Private jet charter in Madeira

Three and a half hours from a London airfield puts you over a mountain standing in the Atlantic, and the harder part of the trip is the last five minutes, because Funchal is one of the few airports in Europe where the Portuguese rules set a bar for the commander before the aircraft may land. Private Jets UK arranges the charter around the approval your crew needs, the wind forecast and the length of the stay. 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. Madeira is a mountain with a coastline, and nearly everything a visitor wants lies within an hour's drive of one runway on the south-east shore. This page tells you who may fly you there, what stops the flight, and what to expect once you are on the ground.

 

 

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 Madeira 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 London Luton, an Embraer Legacy 600 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 Madeira?

Madeira is about 1,319 to 1,564 nautical miles from the British airfields we use, which puts the island at the top of what a light jet can do in one leg. From the London group it is about 3 h 35 min, about four hours from Scotland, and there is no clock change on arrival, because Madeira sits on the same time as Britain, GMT in winter and BST in summer. The table below uses Funchal as the airport, since it is the only one on the main island.

 

 

 

Can a light jet fly nonstop to Madeira?

This is the question that settles most Madeira quotes, and it is not a formality. From the London airfields the sector runs 1,371 to 1,410 nautical miles by our routing, and from Scotland and the north of England it reaches about 1,564. Manufacturers quote range with four passengers, full fuel and instrument reserves that include a 200 nautical mile alternate, and they leave out the winds, which on the Atlantic are not a footnote. Published figures for the light jets we would put on this run:

The first three clear the London sector with four people aboard, though with less to spare than the headline figure suggests. The last two do not, whatever the brochure says about their range at a different payload. A full cabin pulls every figure down, so we ask for the passenger and bag count in the first message and check the fuel plan with the operator before a quote goes out. Fuel for the alternate matters on this island more than elsewhere, and a later section explains why.

 

Prices for the private jet flights to Madeira

Typical trips from Britain, cheapest first, all of them into Funchal. The aircraft is chosen for the length of the sector and the number of seats it will carry in practice, not for prestige. The New Year and the Flower Festival weeks can sit above these figures, and the calendar block further down explains when.

 

The jump between classes is large on a sector of this length, because the flight hours are the bulk of the bill. The same trip from Biggin Hill, one way:

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:

 

 

Private jet flights from Madeira

Madeira is not a place you pass through, and onward flights are mostly short: the hop to Porto Santo, the Portuguese mainland, and the Canaries to the south. Typical one-way prices from Funchal, for the aircraft that suit each sector:

 

 

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 Madeira:

 

 

 

This is a small part of what is available. Madeira sits inside the western European fleet, so outside the festival weeks there is usually a suitable aircraft and crew within a few hours of the island, and around the New Year the same operators may have a jet looking for a way home after a drop-off.

 

How to book a private jet?

You can book a private jet flight to Madeira in 6 easy steps:

1. Flight request - indicating the route and your preferences for the model of business jet and other points.
2. Coordination of flight details - our consultant will contact you to offer the possible flight options and answer all your questions.
3. Commercial offer - we will send you a final offer on a specific model taking into account all your wishes.
4. Signing of the contract.
5. Payment for the flight and booking a business jet.
6. 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:

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  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 Madeira

The archipelago has two airports that take a business jet, and they are not equivalent. One is where you want to be and the other is where the aircraft goes when the wind says otherwise.

 

Four points settle most Madeira arrivals:

 

 

The approach, the wind and who may fly it

Funchal has a reputation, and it is earned. The runway is not short, but the island is a mountain, the wind comes off the Atlantic and wraps around it, and the approach is flown by eye. Runway 05 has no ILS, so the crew circles to land on it, and the Portuguese AIP requires landings to be made in visual conditions, with a minimum visibility of 5,000 m on runway 05 and 7,000 m on 23. Straight-in approaches to runway 23 from the Funchal VOR are not authorised.

Wind is what stops flights. The landing limits published for Funchal are expressed as a two-minute mean at the touchdown anemometer, and they are tighter for some directions than for others: an OPSGROUP summary lists, for winds from the north-west to north, a mean of 15 knots with gusts to 25, and a higher allowance for winds from the south. The same summary describes severe low-level turbulence over the threshold of runway 23 in some wind directions, and notes that ATC does not stop an approach itself but reports landings that exceed the limits. Figures like these change, so we check the current ones with the operator. Commanders therefore treat the limits as firm, and a day that looks fine from the terminal can still close the airport.

 

 

Diversions and the fuel plan

Because a go-around or a closure is part of the planning and not an accident, every flight to Funchal carries a plan for where to go next. There are three realistic answers, and they are very different. Porto Santo is 33 nautical miles away and has a 3,000 m runway, but only limited parking and a night restriction, so a jet may be able to land there and little more. Lisbon is 542 nautical miles to the north-east, roughly 1 h 40 min in a light jet, with every service you could want, and it is the usual mainland alternate. The Canaries, with Tenerife South at 291 nautical miles, are a further option when the mainland is out of reach.

 

Border, customs and the way home

Because Britain sits outside Schengen, a flight from London into Madeira is an arrival from a third country. Passengers see the border police as well as customs, both arranged by the handler, so nobody queues with scheduled passengers. Funchal is listed as an airport of entry, customs is available at any hour, and the operator files the Portuguese customs declarations before arrival, a task the FBO can take on for you. A first-time visitor may be asked for a photograph and fingerprints. For the return, the General Aviation Report must reach the UK authorities no earlier than 48 hours and no later than 2 hours before departure, and visitors who need no visa but are not British or Irish citizens need an Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter the UK.

