Private jet to Zurich

Zurich is the financial capital of Switzerland. UBS, Zurich Insurance, Swiss Re and Julius Baer have their head offices here, and private banks and asset managers line Bahnhofstrasse and Paradeplatz. Most private flights are working trips: a morning of bank meetings, a board session in Zug, a visit to a technology or insurance group. The second stream heads for the mountains, because Davos, Klosters and St. Moritz in Graubünden are a short helicopter hop from the airport.

Business jets use Zurich Airport at Kloten, about 10 km north of the centre. Passengers clear customs and border control in the separate General Aviation Centre and walk out to a waiting car. The airport is slot-controlled, and its night ban has no exceptions: charter flights get departure slots no later than 21:45. That one rule shapes the return of almost every day trip. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe and quote the slot, the aircraft and the price for the whole aircraft.

Tell us the route, the date, the group size and, above all, the time you need to fly home, and a consultant will come back with aircraft, slots and prices.

Reasons to take a business jet to the Swiss financial centre

How long the flight takes

Times for a Citation CJ3 from the price tables below, taxi, climb and descent included:

• Geneva and Milan Linate: 0:49 h, about 230 km
• Munich: 0:52 h, Frankfurt: 0:54 h
• Nice: 1:06 h, Paris Le Bourget and Brussels: 1:10 h
• Prague: 1:13 h, Vienna and Amsterdam: 1:20 h
• Berlin: 1:24 h, Hamburg: 1:28 h
• London Farnborough: 1:36 h, 797 km
• Copenhagen: 1:49 h, Madrid: 2:13 h, Larnaca: 3:59 h

Geneva, Milan and Munich are all less than 300 km from Kloten, so the shortest flights barely reach cruising altitude. A larger jet saves only a few minutes on these sectors: from London the Challenger 350 needs 1:30 h against 1:36 h in the CJ3. The gap opens on longer routes. Dubai is 5:49-6:07 h away non-stop and New York 7:31-7:46 h in a long-range jet, while a Challenger 650 from New York needs a fuel stop.

What a private flight to Zurich costs

Each price is for the whole aircraft, one way, with handling, airport charges and passenger taxes added in the quote, and assumes an aircraft available near the departure airport. The flight time column refers to the first aircraft in the row.

Fares from the main European hubs

Geneva, Milan, Munich and Frankfurt cost the same EUR 8,000 in the light jet column, because on sectors under an hour operators charge close to a minimum flight time. Paris, Brussels and Nice cost EUR 9,000. From London the fare is EUR 10,500 in the CJ3 and EUR 16,500 in the Challenger 350, a gap that buys a stand-up cabin and a larger hold rather than time.

From the UK regions, Scandinavia and southern Europe

These sectors take two hours or more, so the table switches to the Phenom 300, the Legacy 500 and the Gulfstream G280, all with more baggage space and range than the aircraft above.

From the Middle East and New York

Kloten takes the largest business jets without restriction, and flights from the Gulf arrive non-stop. Only the Challenger 650 needs a stop on the Atlantic crossing:

The fare grows with flight time, plus a fixed part for bringing aircraft and crew to the departure airport. Switzerland charges no per-passenger departure tax on private flights, but airport, noise and handling charges at Kloten appear in the quote, and the price of parking rises in WEF week. The departure country adds its own tax: about EUR 420 per passenger on a jet leaving France; on flights to or from Italy EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km and EUR 200 beyond; from Austria EUR 12; and Air Passenger Duty from the UK (aircraft under 5.7 t such as the PC-12 are exempt, the higher private-jet rate applies only to aircraft of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats, other jets pay the standard rate for the distance). Germany also charges a departure tax. In winter, de-icing before the return is billed 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

Three sample trips with all the extras

Cost per seat

A business jet is chartered as a whole, so the fare per head falls quickly with the size of the party. Passenger taxes come on top per person:

Estimate your own route

Enter the route, the date and the number of passengers, and the calculator sends an estimate to your e-mail.

Kloten and its General Aviation Centre

Zurich Airport (ZRH, LSZH) is the largest airport in Switzerland and lies in Kloten, about 10 km north of the city centre in a straight line and 13 km by road. Its three runways, 16/34 at 3,700 m, 14/32 at 3,300 m and 10/28 at 2,500 m, mean that runway length never limits the choice of aircraft. Slots and the night rules do.

Private passengers never use the scheduled terminals. The General Aviation Centre has its own entrance, lounges and meeting rooms, and customs and border police work in the same building. Several handling companies operate there, among them Jet Aviation and ExecuJet; the operator chooses one and we name it in the quote. Hangar space for visiting aircraft is limited and booked in advance.

Every IFR flight, business aviation included, needs a slot from the Swiss slot coordinator, and a change of plan means changing the slot as well. The night ban runs from about 23:00 to 06:00 without exceptions, and charter departures receive slots no later than 21:45. A meeting that may run late is therefore planned with a hotel night or a morning departure as the fallback.

