Private jet to the US Virgin Islands

The US Virgin Islands are an unincorporated territory of the United States, east of Puerto Rico, about 110 km from San Juan. Three main islands make up the territory: St Thomas with the capital Charlotte Amalie, St John, two thirds of which is national park, and St Croix, the largest, about 70 km to the south. Some 87,000 people live here; the currency is the US dollar, the language English, and cars drive on the left, although most of them are American left-hand-drive models. Until the United States bought them, the islands were a Danish colony.

For a private flight from Europe the US Virgin Islands count as the United States: CBP officers check passports and customs at the airport, exactly as in Miami. Business jets land on St Thomas or St Croix; St John has no airport and is reached by ferry. Most visitors come between December and April for sailing, villas on St John, the beaches of St Thomas and the reef at Buck Island off St Croix, and many continue across the border to the British islands a few miles away.

Give us the dates, the island in the US Virgin Islands and the number of passengers, and we send aircraft options with prices.

Reasons to fly in privately

Flight times

A Gulfstream G550 flies to St Thomas without a stop in 8:08 h from London Farnborough, 8:22 h from Paris Le Bourget, 8:35 h from Amsterdam, 8:40 h from Geneva, 8:53 h from Frankfurt and Zurich, 9:09 h from Munich and 9:34 h from Vienna. From Lisbon, a Praetor 600 needs 7:46 h, and from Madeira or Tenerife about 6:48 h.

A Praetor 600 from central Europe stops once, usually at Santa Maria in the Azores, which adds about an hour on the ground; a Challenger 650 does the same. Crossings westbound run against the wind, so the way home is roughly an hour shorter.

Prices to St Thomas and St Croix

Every price is for the whole jet, one way, with the aircraft starting from a base near the departure airport. Handling, US fees, passenger taxes and, for one-stop flights, the fuel stop costs are added. The flight time is that of the first aircraft in the row.

From the main European hubs

With one stop a Praetor 600 costs from EUR 70,000 from London and EUR 74,000 from Geneva. Non-stop, a Gulfstream G550 costs EUR 100,000 from London and EUR 110,000 from Frankfurt. St Croix is priced almost exactly like St Thomas, so the island you are staying on decides. The two Tortola rows show the limit of Beef Island: the Praetor 600 lands there for the same price as on St Thomas, while the Gulfstream G550 and the Challenger 650 read on request.

From Portugal and the Atlantic islands

From Madeira or Tenerife a Praetor 600 costs EUR 47,000 without a stop, and from Lisbon EUR 53,000.

Regional flights

Miami, New York and San Juan are US airports, so these flights are domestic and need a US operator: a Pilatus PC-12 from San Juan to St Thomas costs from EUR 6,000, and from Miami EUR 13,000. The Challenger 350 does not use the short runway at Tortola, and the PC-12 does not reach St Thomas from New York without a stop, so these cells read on request. Flights from Tortola, Anguilla, Sint Maarten, Antigua or Punta Cana are international and clear CBP on landing.

On the European side the departure country adds its taxes. France charges a per-passenger solidarity tax that increases with the distance flown; Italy EUR 200 per passenger on a flight of this length; Austria EUR 12. Air Passenger Duty in the UK: none below 5.7 t, the higher private-jet rate from 20 t with fewer than 19 seats, the standard rate of the distance band for other jets. Germany, Norway and the Netherlands (from 5.7 t) have their own taxes, and US inspection fees and taxes are added on arrival. All appear 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

Two typical trips

Per passenger

Online calculator

The calculator sends a first estimate to your e-mail:

The two airports

At St Thomas the tower closes at 22:30, fire cover is not provided between 23:00 and 06:00, and customs outside staffed hours needs notice. We plan arrivals in the afternoon and name the handler in the offer. If the St Thomas apron is full, St Croix is the first alternate; San Juan, Sint Maarten and Antigua take every business jet and appear in the regional table above.

US and British islands compared

The Virgin Islands are one chain of islands and cays split between two territories. The eastern part, with Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, is a British Overseas Territory with its own immigration; Culebra and Vieques, further west on the same bank, are sometimes called the Spanish Virgin Islands and belong to Puerto Rico. Yachts sail from one side to the other in an afternoon, but for a jet they are separate jurisdictions with different entry rules, operators and runways.

For a jet the runway makes the difference. St Thomas and St Croix take long-range aircraft from Europe without a stop; Beef Island takes light, midsize and some super midsize jets, from most of Europe after a fuel stop in the Azores, and nothing larger. A party in a Gulfstream G550 bound for the British side therefore lands on St Thomas and crosses over, or uses Sint Maarten or Antigua to stay outside the United States. Tortola, Virgin Gorda and the rules of that territory are covered on the British Virgin Islands page.

Aircraft for the trip

The St Thomas runway limits the largest cabins; the Gulfstream G650 and the Global 7500 are confirmed by the operator's performance calculation for the date. More models in the ultra long range catalogue.

Prefer to talk it through? Leave your number:

Getting around the US Virgin Islands

Crossing to the British Virgin Islands

Yacht charters often start in Tortola and finish in St Thomas, or the other way round. The jet then lands on one side and the return flight leaves from the other, which we plan as two one-way legs. A Praetor 600 can use Beef Island for the British end; with a heavy or long-range jet both legs run through St Thomas and the boat or helicopter covers the rest.

