Private jet to Ukraine

No airport in Ukraine accepts civil flights, and EASA, the European aviation safety agency, advises operators not to fly in Ukrainian airspace at any altitude, landings and take-offs included. This applies to the whole country, from Lviv in the west to Kharkiv in the east, and to business jets and helicopters as much as to airliners. A trip to Ukraine by private jet therefore ends at an open airport in a neighbouring country, and the rest of the way is covered by train or by car.

The landing point depends on the region you are going to. For Lviv and the west it is usually Rzeszów in south-east Poland; for the trains from Chełm it is Lublin; for the sleeper to Kyiv it is Warsaw; and for Odesa and the south it is Chișinău in Moldova. Separate pages cover Dnipro and Kharkiv. Below are the gateways, prices, the border crossings, entry rules and pets.

Give us the town in Ukraine, the date, the size of the group and how you want to cross the border, and a consultant comes back with the gateway, the aircraft and the price.

Which gateway for which part of the country

The flight takes two to four hours; the ground leg that follows takes much longer and decides where the aircraft should land. Road and rail times are planning figures from published timetables and route planners, and waiting at the border comes on top:

Rzeszów is the gateway we use most. Lublin has fixed opening hours, so an evening landing is easier at Jasionka. Warsaw saves a hotel night when the group can take the sleeper, and Chișinău is the only gateway outside the EU: passports are checked there and again at the Ukrainian border.

Prices to the gateways

Every price is for the whole aircraft, one way, plus handling, airport charges and passenger taxes. Trains, hotels and anything inside Ukraine are not included; the car from the aircraft to the station or the border can be added to the quote. The flight time is that of the first aircraft in the row.

From the European hubs to Poland

From London a light jet costs EUR 14,000 to Rzeszów and EUR 18,000 as a midsize jet. Vienna is the shortest sector, 1:08 h and EUR 9,000, and Madrid the longest at 3:38 h, still non-stop in all three classes. The choice of gateway changes the fare far less than it changes the ground leg.

To Chișinău and from the region

The direct track from western Europe to Moldova crosses Ukraine, so the aircraft flies around it over Hungary and Romania; these two rows include about 7 % for the detour:

Chișinău is the long way round from the west: EUR 17,500 in a CJ3 from London against EUR 14,000 to Rzeszów, worth it when the trip ends in Odesa or the south. The Warsaw - Rzeszów hop at EUR 8,000 suits a group with meetings in the Polish capital before the border.

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 trips worked through

Price per person

The aircraft is chartered as a whole, so each extra passenger lowers the share per seat:

Calculator

The calculator estimates the flight to the gateway; add in the comment where in Ukraine the trip ends and how you continue.

Airports: closed in Ukraine, open next door

Boryspil and Zhuliany at Kyiv, Lviv with its 3,305 m runway, Odesa, Kharkiv and Dnipro all have international airports, and none of them takes civil traffic while the airspace is closed. We do not accept bookings to Ukrainian airports, and when the authorities reopen them and operators publish procedures, direct flights can be quoted again. Until then the gateways are these:

The Polish air navigation service has at times suspended civil flights at Rzeszów for a few hours, so Krakow, about 170 km to the west, is written into the booking as the alternate. Moldova keeps part of its airspace near the Ukrainian boundary closed, and the operator agrees the routing to Chișinău in advance.

Which aircraft

Every runway on the list takes all common business jets, so the group and its luggage choose the class:

• One to four people with cabin bags: a Citation CJ3 or Phenom 300, under three hours from London to Poland.
• Five to eight people, or cases of documents and equipment: a Citation XLS+ or Challenger 350.
• A delegation of ten or more: a Challenger 650, with coach seats or a block of berths reserved weeks ahead.
• Short hops inside Poland, for example Warsaw - Rzeszów: a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop.

For a stay of several days it is usually cheaper to send the aircraft home and book the return separately than to pay for parking and crew waiting time.

Travel through the year

With the airspace closed, the season matters less for the flight than for the ground leg: rail berths, border queues and winter weather at the Polish gateways. Late spring and early autumn are the easiest months; the weeks around Christmas, New Year and the summer school holidays are the hardest at the border. Empty Legs westbound from Rzeszów and Warsaw appear all year, most often in the busy months, when more aircraft drop passengers in Poland.

Border, train and car

Empty Legs

Most aircraft that land at Rzeszów, Lublin or Warsaw fly back west without passengers: to Germany, Austria, Scandinavia or the UK. The operator sets the date and time, so these flights suit a return whose day depends on the train or the border. Send the direction and a range of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, and we forward matching flights.

Pets

As far as Poland, the dog or cat flies in the cabin beside you under EU rules: microchip, rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an EU pet passport, up to five animals per person, approved by the operator in advance. Crossing into Ukraine is another matter. Ukraine is not on the EU list of countries with simplified pet rules, so an animal coming back into the EU needs a rabies antibody test taken at least 30 days after vaccination, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, and it must re-enter through an approved crossing such as Medyka, Korczowa, Hrebenne or Zosin.

Documents, rules and taxes

Before departure

• Passport valid for the whole stay for every traveller.
• Train tickets or berths bought before the flight is confirmed.
• Hotel in Przemyśl, Rzeszów or Warsaw if the train leaves the next day.
• Passenger names and document numbers to us the day before the flight.
• Luggage each person can carry on a train or across the border.
• Pet papers, with the antibody test, if the animal goes into Ukraine.

How the booking works

1. Send the destination in Ukraine, the date, the group size, the luggage and the onward mode: day train, sleeper or car.
2. We propose the gateway and a landing time that fits the connection, with an alternate airport written in.
3. You receive 2-4 aircraft options with operator, model and price, plus the car to the station or the border if needed.
4. You sign the contract with the operator and pay by bank transfer or card.
5. On the day, the car meets the aircraft; for the way home the aircraft can collect you at a different gateway.

Questions about travelling to Ukraine by private jet

• • Can a private jet land anywhere in Ukraine?

  • No. Civil airspace over the whole country is closed, and EASA advises operators not to fly in it, landings and take-offs included. We fly you to Poland or Moldova and plan the train or car onward.

• • Which gateway should I choose?

  • Rzeszów for Lviv and the west, Lublin for the trains from Chełm and for Volyn, Warsaw for the sleeper to Kyiv and Chișinău for Odesa and the south.

• • What does the flight cost?

  • From EUR 9,000 one way for the whole aircraft, a light jet from Vienna to Rzeszów; from London EUR 14,000 to Rzeszów. Taxes, handling, the car and the train come on top.

• • Train or car?

  • To Lviv and the west a car is usually quicker, about 185 km from Rzeszów. To Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv the train is more practical, and border control takes place on board.

• • What happens if Rzeszów is closed?

  • Civil flights there have been suspended for a few hours at times, so Krakow is in the booking as the alternate, about 170 km further west.

• • Can we come back through a different airport?

  • Yes. If you return by train to Chełm, the aircraft can collect you at Lublin even if you landed at Rzeszów.

• • Do EU and UK citizens need a visa?

  • No, not for stays of up to 90 days in any 180. The passport must be valid for the whole stay.

• • Can my dog come?

  • To Poland, yes, in the cabin under EU rules. Taking it into Ukraine and back needs a rabies antibody test and an approved crossing, so many owners leave the animal in Poland.

• • Are there Empty Legs on these routes?

  • Yes, mostly westbound from Rzeszów and Warsaw. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with your direction and dates.