Private jet to Tuvalu

Tuvalu is one of the smallest states in the world: six atolls and three reef islands halfway between Hawaii and Australia, about 26 km² of land and roughly 10,600 people, more than half of them on Funafuti. The highest ground stands under 5 m above the sea, Tuvaluan and English are spoken, and the Australian dollar is used. There are guesthouses and small hotels but no resorts. The people who charter a flight here are mostly delegations, government missions, scientists, film and survey crews, and travellers who want to visit every country; they charter because Fiji Airways flies to Funafuti only a few times a week with turboprops.

Funafuti International is the only airport. Its runway of just over 1,500 m on coral has no lights, a limited bearing strength and salt water that can rise through the surface at the highest tides, so a long-range jet from Europe does not land there. The trip is planned in two parts: a long-range jet to Nadi in Fiji, then a light or midsize jet for the last 1,045 km, which takes 1:57 h in a Citation CJ3.

Send the dates, the passengers and the purpose of the trip; a consultant comes back with the plan for both sectors and the prices.

Prices: Europe to Fiji, then Fiji to Funafuti

Every figure is the one-way price of the whole aircraft; permits, handling, stopover charges and passenger taxes come on top. The first table runs from Europe to Nadi, where the passengers change aircraft; the track from Europe has to avoid closed and restricted airspace, which the table covers by adding 10 % to the straight line. The Gulfstream G650 and the Global 7500 stop once on the way, the Challenger 650 twice.

From Europe to Nadi

Larnaca - Nadi costs EUR 215,000 in a Challenger 650, London - Nadi EUR 220,000; the G650 from London costs EUR 290,000 and needs 21:54 h with one stop. The flights cross many time zones, so the crew is augmented or changed on the way, and a night in Nadi before the last sector is often the sensible plan, because Funafuti only accepts daylight arrivals.

To Funafuti from the region

Nadi and Suva, both in Fiji, are the nearest full-service airports, 1:57-1:58 h from Funafuti in a Citation CJ3 at EUR 11,500. From Auckland in New Zealand a Praetor 600 flies the 3,199 km without a stop for EUR 33,000, and from Hawaii for EUR 40,000. Light jets cannot fly from Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney or Honolulu without a stop, so those rows show midsize and super-midsize jets only. For the long sector the departure country sets the passenger tax. Leaving Paris, the French solidarity tax is charged per passenger and climbs with distance; Vienna adds EUR 12 per head; Frankfurt and Munich carry the German departure tax and Amsterdam the Dutch one (aircraft from 5.7 t); London is subject to Air Passenger Duty, which exempts aircraft under 5.7 t and charges the higher private-jet rate from 20 t with fewer than 19 seats. Local charges in Fiji and Tuvalu 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

The last sector per passenger

The calculator gives a quick estimate for another pairing.

Funafuti airport

To work out the right aircraft and the dates, leave your number and a consultant will call.

Weather and holidays through the year

Funafuti is warm all year, about 28 °C, and rain falls in every month, some 3,500 mm a year. May to October is drier, with easterly winds, and is the better window for a flight. November to April brings westerly gales and heavy rain, and cyclones are possible from November to May. Government offices, and with them permits, customs and fuel, stop on public holidays, so the dates below matter as much as the weather. Empty Legs to Tuvalu almost never occur; at most a regional jet repositioning between Fiji and Kiribati or Samoa.

Empty Legs

An Empty Leg to Funafuti is almost never available: few aircraft fly there, and the runway limits the type. What can work is an Empty Leg to Fiji or Australia for the long part of the journey, followed by a charter for the last sector. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates.

Pets

We advise against bringing a pet to Tuvalu. The import rules date from the days when animals arrived by ship, and every condition has to be confirmed in writing with the Agricultural Officer.

• Before leaving the EU the animal is microchipped, holds an EU pet passport and has had its rabies shot at least 21 days earlier; the limit is five pets per traveller.
• Importing a dog or cat needs the written permission of the Agricultural Officer, normally a month or more ahead; the animal is landed at Funafuti with a health declaration and a veterinary certificate from an examination within seven days of departure.
• There is no quarantine station, and veterinary care on Funafuti cannot be counted on.
• For the way home, Tuvalu does not appear on the EU list of countries with simpler rules: a blood test for rabies antibodies, taken in Europe before the trip, avoids three months of waiting. Dogs entering Great Britain, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway need a tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival.

Entry and local conditions

Outer islands are reached by ship every three or four weeks; there is no helicopter in the country. If the group continues to the UK, passengers holding EU passports apply for an electronic travel authorisation first.

Planning and booking

1. Send the dates, the passengers with their nationalities and the purpose of the visit.
2. We ask the civil aviation authority to accept the aircraft type and weight and plan the arrival on a weekday morning in daylight.
3. You receive offers for both sectors: the long-range jet to Nadi and the light or midsize jet to Funafuti, with operator, flight times and prices.
4. There are two contracts, one with each operator, paid by bank transfer or card; each contract states its own cancellation charges by time to departure.
5. The agent files the landing permit, arranges the fuel and the officers, and books the guesthouse transfer.

Questions about flying privately to Tuvalu

• • Can a private jet from Europe land in Tuvalu?

  • Not a long-range jet: the runway at Funafuti is just over 1,500 m long, unlit and weight-limited. The usual plan is a long-range jet to Nadi and a light or midsize jet for the last 1,045 km.

• • How much does it cost?

  • Europe - Nadi starts at EUR 215,000 one way in a Challenger 650; Nadi - Funafuti costs EUR 11,500 in a Citation CJ3.

• • How long does the trip take?

  • London - Nadi takes 21:54 h in a G650 with one stop, then 1:57 h to Funafuti, usually after a night in Fiji.

• • When is the airport open?

  • Listed hours are about 07:30-16:15 from Monday to Thursday and until midday on Friday; other times need prior request, and only in daylight.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • Schengen citizens do not, for up to 90 days in any 180; British visitors may stay a month without one.

• • Can we pay by card?

  • No. There are no cash machines and cards are not accepted, so bring Australian dollars.

• • Are there Empty Legs to Tuvalu?

  • Almost never. An Empty Leg to Fiji or Australia for the long part of the trip is a more realistic saving.

• • Can we bring a pet?

  • We advise against it: the rules are old and hard to confirm, and there is no quarantine station or confirmed vet.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Tuvalu is 12 hours ahead of London in winter and 11 in summer.