Hire a Private Jet to Guatemala, Central America
Guatemala lies 4,903 nautical miles south-west of London, a little beyond the reach of a Falcon 900LX, and that single fact shapes every quote we write for it. Private Jets UK plans these charters around the choice between a stop in the Azores and a jet that crosses in one go, and then around the mountain airport at the far end, which sits at 1,509 metres above sea level. Our customers have access to 6,500 jets of all types and configurations available for rent. We will help you choose the best option based on your needs and objectives. Our catalog contains the models from the largest manufacturers: Gulfstream, Dassault, Embraer, Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Learjet, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pilatus, HondaJet, etc. We have established partnerships with the world's largest airlines and VIP terminals, which means we can offer you favourable flight conditions and a high level of service. Our experts will manage the organization of your flight - starting with paperwork, agreements, etc., and ending with a transfer and meeting at the airport. Our company provides a full range of business aviation and concierge services. For Guatemala that means one capital airport that takes every kind of jet, a second strip in the north for the Maya ruins, and an arrival that is often followed by an hour on a winding road or a short helicopter hop.
At your request, the aviation consultants of Private Jets UK will help you choose the jet with the suitable technical parameters (production year, flight hours, and home base). The cost of the private jet charter in Guatemala depends on many factors, such as the model of the business jet, the number of passengers, departure and destination airports, type of flight, duration of parking, additional services, etc. Therefore, we calculate the price of each order individually taking into account your wishes. You can use an online calculator to get an instant charter quote. Please indicate your real contact details to get the final calculation.
You can calculate the cost of your flight in several ways:
- using an online calculator on the website (however, it shows only the approximate price);
- via Messenger (WhatsApp or Telegram);
- by landline or cell phone;
- via e-mail (jets@private-jets.co.uk).
Please note that the above-mentioned price is indicative only. It is calculated on this basis: a departure from Farnborough, a Dassault Falcon 900LX to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City with one technical stop in the Azores, and two passengers aboard. If you want to get a personal quote, just fill out the online booking form below. Our aviation consultant will make the calculation within 20 minutes, and then contact you to specify the details of the flight.
How long does it take to fly to Guatemala?
A full working day in the air, whichever way it is split. Farnborough to Guatemala City is 4,903 nautical miles and the Falcon 900LX is published at about 4,750, so the aircraft that most often tops a charter shortlist cannot make it without a landing. It calls at Santa Maria in the Azores instead, 1,400 nautical miles out and then 3,854 on, a total of 351 nautical miles more than the straight line, with about 896 nautical miles of range left on the long second leg. A Global 6000 or a Gulfstream crosses in a single flight. Guatemala keeps UTC-6 all year with no daylight saving, six hours behind Britain in winter and seven from late March to late October. Westbound the wind is against the aircraft, and the figures below count flying time only:
5,254 nautical miles from Farnborough in two legs, with about an hour on the ground at Santa Mariaabout 12 h 50 min plus the stop
4,903 nautical miles from Farnborough, with about 1,097 nautical miles of range in handabout 10 h 55 min
4,903 nautical miles in a wide cabinabout 10 h 55 min
4,903 nautical miles with the jet stream behind the aircraftabout 9 h 15 min
A high airport, and what it does to the smaller jets
La Aurora is nearly a mile above sea level, and warm air at that height thins the engines' thrust, so an aircraft leaving for a long sector sometimes carries less fuel or fewer passengers than the brochure figure suggests. The operator calculates the departure weight for the date and the temperature, which is one more reason we do not recommend a Praetor 600 or a Challenger 605 for this country: the leg from the Azores alone is 3,854 nautical miles, close to what they are published to fly, which leaves too little margin once the altitude of La Aurora is counted.
A Global 6000 that needs about 10 h 55 min westbound is home in about 9 h 15 min. For a four-day business visit we advise the non-stop jet; for a two-week stay the Falcon with a stop is the sensible price.
The exact flight time depends on the model of the business jet, as well as the speed of the tail or head wind. Our consultant will make a detailed calculation of the flight time for the chosen business jet.
