Private jet charter in Saint-Etienne
A charter from London to Saint-Étienne is two journeys on one booking: a flight of about 1 hour 20 minutes to Lyon, and a drive of roughly an hour into the hills of the Loire, and the skill lies in making the join between them disappear. Private Jets UK plans both halves together. 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. The city has an airfield of its own, at Bouthéon, with a 2,300 m runway and a business lounge, but it keeps weekday hours and its AIP entry shows no border police post, so the practical gateways are Lyon-Bron for light and midsize jets and Lyon Saint-Exupéry for large aircraft, evenings and weekends, with Clermont-Ferrand held in reserve. The rest of this page says which fits which trip, and what a party can do once it is on the ground: the design city, the Le Corbusier site at Firminy, the mine, the football, the Pilat hills and the vineyards of the Rhône.

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 Saint-Étienne 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 Biggin Hill, a Cessna Citation CJ3+ 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 Saint-Étienne?
1 hour 20 minutes from Biggin Hill in a light jet, 2 hours from Edinburgh, and an hour on the clock to add on arrival, because France keeps Central European time. At 404 to 732 nautical miles from the British fields we use, the Lyon area sits at the near end of what we sell to southern France: a light-jet sector from the south of England, the West Country and Wales and a midsize one from the north and Scotland. The aircraft lands at Lyon-Bron, not in the city itself, and the drive from the airfield to Saint-Étienne is roughly an hour, so the table gives the flying time and the road comes on top.
| Route | Aircraft | Flying time | Routing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biggin Hill - Lyon-Bron 404 nm / 748 km |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | about 1 h 20 min | Nonstop |
| London City - Lyon-Bron 413 nm / 765 km |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | about 1 h 20 min | Nonstop |
| Southampton - Lyon-Bron 418 nm / 774 km |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | about 1 h 20 min | Nonstop |
| Farnborough - Lyon-Bron 419 nm / 776 km |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | about 1 h 20 min | Nonstop |
| London Luton - Lyon-Bron 441 nm / 817 km |
Embraer Phenom 300E | about 1 h 20 min | Nonstop |
| Exeter - Lyon-Bron 467 nm / 865 km |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | about 1 h 30 min | Nonstop |
| Bristol - Lyon-Bron 474 nm / 878 km |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | about 1 h 30 min | Nonstop |
| Cardiff - Lyon-Bron 492 nm / 911 km |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | about 1 h 35 min | Nonstop |
| Birmingham - Lyon-Bron 501 nm / 928 km |
Embraer Phenom 300E | about 1 h 30 min | Nonstop |
| Manchester - Lyon-Bron 558 nm / 1,033 km |
Cessna Citation XLS+ | about 1 h 40 min | Nonstop |
| Newcastle - Lyon-Bron 638 nm / 1,182 km |
Cessna Citation XLS+ | about 1 h 50 min | Nonstop |
| Edinburgh - Lyon-Bron 716 nm / 1,326 km |
Cessna Citation XLS+ | about 2 h | Nonstop |
| Glasgow - Lyon-Bron 732 nm / 1,356 km |
Cessna Citation XLS+ | about 2 h 05 min | Nonstop |
Door to door, and the journey the train cannot match
Leave Biggin Hill at seven in the morning and you are on the ground at Bron at about twenty past nine local time. Saint-Étienne is 63 km from Lyon by road and about 55 minutes by the fastest route; Bron lies on the east side of Lyon, the wrong side for the A47, so count on a little more and expect to reach the centre at about half past ten. By rail the same trip is a Eurostar to Paris, a change of station, a fast train of about two hours to Lyon and a further train of about 40 minutes at its fastest on to Châteaucreux, a day made of connections. That is the plain case for the jet: Saint-Étienne has no direct high-speed service from Britain, and the aircraft takes the Paris change out of the day. For one person with a single meeting in the middle of Lyon the train may still win, and we say so.
Light jet or midsize: how the choice usually goes on this route
– Up to four people with ordinary bags, take a light jet. A Citation CJ3+ lands on the 1,820 m runway at Bron with the 1,520 m of landing distance that the AIP publishes, which is ample, and what you save against a bigger cabin pays for the cars and the hotel;
– Five to eight people, or a party with luggage for a week, we quote a midsize cabin alongside. From Biggin Hill a Citation XLS+ costs about 25 per cent more than the CJ3+, and the crew checks the landing figure for the day, because a heavy aircraft on a hot afternoon is the case where Saint-Exupéry becomes the better field;
– A super-midsize or large jet belongs at Lyon Saint-Exupéry, whose main runway is 4,000 m and whose customs and immigration work round the clock. Bron is a dedicated business field with one runway of 1,820 m, and we do not try to fit a heavy long-range aircraft onto it to save a few kilometres of road.

