northern Europe, and after summer weekends. The Ramadan Feast and the Feast of Sacrifice move every year with the lunar calendar; traffic rises sharply and many offices close, so we check the dates before booking.

Empty Legs between Turkey and Europe

An Empty Leg is a flight the operator has to make with an empty cabin, which is why it is sold below the normal price. The coastal season produces many of them, because most holiday trips are one-way: the family flies to the boat or villa, and the jet goes home. Typical patterns:

The departure time is the operator's, and the leg disappears if the original charter changes, so flexible dates help. Send your route and travel window to empty-legs@jets.flights, and matching legs reach you as soon as operators list them.

Flying with a dog or cat

On a private jet the animal flies in the cabin beside you, and the operator must approve it in advance. Turkey is outside the EU, so the EU pet passport alone is not enough, and the return to the EU needs the most planning:

• Microchip implanted first, or on the same day as the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel when it is the first one.
• Rabies antibody blood test, taken at least 30 days after the vaccination.
• Health certificate from a government vet, issued shortly before departure.
• Turkish customs admits two pets per passenger free of duty, and some breeds are banned, among them the pit bull terrier.
• Back to the EU: if the antibody result was recorded in the pet passport before leaving the EU, there is no waiting period; without it the animal may re-enter only three months after the blood sample. The return lands at an EU airport that is a travellers' point of entry for pets.

In summer the aprons on the coast get very hot, so with animals on board we plan flights early or late in the day. Many resorts and city hotels do not accept dogs, so check the hotel first.

Documents, permits and customs

Before departure

• A passport valid for at least 150 days after arrival, or an ID card where the nationality allows it, for every passenger.
• Passenger names, dates of birth and document numbers to us early, as the permit request needs them.
• The address in Turkey: the side of Istanbul, the marina or the hotel decides the airport.
• Bag count, including golf and diving kit, to match against the hold.
• Pet documents with the antibody test, the health certificate and the operator's approval.
• Private travel insurance for every passenger.

How to book

1. Send the route, the dates, the number of passengers and the address in Turkey; for a stay on the coast in summer, say how long you stay.
2. We choose the airport, check the parking and, for Istanbul, compare Istanbul Airport, Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen.
3. You receive aircraft options from several operators with prices, flight times, the permit timing and, for domestic legs, a Turkish operator.
4. After you confirm, the operator requests the landing permit and the slot, and the handler receives the passenger list.
5. On the day, the handler meets you at the private terminal, and the car, boat or helicopter waits outside.

Questions about private flights to Turkey

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

  • From the European hubs a light jet costs from EUR 14,000 (Munich - Istanbul, Vienna - Ankara), from London to Bodrum EUR 19,000. From Athens or Bucharest a short flight costs from EUR 10,000. These are one-way prices for the whole jet; fees and taxes are added.

• • Which Istanbul airport is best for a private jet?

  • Atatürk for the old town and Taksim and for longer parking, Istanbul Airport for large aircraft and onward long-haul flights, Sabiha Gökçen for the Asian side. We choose by the address and the slot.

• • Does every flight need a permit?

  • A charter with a foreign aircraft needs a landing permit from the Turkish civil aviation authority, usually 3-5 working days ahead. The operator requests it; urgent cases are sometimes handled in about 48 hours.

• • Do I need a visa?

  • UK citizens and most EU citizens can stay up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. British passports must be valid for at least 150 days after arrival, and some EU citizens can use an ID card.

• • Can the same aircraft fly me from Istanbul to Bodrum?

  • Domestic flights are restricted for foreign-registered aircraft, so a Turkish operator usually flies them. From Sabiha Gökçen, Bodrum is 1:23 h away in a Pilatus PC-12.

• • Which airport is closest to Göcek and Fethiye?

  • Dalaman: 20-30 minutes to the Göcek marinas and 45-65 minutes to Fethiye. For Alanya it is Gazipaşa, for Belek Antalya.

• • What is the flying time from London?

  • London Farnborough - Bodrum takes 4:17 h in a Citation CJ3 and 3:59 h in a Citation XLS+. To Istanbul from Paris it is 3:35 h in a light jet.

• • Can my dog come to Turkey and back?

  • Yes, in the cabin. Besides a chip and rabies vaccination, the dog needs an antibody blood test and a health certificate, and the test result should be in the pet passport before leaving the EU to avoid a three-month wait on return.

• • Can the aircraft stay in Bodrum for a week?

  • In season parking is usually limited to 2-3 days, so for a week the aircraft flies home and returns. Outside the summer longer stays are easier.

• • Are there Empty Legs from Turkey?

  • Yes, especially from the coast in October and after summer weekends, and from Istanbul all year. Our Empty Legs desk at empty-legs@jets.flights takes route and date requests.

• • What time is it in Turkey?

  • Turkey keeps UTC+3 all year: two hours ahead of London in summer and three in winter, one hour ahead of Central Europe in summer and two in winter.