Prices for the private jet flights to Guatemala
Typical private jet charter prices from Britain to Guatemala City, cheapest first. The Falcon 900LX rows include one technical stop in the Azores, while the Global and Gulfstream rows cross in a single flight:
| Route | Aircraft | Price, one way |
|---|---|---|
| London Farnborough - Guatemala City 5,254 nm / 9,730 km via the Azores |
Falcon 900LX up to 12 |
from £129,900 |
| Birmingham - Guatemala City 5,262 nm / 9,745 km via the Azores |
Falcon 900LX up to 12 |
from £130,050 |
| London Gatwick - Guatemala City 5,271 nm / 9,762 km via the Azores |
Falcon 900LX up to 12 |
from £130,300 |
| Manchester - Guatemala City 5,278 nm / 9,775 km via the Azores |
Falcon 900LX up to 12 |
from £130,450 |
| London Biggin Hill - Guatemala City 5,283 nm / 9,784 km via the Azores |
Falcon 900LX up to 12 |
from £130,550 |
| London Luton - Guatemala City 5,287 nm / 9,792 km via the Azores |
Falcon 900LX up to 12 |
from £130,650 |
| Newcastle - Guatemala City 4,835 nm / 8,954 km, non-stop |
Global 6000 up to 13 |
from £130,800 |
| Leeds Bradford - Guatemala City 4,846 nm / 8,975 km, non-stop |
Global 6000 up to 13 |
from £131,050 |
| London Stansted - Guatemala City 5,307 nm / 9,829 km via the Azores |
Falcon 900LX up to 12 |
from £131,150 |
| East Midlands - Guatemala City 4,867 nm / 9,014 km, non-stop |
Global 6000 up to 13 |
from £131,600 |
| Southampton - Guatemala City 4,883 nm / 9,043 km, non-stop |
Global 6000 up to 13 |
from £132,050 |
| London Farnborough - Guatemala City 4,903 nm / 9,080 km, non-stop |
Global 6000 up to 13 |
from £132,550 |
| Edinburgh - Guatemala City 4,769 nm / 8,832 km, non-stop |
Gulfstream G550 up to 16 |
from £135,100 |
Two things worth knowing about these figures
– From Farnborough a Falcon 900LX with the Azores stop starts at £129,900, a Global 6000 non-stop comes to £132,550, a Gulfstream G550 to £138,750 and a Gulfstream G650ER to £156,400. The Global gives back about 1 h 55 min of flying and the hour at Santa Maria for roughly £2,650 more;
– A one-way price includes the aircraft's journey home: the jet recrosses the Atlantic whether it carries passengers or not, so a single outbound flight costs close to half of a return trip. Air Passenger Duty is charged per passenger on a departure from a British airport, by distance band, and appears as a separate line in the quotation.
Private jet flights within Guatemala and to its neighbours
Guatemala is small but mountainous, and the roads are slow, so a flight of twenty to forty minutes can replace half a day in a car. The table prices each sector with the aircraft a broker would normally put on it. A foreign jet that flies a domestic leg needs its own permission, and the smaller airfields have short runways, so for the hops inside the country a turboprop is usually the better answer:
| Route | Aircraft | Flight time | Price, one way |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guatemala City - Retalhuleu (Pacific lowlands) 71 nm / 131 km |
Pilatus PC-12 NGX up to 9 |
about 45 min | from £3,100 |
| Guatemala City - San Salvador (El Salvador) 114 nm / 211 km |
Pilatus PC-12 NGX up to 9 |
about 55 min | from £3,100 |
| Guatemala City - Puerto Barrios (Caribbean coast) 137 nm / 254 km |
Pilatus PC-12 NGX up to 9 |
about 1 h | from £3,100 |
| Guatemala City - Flores (for Tikal) 151 nm / 280 km |
Pilatus PC-12 NGX up to 9 |
about 1 h 05 min | from £3,100 |
| Guatemala City - Belize City 228 nm / 422 km |
Citation CJ4 Gen2 up to 8 |
about 1 h | from £5,950 |
| Guatemala City - Roatan (Honduras) 264 nm / 489 km |
Citation XLS+ up to 9 |
about 1 h 05 min | from £6,800 |
| Guatemala City - Cancun (Mexico) 458 nm / 848 km |
Citation XLS+ up to 9 |
about 1 h 35 min | from £8,750 |
| Guatemala City - Mexico City 593 nm / 1,098 km |
Citation XLS+ up to 9 |
about 1 h 55 min | from £10,700 |
| Guatemala City - Panama City (Tocumen) 763 nm / 1,413 km |
Challenger 350 up to 9 |
about 2 h 10 min | from £16,350 |
| Guatemala City - Miami (Opa-locka) 927 nm / 1,717 km |
Challenger 350 up to 9 |
about 2 h 35 min | from £19,300 |
Two things worth knowing about the sectors
– Flores is the one domestic sector that most clients ask for, because Tikal lies in the Petén jungle and the road from the capital takes the better part of a day.