Prices for the private jet flights to Saint-Étienne
Typical trips from Britain, cheapest first, all of them into Lyon-Bron. A flight into Lyon Saint-Exupéry usually prices one step higher, ground transfers from the airfield come on top, and arrivals outside the airfield's working hours can price above these figures.
| Route | Aircraft | Passengers | Price, one way |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biggin Hill - Lyon-Bron 404 nm |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | 6 | from £6,400 |
| London City - Lyon-Bron 413 nm |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | 6 | from £6,500 |
| Southampton - Lyon-Bron 418 nm |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | 6 | from £6,550 |
| Farnborough - Lyon-Bron 419 nm |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | 6 | from £6,600 |
| London Luton - Lyon-Bron 441 nm |
Embraer Phenom 300E | 7 | from £6,900 |
| Exeter - Lyon-Bron 467 nm |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | 6 | from £7,150 |
| Bristol - Lyon-Bron 474 nm |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | 6 | from £7,250 |
| Cardiff - Lyon-Bron 492 nm |
Cessna Citation CJ3+ | 6 | from £7,450 |
| Birmingham - Lyon-Bron 501 nm |
Embraer Phenom 300E | 7 | from £7,600 |
| Manchester - Lyon-Bron 558 nm |
Cessna Citation XLS+ | 8 | from £10,200 |
| Newcastle - Lyon-Bron 638 nm |
Cessna Citation XLS+ | 8 | from £11,350 |
| Edinburgh - Lyon-Bron 716 nm |
Cessna Citation XLS+ | 8 | from £12,500 |
| Glasgow - Lyon-Bron 732 nm |
Cessna Citation XLS+ | 8 | from £12,700 |
The price follows the mileage closely on this route, because none of the sectors is short enough to hit the minimum charge: £6,400 from Biggin Hill, £6,550 from Southampton, £7,250 from Bristol and £12,500 from Edinburgh once the cabin grows to a Citation XLS+ for the longer run. Two fields can look alike on a map and differ on the quote, so the departure airfield is worth choosing on cost as well as on convenience. Landing at Saint-Exupéry instead of Bron adds one step: from Biggin Hill the light-jet price becomes £6,450 against £6,400.
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 Saint-Étienne
The Lyon airfields are a good start for the Alps, the Riviera and the Balearics, and a poor one for anything the train does better. Paris is a rail trip for most parties, but a hop to Le Bourget suits a party that wants a private terminal at the other end. Typical one-way prices from Lyon-Bron:
| Route | Aircraft | Price, one way |
|---|---|---|
| AUVERGNE AND THE ALPS · SHORT HOPS | ||
| Lyon-Bron - Clermont-Ferrand 77 nm |
Pilatus PC-12 NGX up to 9 passengers |
from £3,100 |
| Lyon-Bron - Geneva 60 nm |
Embraer Phenom 300E up to 8 passengers |
from £5,700 |
| PARIS AND THE RIVIERA | ||
| Lyon-Bron - Paris Le Bourget 228 nm |
Embraer Phenom 300E up to 8 passengers |
from £5,700 |
| Lyon-Bron - Nice 164 nm |
Cessna Citation XLS+ up to 9 passengers |
from £6,800 |
| THE ISLANDS | ||
| Lyon-Bron - Palma de Mallorca 399 nm |
Cessna Citation XLS+ up to 9 passengers |
from £7,900 |
Onward from Lyon: when the aircraft wins and when the car does
A party that flies into Lyon and then wants Michelin's home town faces 147 km from Saint-Étienne to Clermont-Ferrand, about an hour and a half by road, while the same leg from Bron is 77 nautical miles, about 40 minutes in a Pilatus PC-12. Geneva, at 60 nautical miles, puts a party in the Alps in about 30 minutes, and Paris Le Bourget, at 228, takes about 50 minutes in a Phenom. Nice, at 164, is about 45 minutes in a Citation XLS+. Inside Schengen the first landing carries the formalities, and the hops after it are free of passport control. One legal point deserves a warning: a British-registered aircraft cannot simply carry passengers between two French airports, so a French domestic hop such as Clermont-Ferrand, Le Bourget or Nice is arranged with an EU operator or approved case by case, and we choose the operator accordingly.
Before you accept an onward quote from Lyon
– Who flies the leg. A flight between Britain and France is the ordinary case for a British operator, while a French domestic leg can need an EU operator or prior approval from the French authorities, and that is checked before the quote is written, not after it;
– Whether the legs are one booking. Lyon to Clermont-Ferrand to Paris over three days costs noticeably less arranged as a single trip, because the aircraft and crew stay with you instead of returning to base between stops.
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 Saint-Étienne:
Light jets, the usual choice for four or five people
At 1 hour 20 minutes in the air from Biggin Hill this is the natural class for a small party with ordinary luggage, and Bron's 1,820 m runway suits it well. The saving over a bigger cabin is better spent on the car, a night in Lyon or a table in the Pilat.
Midsize, for a larger party or a week of luggage
A football party of seven, a delegation for the design biennale, or a family with golf bags and wine cases for the way home: the hold fills faster than the seats, and a midsize cabin keeps everyone and everything in one aircraft. We check the landing figure at Bron for the date.
Super-midsize and large
For a delegation, a group travelling as one party, or a trip that carries on to the Alps or the south. These belong at Lyon Saint-Exupéry, with its 4,000 m runway and round-the-clock border services, and the road to Saint-Étienne from there is about 76 km.
Turboprops
The right aircraft for the hops inside the region: Clermont-Ferrand is under forty minutes in the air from Bron, and the saving over a jet on that distance is large.
Helicopters
Not for the flight from Britain but for the last stretch: Bron to the hills of the Loire, a vineyard lunch on the Rhône, or a transfer to a hotel outside the centre. Where a helicopter may land is agreed before the quote.