Alternates when Kloten is full

During WEF week some traffic moves to the neighbouring airports, and a party bound for eastern Switzerland or Lake Constance sometimes lands closer to its destination. Distances are straight-line from Kloten:

Choosing the cabin for a Swiss business trip

The choice here is about the cabin, not the runway. For two to four bankers with briefcases a light jet is the economical answer. Ski equipment for Davos fills a light jet's hold quickly, so a family of six with skis is better off in a midsize or super midsize aircraft with 2.5-3 m³ of baggage space. A super midsize also pays for itself when the flight is spent preparing for the meeting at a proper table.

Unsure which aircraft or slot fits your plan? Leave your number and a consultant will call you back.

The calendar: WEF, the ski season and the spring festival

Business traffic runs all year, but January stands apart. These recurring events shape slots, parking and prices:

For WEF week, contact us as early as possible: slots and parking are allocated first come, first served. Outside January and the ski holidays, a flight can usually be arranged within a day or two.

Getting into town or up to the mountains

Empty Legs through Zurich

An Empty Leg is a flight the operator must make without passengers, for example after dropping clients at Kloten. Aircraft shuttle every day between Zurich, Geneva, Milan and Munich, so empty sectors come up often. Typical directions:

The operator fixes the date and hour of an Empty Leg, and late evening legs from Kloten do not exist because of the night ban. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights with the direction and a range of dates, and we will send matching flights as they appear.

Travelling with a dog or cat to Switzerland

The animal flies in the cabin with you, not in the hold, and the operator must approve it in advance. Switzerland applies rules equivalent to the EU's:

• Microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel for a first vaccination, given at 12 weeks of age or older.
• EU pet passport; pets from Great Britain travel with an animal health certificate.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets per person on a non-commercial trip.
• Switzerland requires no tapeworm treatment, but bans the import of dogs with docked ears or tails, with narrow exceptions listed by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV).

Helicopter operators to the mountains can be stricter about animals than the jet operator, especially with large dogs, so we check both before booking.

Passports, Swiss customs and passenger taxes

Before you fly: a short checklist

• Return time agreed with the slot, take-off no later than 21:45.
• Valid passport or ID card for every passenger, children included.
• Passenger list with names, dates of birth and document numbers, sent the day before.
• Watches, jewellery, art, samples or large amounts of cash declared in advance.
• Skis, golf bags and the number of suitcases, so the hold is checked.
• Pet passport or health certificate, microchip and rabies record.
• Transfer booked: car, train or helicopter to the mountains.

Booking steps and the contract

1. Send the route, the date, the arrival time you need, the return time, the number of passengers, their luggage and any onward trip to the mountains.
2. We ask the operators for slots at both ends; if the return would fall after 21:45 we offer a hotel night or a morning departure instead.
3. You receive 2-4 aircraft options with operator, model, cabin photos and the price for the whole aircraft, including waiting time on a same-day return.
4. You sign the contract and pay; we confirm handling, customs arrangements, the car or helicopter and catering.
5. On the day, arrive 20-30 minutes before take-off; at Kloten the car takes you from the General Aviation Centre straight to the city.

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

Questions about flying privately to Zurich

• • What does a private jet to Zurich cost?

  • A light jet costs from EUR 8,000 one way from Geneva, Milan, Munich or Frankfurt and EUR 10,500 from London, for the whole aircraft. Handling, airport charges and the passenger tax of the departure country are added in the quote.

• • Where do private passengers arrive at Zurich Airport?

  • At the General Aviation Centre in Kloten, a separate building with lounges, customs and border police. The car waits at its door.

• • How late can I fly home from Kloten?

  • Charter flights receive departure slots no later than 21:45, and the night ban has no exceptions. If the meeting may overrun, we plan a hotel night or a morning flight.

• • Is a slot needed?

  • Yes, every IFR flight needs a slot from the Swiss slot coordinator. The operator and handler apply for it; we only need your times as early as possible.

• • How long is the flight from London?

  • From Farnborough 1:36 h in a Citation CJ3 and about 1:30 h in a Challenger 350. The distance is close to 800 km.

• • Is there customs although Switzerland is in Schengen?

  • Yes. There is no passport check from Schengen airports, but Switzerland is outside the EU customs union, so customs officers are present in the General Aviation Centre. For most passengers it takes a few minutes.

• • What happens during the World Economic Forum?

  • In January Kloten becomes one of the busiest business aviation airports in the world. Slots and parking run out weeks ahead, and part of the traffic moves to Basel and Bern.

• • How do I get to Davos or St. Moritz?

  • By helicopter from the airport, or by car in 1.5-2 hours to Davos and more than two hours to St. Moritz. For St. Moritz a smaller jet can sometimes land at Samedan in daylight and good weather.

• • Can my dog come along?

  • Yes, in the cabin, with a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old and an EU pet passport. Dogs with docked ears or tails are generally banned from entering Switzerland.

• • Are there Empty Legs to or from Zurich?

  • Yes, often between Zurich and London, Geneva, Milan, Munich, Scandinavia and the Gulf. Send your direction and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • How far ahead should I book?

  • Outside January a flight can usually be arranged within a day or two, subject to slots. For WEF week, book several weeks in advance.