– Every sector to El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Mexico, Panama or Florida is an international arrival at the far end, with its own forms; British passengers going on to Florida need an approved ESTA or a visa, and those going to Honduras need a visa.
We can arrange the flights from any cities in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and European countries. Due to a large database of available business jets, we can help you find an optimal jet and crew. If you have any questions about the departure or the flight itself, you can ask them using the form below:
Prices depending on the type of business jet
We can clearly show the high dependence of the cost of the flight, on the type of aircraft - we have collected approximate data, at the price of 1 flight hour, for various types of business jets:
The cost per hour indicated in the table is preliminary and does not constitute an offer or a commercial offer. Exact prices are available from the managers of the company.
Online Calculator
If you want to make an urgent calculation of the cost of a private plane flight, use our online calculator. Just fill in all the fields of the form with a note that you are interested in a specific model of the aircraft and get the final price. NB! - the figures are sent to you by email or messenger, please carefully fill in the contact details to get the calculation.
All our calculations are as transparent as possible for you. After receiving the request, we will prepare a beautiful offer - where the costs and the final price will be clearly described. The exact price is agreed in advance and is written in the contract, so you can be sure of the final cost.
Private jets are ready to take off
Our database contains over 6,500 business jets (about 3,500 in Europe and 3,000 in the rest of the world) of different configurations and production years. The list of models is constantly updated. Unfortunately, we can't post a full list of available jets on our website due to confidentiality issues. Please contact the managers of the company for more accurate information. We will help you choose a suitable model taking into account your wishes. These are the typical choices for Guatemala:
Turboprops
Not for the crossing from Britain, but right for Flores, the Pacific lowlands and the Caribbean coast.
Light jets
A regional aircraft here, for Guatemala City to Belize, San Salvador or Cancun with four to six people.
Super-midsize
Not for the Atlantic crossing with a comfortable margin; in the region the Citation XLS+ is the value choice and the Challenger 350 the longer-legged one.
Heavy jets
For a family with staff or a group of eight to twelve on the regional sectors; from Britain these need two stops.
Ultra-long range
The class that makes Guatemala practical: the Falcon with one stop in the Azores is the cheapest, and the Global and Gulfstream types cross in one flight.
The quote names the aircraft that brings you from Britain and what it does afterwards: wait at Guatemala City, go home empty or reposition to Florida. Each choice changes the price.
How to book a private jet?
You can book a private jet flight to Guatemala in 6 easy steps:
- Flight request - indicating the route and your preferences for the model of business jet and other points.
- Coordination of flight details - our consultant will contact you to offer the possible flight options and answer all your questions.
- Commercial offer - we will send you a final offer on a specific model taking into account all your wishes.
- Signing of the contract.
- Payment for the flight and booking a business jet.
- Departure at the agreed time and date. Assistance during the whole flight.
In addition to renting the private jets and arranging the flights, we provide concierge services, premium transfer, security, exclusive catering, etc. We have learned to solve problems of any complexity, offering the service of the European level. Our experts will be happy to answer your questions and help you arrange your flight.
How to rent a business jet with a crew
5 main stages:
-
Sending an application
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Clarification of details and search for options
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Preparation and coordination of optimal options
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Registration of documents. Payment of the invoice.
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Departure on the route.