This is a small part of what is available. A quote for Saint-Étienne may name Lyon, Geneva, Paris or one of the London fields as the positioning point for the aircraft, depending on where a suitable jet is free on your dates. That is normal for a regional destination, and it is frequently where the better price comes from.
How to book a private jet?
You can book a private jet flight to Saint-Étienne 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
-

Clarification of details and search for options
-

Preparation and coordination of optimal options
-

Registration of documents. Payment of the invoice.
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Departure on the route.
Business aviation airports for Saint-Étienne
Four airfields come up in a conversation about Saint-Étienne. Two of them near Lyon do most of the work, one is the city's own field, and one is a reserve for bad days. Opening hours below are converted to local time: the French AIP prints UTC for the winter schedule and shifts it by an hour for the summer one, so the local clock time is the printed figure plus one hour all year.
| Airport | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Lyon-Bron LYN / LFLY |
The business aviation field of Lyon, about 10 km east of the centre of the city, and our usual landing for Saint-Étienne with a light or midsize jet. The single runway 16/34 is 1,820 m by 45 m with 1,520 m of landing distance, there is a paved apron for aircraft over 3.5 tonnes, and the fire cover is category 5 round the clock, rising to 6 or 7 with 72 hours' notice. The control tower works from 06:30 to 22:30 local on weekdays, from 08:00 to 22:30 on Saturdays and from 08:00 to 21:00 on Sundays and public holidays. Jet A1 is sold from 06:30 to 22:30 local, and de-icing, ground power and hangar space for visiting aircraft are available. Customs for a flight from outside Schengen and the EU is authorised on weekdays with 24 hours' notice, and immigration for a flight outside France between 22:30 and 06:30 also needs 24 hours' notice. Choose it for a party of up to eight with a light or midsize jet |
| Lyon Saint-Exupéry LYS / LFLL |
The big airport of Lyon, about 20 km south-east of the centre, with a main runway of 4,000 m by 45 m, fire category 9, round-the-clock fuel and, according to the airport's business aviation pages, immigration and customs every day of the week without special notice. De-icing with Type I and Type II fluid, ground power and an air-start unit are listed. Business aviation handling is a service of the Lyon airports operator and requests go through an online handling portal. Third-party listings say there is no separate general aviation terminal, so passengers are met and taken through the main terminal area. Choose it for a super-midsize or large jet, for an arrival in the evening or at a weekend, and for any programme that includes customs on a Sunday. The road to Saint-Étienne is about 76 km, around an hour |
| Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon EBU / LFMH |
The city's own airfield, at Andrézieux-Bouthéon about 12 km north-north-west of the centre and 404 m above sea level. The runway 17/35 is 2,300 m by 45 m; the published landing distance is 1,817 m on runway 17, shortened by an obstacle, and 2,130 m on runway 35. Handling is compulsory for aircraft over 3 tonnes during opening hours and includes a business lounge. The control tower is listed on weekdays only, 08:00 to 20:00 local; Jet A1 is sold on weekdays from 09:15 to 18:30 local, with fuel outside those hours by request. The AIP lists no border police post, and the airport itself gives the border police contact as the one at Lyon Saint-Exupéry, so a passenger arrival from Britain is arranged case by case and only on written confirmation. The airport lists a Category I ILS, while the AIP's radio-aid table is empty, so the minima are checked for the date. Choose it only for a light or midsize jet on a weekday daytime arrival that the airport has confirmed in writing |
| Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne CFE / LFLC |