 

 

From the apron to the hotel

Funchal airport is on the east side of the island, and the hotels sit along the south coast, up in the hills or on the far side of the mountains. Road times, not the distance on the map, decide where you can stay. The island's main roads are fast expressways with a good many tunnels, so times are short but not always predictable in July and August.

 

Flying to Madeira with a dog or a cat

The flight takes three and a half to four hours, which is a long sector for an animal, but on a private jet the dog is in the cabin with you, on your terms, without a hold or a kennel queue. What requires attention is the paperwork, and the certificate has a ten-day life from the day it is issued. Island trips tend to be long ones, which makes the way home the part to plan.

 

 

What Portugal and the EU ask for:

• An ISO microchip, fitted before the rabies vaccination or on the same day, never after it;
• A rabies vaccination given when the animal was at least 12 weeks old, with 21 days elapsed before entry;
• An Animal Health Certificate from an Official Veterinarian, issued no more than ten days before the animal enters the EU, and valid for the return as stated on the certificate;
• No more than five animals per traveller, presented at the first point of entry into the EU, which the handler coordinates at the terminal;
• For dogs, a tapeworm treatment from a vet between 24 and 120 hours before the return flight to Britain, recorded with product, date and time. Cats are exempt.

Requirements for cats, ferrets, birds and anything less usual are collected on our flying with pets guide, and our managers confirm the position in writing for your dates before a booking is taken.

 

The Madeira calendar: a season of festivals and winds

The dates that matter in Madeira are the festivals and the New Year, more than a summer peak. Which week you choose affects the apron space and the hotel rate more than the choice of aircraft.

 

Ways to bring the Madeira price down

• Move off the New Year and the Flower Festival long weekends where you can. The shoulder weeks cost less in aircraft, slots and hotels alike;
• Match the jet to the payload honestly. A Phenom 300E for four with bags is the cheapest nonstop answer, and a midsize costs more but gives back payload and fuel margin;
• Ask where the approved crew is based. An aircraft already in Portugal or Spain needs less positioning than one from Britain, and on a sector of this length positioning is a meaningful share of the bill;
• Agree the plan for the stay. A jet that goes to the mainland and returns for you can cost less than one that waits on a constrained apron, and the quote should say which you are paying for.

 

Types of flights

Madeira produces a different mix from the Mediterranean islands, because the journey is long and the airport sets conditions for the crew.

• Winter and New Year trips by families and friends, usually a week or two, with a hotel in Funchal and a view of the fireworks as the fixed point;
• Spring garden and festival weekends, centred on the Flower Festival and on the quintas that open their gardens;
• Walking and golf holidays, with the levadas and the clifftop courses as the programme, and a stay on the north or west coast;
• Transatlantic positioning, with Madeira as a fuel or technical stop between Britain and the Canaries or the Caribbean;
• Short stays on Porto Santo for the beach, arranged as a hop from Funchal or direct.

A day trip deserves a closer look, if only because it is not practical. A same-day return from London would mean about seven hours in the air, and the aircraft and crew wait for you, paid for. A weekend is the shortest sensible stay, and in the festival weeks we quote it both ways because the parking question changes the answer.

 

Empty Legs

An empty leg is a repositioning flight with nobody aboard, offered at a fraction of the usual price. On the Madeira routes they follow the festival weeks and the changeover days, and it helps to know what produces them.

Because the Madeira corridor is long and thin, a client who can name a few days rather than one has a far better chance than one who needs a particular evening. What you give up is the usual: the operator owns the date and the hour, and a leg can vanish when the original booking moves. Whatever is free is listed on our empty legs page, and we flag a Madeira match the day an operator releases it.

 

 

Helicopter charter

On Madeira a helicopter is a way to cross a mountain. The island has few flat places and a road that goes through a great many tunnels, and the north shore and the west are where rotary flight changes the day. The listing for Porto Moniz in aviation databases shows a helipad there, and other landing sites depend on the landowner and the operator.

The machines for this ground are the Airbus H125 for short coastal work, the wider H130 for villa transfers, the H135 and the Bell 429 where a twin is wanted. We book them alongside the jet so that both crews work to one timetable.

 

 

Flight payment options

The main goal of our company is to provide the highest level of comfort to our customers. Therefore, we're always ready to meet you halfway. Our consultants will offer you a wide variety of flights to meet your needs and budget. Most customers prefer a non-cash method (a transfer to an EU bank account), which guarantees a high level of confidentiality and security of payment. All payment details are provided in advance, so you'll have enough time to make the necessary checks. For years of working in business aviation, our company has gained an impeccable reputation. We practice transparency and are always ready to present all necessary documents.

Private Jets UK works with both physical and legal entities. We guarantee the confidentiality and security of payments. You can pay for the flights to and from Madeira in any convenient way:

• cashless (by transfer to our account);
• by cash;
• by card;
• by cryptocurrency.

 

Our company works with European and British banks, which allows you to choose the most convenient payment method. In addition, we conclude formal agreements and provide our clients with all necessary documents and invoices, which guarantees the safe payment and delivery of services. If you have any financial questions, feel free to contact our private aviation consultants.

If you need to book an urgent flight, please keep in mind that the bank transfer can take a few days. In such situations, we may need to involve our partner companies so that you can pay for your flight in cash. If you have any questions, you can contact your personal consultant 24/7.

 

 

Flights from the UK to Madeira

Biggin Hill, London City, Farnborough and Luton are the usual departure points for this corridor, with Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham behind them and Scotland at the long end; the price table higher up covers all thirteen 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:

 

Madeira charters from the booking notes: six typical trips

What the corridor looks like once a quote turns into a flight. Six typical jobs of the kind that come through our booking notes, described in outline, with the particulars changed.

 

Frequently asked questions about flying to Madeira