Business aviation airports in Guatemala
A foreign business jet arriving from Britain lands at La Aurora in almost every case, and the second airport on the list exists because of one site, Tikal. The table sets out what each field is for:
| Airport | Ground | How it operates |
|---|---|---|
| La Aurora International GUA / MGGT |
in Zone 13 of Guatemala City, about 6 kilometres south of the centre, usually 15 to 30 minutes by road to the hotels of Zones 9, 10 and 14 depending on traffic | The gateway for nearly every business jet. One asphalt runway of about 2,987 metres (9,800 feet), at an elevation of 1,509 metres (4,952 feet), with the mountains of the highlands round it. Customs is available and the airport is listed as an airport of entry, open round the clock, with handling compulsory and no slots required; the handler confirms staffing for the date. Ash from the Fuego volcano has closed the airport on several occasions, and the closures have been temporary |
| ASSA FBO Guatemala and LAATS FBO Handlers at La Aurora |
on the airfield | Both are listed as FBOs at La Aurora, with American Flight Support and Pike Aviation shown as supervising agents. They arrange fuel, ground power, catering, crew transport and the permits that go with a foreign arrival. We name the agent in the quotation, since the choice depends on the type, the arrival time and who holds the permit |
| Mundo Maya International FRS / MGMM |
at Santa Elena, about 3 kilometres from the island town of Flores, which is itself about an hour by road from Tikal | The airport of the Petén and the practical door to Tikal. Runway 11/29 is concrete and about 3,000 metres long, so any business jet can land, and the listings show customs, airport-of-entry status and round-the-clock hours; we confirm staffing and the handler for the date when the arrival is international |
| Retalhuleu RER / MGRT |
on the Pacific side, in the lowlands west of the capital | A military air base (Base Aérea del Sur) with an asphalt runway of about 1,540 metres, listed for daylight hours only and with no customs. It suits a turboprop or light jet for the southern coast and the western highlands once the party has cleared customs elsewhere, and is no substitute for La Aurora on a long-haul arrival |
| Puerto Barrios PBR / MGPB |
on the Caribbean coast, near the Honduran border | The airfield for the Caribbean side and the Rio Dulce, with a concrete runway of about 2,680 metres. Customs is listed but the field is not an airport of entry, and its hours are unclear, so we treat it as a domestic destination reached from La Aurora and confirm the strip for each date |
| Santa Maria LPAZ |
3,854 nautical miles to the north-east, in the Azores | The usual technical stop on the way out. Its runway is 3,048 metres long and it has handled transatlantic traffic for decades. We name it in the quote, and the passengers normally stay aboard while the aircraft is refuelled |
Three points settle most arrivals before a quote goes out:
Permission: through the handler
A foreign charter operator needs authorisation from the civil aviation authority, the DGAC, before it lands, and the handler files the request with the aircraft documents. Industry guidance lists about three working days for a private or a charter flight, with the permit number entered in the flight plan, and the operator signs the application itself. We confirm the notice in writing on the first day.
Weight: the altitude sets the limit
At 1,509 metres the departure weight is calculated for the temperature, so the operator confirms payload and fuel for the way back before the booking is closed.
Volcano: keep a margin in the plan
The Fuego volcano is active and a plume can close La Aurora for a spell. We name an alternate in the flight plan, and a client with a fixed meeting should not book the last flight of the day.
Rain and runways
The rains run from about May to October and bring afternoon storms to the highlands; flights in and out are best planned for the morning. Hours are given in Guatemalan local time, UTC-6, with no change in summer.
Arriving from Britain: passports, customs and what to carry
A private flight from London arrives as an international flight. The crew files the general declaration, the passengers are processed by immigration and customs at the airport, and the handler leads the party through.
British citizens can visit for up to 90 days without a visa. Guatemala belongs to the CA-4 group with El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, and the 90 days are counted across Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua without restarting at each border; Honduras is part of the group, but British passport holders need a visa for it. The passport must run at least six months beyond arrival and have two blank pages, and it must be stamped on entry, since a missing stamp can mean a fine. The online immigration declaration is completed before entering or leavingevery passenger, children included
a customs declaration is completed on arrival; plants, fresh food and animal products are checked, and large sums of cash and goods above the duty-free allowance are declared; penalties for drug offences are severedeclare when in doubt
Coming home
A flight back into Britain needs a General Aviation Report sent to the border authorities not earlier than 48 hours and not later than two hours before departure. British and Irish citizens need no electronic travel authorisation, and most other nationalities do.
Goods bought in Guatemala are declared on arrival in Britain like any other import from outside the country, and fresh plants and meat do not belong in the luggage.