Seasons and events

The dry high season runs from December to April; hotel rates can rise by about 30 % and the St Thomas apron is busiest from December into March, as is Beef Island across the border. June to November is the hurricane season, with the highest risk from August to October; September and October are the wettest months, and many businesses close for a few weeks. Empty Legs appear mostly in December and January, when jets bring families out and return empty, and in April and May, when aircraft that wintered in the Caribbean fly back to Europe.

Empty Legs

Most charters to the US Virgin Islands are one-way for the aircraft, so it either crosses the Atlantic empty or waits for the return. Typical directions are Europe - St Thomas before Christmas, St Thomas - Europe after New Year and in spring, and St Thomas - Florida at the end of the season. A leg to St Thomas also suits guests for the British side, with the crossing added. Send the route you want and a range of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights; a leg exists only while the original booking stands.

Entry and customs

Customs in the US Virgin Islands covers cash over USD 10,000, food, plants and animal products. Catering from Europe is ordered so that nothing fresh needs to be declared. The return to Europe from the US Virgin Islands is an ordinary international departure; for Puerto Rico or Florida the pre-departure check described above applies.

Pets on a flight to the US Virgin Islands

• Dogs need the online CDC Dog Import Form, a microchip that a universal scanner reads and an age of at least six months; one form per dog.
• The territory's Department of Agriculture applies federal animal health rules to animals from outside the United States and Puerto Rico; we confirm the documents with its veterinary office for each trip.
• The animal flies in the cabin beside you, up to five per traveller, once the operator has agreed.
• A pet that lands on St Thomas and then crosses to Tortola must meet both US and British rules: the British Virgin Islands issue an import licence for each animal and accept animals arriving by air only through Beef Island, so for a stay there we prefer a jet that lands on Tortola.
• Returning to the EU, the animal needs no blood test, as the United States is a listed country; the pet passport, the chip and a valid rabies vaccination cover it.
• For the UK, dogs need tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival there and travel through approved routes; on trips of five days or less the treatment can be given in the UK before leaving.

Before you leave

• ESTA or visa approved for each passenger, children included.
• Island and ferry or boat transfer within the US Virgin Islands agreed, especially for St John.
• Arrival on St Thomas planned for daylight and before the ferries stop running.
• US operator booked for any domestic leg with guests who did not fly in on the jet from abroad.
• Documents for a crossing to the British islands ready for both border checks.

Booking and contract

1. Send the route, dates, passengers and the island you are staying on, or where the yacht starts and ends.
2. We check ESTA status, operator permits and the runway on each side of the border for the aircraft.
3. You get offers with aircraft, operator, routing and total price.
4. The contract is signed, and the operator files the flight and requests parking at St Thomas or St Croix.
5. On arrival the handler meets you and takes you through US entry; the transfer waits outside.

Frequently asked questions about the US Virgin Islands

• • How much does a private jet to the US Virgin Islands cost?

  • From Madeira or Tenerife a Praetor 600 costs EUR 47,000 without a stop. From London it is EUR 70,000 with one stop or EUR 100,000 non-stop in a Gulfstream G550, one way for the whole aircraft.

• • Which island in the US Virgin Islands do business jets use?

  • Mostly St Thomas, with several FBOs and CBP at the airport. St Croix has the longer runway and suits guests staying there.

• • How do we get to St John?

  • Land on St Thomas, drive 30-45 minutes to Red Hook and take the ferry or a private boat to Cruz Bay, about 20 minutes.

• • Do we need ESTA?

  • Yes, or a visa, for the US islands. On a private charter ESTA is only valid when the operator has signed the US visa waiver agreement; a stay only on the British side, flown direct to Tortola or via Sint Maarten or Antigua, needs none.

• • Can a European operator fly us from St Thomas to St Croix or San Juan?

  • Only with the passengers it brought from abroad, and with a permit to proceed for the leg. Anyone else flies with a US operator, for example a Pilatus PC-12 from San Juan to St Thomas from EUR 6,000.

• • Can we fly on to Tortola?

  • Yes: a Pilatus PC-12 from St Thomas takes 36 minutes from EUR 6,000, a helicopter about 20 minutes and the ferry to West End about 45. Tortola belongs to the British Virgin Islands, a separate territory, so there is a second border check.

• • Can one jet serve a yacht charter that starts in Tortola and ends in St Thomas?

  • Yes, as two one-way legs: the arrival on one side and the departure from the other, each with its own border check. In between the aircraft flies home or waits at St Thomas.

• • Is the time the same as in Puerto Rico?

  • Yes. The US Virgin Islands keep Atlantic Standard Time all year, four hours behind London in winter and five in summer.

• • When should we travel?

  • December to April is dry and busy; May, June and November are calmer. August to October has the highest hurricane risk.

• • Can our dog come with us?

  • Yes, with the CDC Dog Import Form, a microchip and a minimum age of six months, plus the territory's own checks. The dog stays in the cabin.

• • Are there Empty Legs to St Thomas?

  • Yes, mostly before Christmas towards the islands and after New Year and in spring towards Europe. Send your window to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How long does booking take?

  • A few days outside the peak, provided ESTA approvals exist. For Christmas and the March regatta book several weeks ahead because parking on St Thomas is limited.