Which airport for which part of Guatemala
Every long-haul arrival begins at La Aurora, and the question is how to cover the rest. These are the usual pairings:
the colonial town in a valley of volcanoes, 12 nautical miles from the airport and about an hour by roadLa Aurora, then a car or a helicopter
the lake ringed by volcanoes, 39 nautical miles from the capital and a long drive of some hours on mountain roadsLa Aurora, then a helicopter
the great Maya city lies in the northern jungle, and the quick way in is a flight to Flores and a transfer of about an hourFlores (FRS), by turboprop or light jet
Retalhuleu for the lowlands and the road up to Quetzaltenango and the western highlandsRetalhuleu (RER), or road from the capital
Puerto Barrios, the Rio Dulce and Livingston, a green and humid part of the country far from the highlandsPuerto Barrios (PBR), by turboprop
Guatemala: what our clients go for
Tikal comes first. It is a Maya city in the Peten jungle, listed by UNESCO, whose temples rise above the canopy, and a visit with a guide at dawn is the version people remember.
Antigua Guatemala is the second reason. The old capital is UNESCO-listed, with cobbled streets, ruined churches and three volcanoes on the skyline, and many visitors stay a few days for coffee tours and hikes on Pacaya.
Lake Atitlan is the third. It fills a volcanic caldera, with Atitlan, Toliman and San Pedro rising from its shore, and its villages are Maya towns with their own markets and dress. The Thursday and Sunday market at Chichicastenango is the best known in the highlands.
Business is the other half of the traffic: Guatemala City is the largest city in Central America, with coffee, sugar, bananas and cardamom among the exports of the region's biggest economy.
The year in Guatemala: a dry winter and a wet summer
Altitude sets the temperature, and the capital and Antigua are spring-like all year, while the lowlands are hot. Visitors plan around the rain:
the dry season and the most comfortable months, with sunny days and cool nights in the highlands; the peak for leisure travel, when the best hotels fill earlypeak
the driest and hottest weeks, with haze and agricultural burning over parts of the country, and Holy Week, the largest event of the year, in Antiguadry, busy
the rainy season, with showers most afternoons and mornings that are often clear; the Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and the Pacific side has its own storm seasonwet
Weather, volcanoes and the FCDO advice
The FCDO page for Guatemala covers crime, road safety, protests that can block roads, natural hazards and the activity of the Fuego, Pacaya and other volcanoes, and some parts of the country carry specific warnings. We read it again before every departure and plan transfers with a vetted driver, in daylight where the route is long.
The Guatemalan calendar: Holy Week, kites and the burning of the devil
The year runs on religious festivals, market days and a few national dates:
What a holiday does to a flight plan
Offices close on public holidays and the roads fill during Holy Week and at Christmas, so a charter on those dates needs earlier handling requests and longer transfer times. We add the margin.
Flying to Guatemala with a dog or a cat
A dog or a cat can travel in the cabin. The paperwork has two halves, one for the way out and a stricter one for the way home, and the second decides how far ahead the trip has to be planned.
The Guatemalan side
The import conditions are set by the ministry of agriculture, MAGA. In practice the animal needs an international health certificate from a vet, normally endorsed by the British authorities, and a valid rabies vaccination shown on it. The animal is inspected on arrival, and the certificate is issued close to the flight, so the vet visit is timed for the last days before departure.
Published guides list no import permit for a personal pet and name La Aurora as the entry point, where a veterinary officer checks and stamps the papers. The certificate is typically issued 10 to 30 days before travel and is needed in Spanish, the rabies vaccination is typically accepted between 30 days and 12 months old, and tick and tapeworm treatment is recorded on it. We ask MAGA through the handler which documents apply on the date, because the requirements change and a sheet that was correct for one season may not be for the next.
- A microchip, first of all. Guatemala does not insist on it, but Britain demands it for the return;
- A British export health certificate for Guatemala, signed by an official veterinarian. We check the form before the booking is confirmed;
- A word with the operator. We confirm in writing the inspection and what happens to the animal while the party clears customs.
The way home is the demanding half. Guatemala does not appear in the table of listed countries on the British government site, so we treat it as a country that is not listed. An animal then needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel, a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the vaccination and sent to an EU-approved laboratory with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, a wait of three months from the date of the sample, and a Great Britain pet health certificate. A dog must also be treated against tapeworm by a vet no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours before landing in Britain. An animal that does not meet the rules can be refused or held in quarantine for up to four months.
The blood test is done months before the trip, so a holiday decided at short notice usually has to leave the dog at home, and we say so at the quote stage.
Rules for other species, and for countries where the timeline runs to months, are set out on our flying with pets guide.
Empty Legs
An empty leg is a repositioning flight with nobody aboard, sold at a fraction of the usual price. Guatemala produces them naturally: an aircraft that brings a party across the Atlantic then has to find its next client elsewhere.
Where Guatemalan empty legs come from
– Florida and the Gulf. Opa-locka lies 927 nautical miles to the north-east, so a jet that has dropped a party at La Aurora may fly back to Florida empty, or arrive empty to collect a group;
– Mexico and Central America. Cancun, Mexico City, San Salvador and Belize City are one short sector away, and traffic between them leaves aircraft in the wrong place;
– The end of a long stay. A jet that brought guests out on a Thursday may fly home empty on the Monday.
A client who can give a window of a few days has a far better chance of a match, though a leg can disappear when the original booking changes. Whatever is free is listed on our empty legs page. A selection of Guatemalan empty legs follows:
| Route | Aircraft | Capacity | Whole aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guatemala City - Cancun | Challenger 350 | 9 seats | £4,600 |
| Guatemala City - Miami (Opa-locka) | Challenger 350 | 9 seats | £8,100 |
| Guatemala City - UK (Glasgow) | Global 6000 | 13 seats | £53,800 |
| UK (Edinburgh) - Guatemala City | Global 6000 | 13 seats | £54,200 |
| Guatemala City - UK (London Farnborough) | Falcon 900LX | 12 seats | £54,550 |
| UK (Birmingham) - Guatemala City | Falcon 900LX | 12 seats | £54,600 |
| Guatemala City - UK (Manchester) | Falcon 900LX | 12 seats | £54,800 |
| UK (London Luton) - Guatemala City | Falcon 900LX | 12 seats | £54,850 |
| Guatemala City - UK (London Gatwick) | Gulfstream G550 | 16 seats | £58,550 |
How to read those figures
– Each price is for the whole aircraft rather than per seat. A Global 6000 leg of £53,800 with eight aboard works out at about £6,720 a head, and the whole leg costs about two-fifths of a fresh one-way charter.
Helicopter charter and air tours
Helicopters are the quickest answer to the Guatemalan road. La Aurora to Antigua is 12 nautical miles, La Aurora to Lake Atitlan 39, which a helicopter covers in about 15 and 30 minutes respectively, against an hour or more by car to Antigua and several hours to the lake. Tikal lies 173 nautical miles from the capital, too far for a short transfer, so the usual plan there is a turboprop to Flores.
If a client asks for a private helicopter
A transfer to a lodge, a lake house or a coffee estate depends on the operator being free, on weather in the mountains and on a landing site the owner accepts. Morning flights are the most reliable.
Flights from the UK to Guatemala
We fly this corridor from every British airfield in the list below, and the price table higher up covers thirteen of those pairings. Our clients have access to all airports of the UK and Europe. Due to the unique partnership conditions, we can offer our clients the best prices for business aviation services. Our experts will consult you on the availability of private jets in a particular city and help you choose the best option.
List of TOP 25 business aviation airports:
| Airport | Country | ICAO | IATA |
|---|---|---|---|
 London Heathrow Airport |
England | EGLL | LHR |
| Birmingham Airport |
England | EGBB | BHX |
| London Gatwick |
England | EGKK | LGW |
| London City Airport |
England | EGLC | LCY |
| London Luton |
England | EGGW | LTN |
| Edinburgh Airport |
Scotland | EGPH | EDI |
| Leeds Airport |
England | EGNM | LBA |
| Manchester Airport |
England | EGCC | MAN |
| London Stansted |
England | EGSS | STN |
| Liverpool John Lennon Airport |
England | EGGP | LPL |
| Newcastle Airport |
England | EGNT | NCL |
| Bristol Airport |
England | EGGD | BRS |
| Glasgow Airport |
Scotland | EGPF | GLA |
| East Midlands Airport |
England | EGNX | EMA |
| Southampton Airport |
England | EGHI | SOU |
| Jersey Airport |
Channel Islands | EGJJ | JER |
| Cardiff International Airport |
Wales | EGFF | CWL |
| Inverness Airport |
Scotland | EGPE | INV |
| Bournemouth Airport |
England | EGHH | BOH |
| London Farnborough Airport |
England | EGLF | FAB |
| Oxford Airport |
England | EGTK | OXF |
| London Biggin Hill |
England | EGKB | BQH |
| Belfast Airport |
Northern Ireland | EGAA | BFS |
| Gibraltar Airport |
Gibraltar | LXGB | GIB |
| Aberdeen Airport |
Scotland | EGPD | ABZ |
Guatemalan charters from the booking notes: six typical trips
Six typical jobs put together from booking notes with the particulars changed, so none describes one named client or date.
BUSINESS · THE CAPITAL
Three days of meetings in Guatemala City
Biggin Hill - Guatemala City, Global 6000, about 11 h · 4 pax
The jet stayed on the apron at La Aurora, and the handler kept the permission and the fuel order ready for the departure on the third evening.
HOLY WEEK · ANTIGUA
A family in Antigua for the processions
Farnborough - Guatemala City, Falcon 900LX via the Azores, about 12 h 50 min plus the stop · 5 pax
The family flew a week early to avoid the crowds and kept a helicopter in reserve for the return to the airport, as the roads fill during the processions.
HONEYMOON · LAKE ATITLAN
Ten nights on the lake
Farnborough - Guatemala City, Falcon 900LX via the Azores, about 12 h 50 min plus the stop · 2 pax
The couple crossed in the Falcon and went on to the lake by helicopter from La Aurora, the luggage following by road.
ONWARD · TIKAL
The capital, then the Maya ruins
Guatemala City - Flores, Pilatus PC-12 NGX, about 1 h 05 min · 4 pax
A turboprop made the short hop to Flores for the ruins while the long-range jet waited at the capital. The party was back at La Aurora the same evening.
WITH THE DOG · A BLOOD TEST FIRST
A couple and a spaniel for three weeks
Birmingham - Guatemala City, Falcon 900LX via the Azores, about 12 h 50 min plus the stop · 2 pax + dog
The blood sample was taken months before the date, the Guatemalan certificate was issued in the last days before departure, and a vet in the capital gave the tapeworm tablet the day before the flight home.
EMPTY LEG · AFTER THE SEASON
A flexible return to Glasgow
Guatemala City - Glasgow, Global 6000 empty leg, about 8 h 55 min · 3 pax
The client gave a window of four days instead of a date and paid about £53,800, well under half of a fresh one-way charter.
Frequently asked questions about flying to Guatemala
1How long does it take to fly to Guatemala by private jet?
About 10 hours 55 minutes non-stop from a London airfield in a Global 6000, and about 12 hours 50 minutes of flying plus an hour on the ground in the Azores in a Falcon 900LX. The way home is shorter with the jet stream behind the aircraft. Guatemala is six hours behind Britain in winter and seven hours behind in summer.
2How much does a private jet to Guatemala cost?
From about £129,900 one way from Farnborough to Guatemala City in a Falcon 900LX with one technical stop in the Azores. A Global 6000 non-stop is about £132,550, a Gulfstream G550 about £138,750 and a Gulfstream G650ER about £156,400. Air Passenger Duty is shown as a separate line in the quotation.
3Which airport do private jets use in Guatemala?
La Aurora International (GUA, MGGT) in Guatemala City takes nearly every business jet, with customs and immigration at the airport. Mundo Maya (FRS) at Flores serves Tikal, with a runway long enough for any business jet. Antigua and Lake Atitlan are reached by road or by helicopter from the capital.
4What are the passport and customs rules for a private flight from Britain to Guatemala?
British citizens can visit for up to 90 days without a visa, counted together with El Salvador and Nicaragua; Honduras needs a visa for British passport holders. The passport must run six months beyond arrival and have two blank pages. Passengers complete a customs declaration on arrival, and the aircraft needs a permission from the civil aviation authority, which the handler requests.
5Can I take my dog or cat on a private jet to Guatemala?
Yes. Guatemala asks for a vet health certificate, normally endorsed by the British authorities, a valid rabies vaccination and inspection on arrival. The return is harder: Britain does not list Guatemala, which means a blood test, a three-month wait and, for dogs, tapeworm treatment before landing.
6When is the best time to fly to Guatemala, and what about the volcanoes?
November to April is the dry season and the usual choice, with Holy Week in March or April the busiest time in Antigua. The rains run from May to October. The Fuego volcano has closed La Aurora for spells when ash fell, so we plan an alternate and keep a margin in the schedule.