The reserve, and the field for Michelin business, about 147 km from Saint-Étienne by road. The runway 08/26 is 3,013 m by 45 m with an ILS and Category II-III approach lighting on runway 26, air traffic service round the clock, and fire category 7. Handling by the airport company is mandatory for aircraft over 3 tonnes and business flights, with 48 hours' notice. The AIP shows no customs service, only a number for special requests, and the police post is listed from 08:30 to 19:30 local. Choose it when Lyon is closed by weather or a strike, or when the programme is in Clermont-Ferrand and not in Saint-Étienne |
Four things to settle before a landing for Saint-Étienne:
The handler and the apron
At Bron, handling is compulsory for an aircraft over 3.5 tonnes and is booked through the airport operator's handling portal, with the FBO on its own frequency. Stands for visiting aircraft range from 15 m to 36 m of wingspan, and the AIP bars some stands from night arrivals outside the tower hours without prior agreement. At Saint-Exupéry the Lyon airports business aviation team offers a lounge, catering and a private transfer, and it covers both Lyon fields. We name the handler in the quote, along with the stand.
Hours, fuel and fire cover
Everything French here is converted to local time. Bron is the easiest to plan: fuel from 06:30 to 22:30 every day, and a tower that opens at 06:30 on weekdays and at 08:00 at weekends. Saint-Exupéry is always open, with fuel at any hour. Bouthéon works from 08:00 on weekdays and closes its tower at 20:00, with extensions only for commercial IFR flights and with 72 hours' notice. Clermont-Ferrand has its tower open all day and night, but fuel there is sold from 06:00 to 22:00 local. The entries we read for Bron and Bouthéon mention no slot coordination, and for Saint-Exupéry we ask the handler to confirm slots and parking for the date.
Border and passport
France is in Schengen and Britain is not, so you clear the border at the first airport. At Saint-Exupéry that service runs every day without special notice; at Bron, customs asks for 24 hours' notice on weekdays and for notice by the afternoon of the previous working day at weekends. British passport holders need no visa for up to 90 days in any 180, with a passport less than ten years old and valid for three months beyond departure. A first-time visitor may be asked to register a photograph and fingerprints at the EU border system, which is free but can add time.
Snow, fog and the Loire hills
Saint-Étienne is one of the snowiest cities in France, with about 85 cm of snow a year on average, and its airfield stands at 404 m. Bouthéon keeps de-icing fluid of both types and a snow plan, but a plan is not a guarantee that the runway is clear at seven in the morning. This is the quiet reason to land at a Lyon field, which lies much lower, and to drive up. We watch the forecast for the date and keep Clermont-Ferrand named as the reserve.

Border, passport and the customs booking
The first landing in the Schengen area is where the formalities happen, and the airport you choose decides how much notice they need. Lyon Saint-Exupéry lists customs and immigration every day without special notice, which makes it the easiest answer for an evening arrival or a Sunday. Bron is a business field with a lighter service: customs for a flight from outside Schengen and the EU is authorised on weekdays with 24 hours' notice, and at weekends the request must be in by the afternoon of the last working day. Immigration for a flight outside France between 22:30 and 06:30 local time also needs 24 hours. The mismatch that catches people is the Friday evening arrival from London on a short weekend break, and the remedy is an early request. We send the passenger details with the handler's booking and keep the customs request in the same thread. Bouthéon is a different case. Its AIP entry lists flights from the United Kingdom among those allowed under duty-free allowances for customs, yet shows no border police post, and the airport gives the Lyon Saint-Exupéry border police number as its contact, so passport control for a British arrival has to be arranged in advance by the airport and the police. We do not plan a British arrival on Bouthéon unless the airport has confirmed it in writing. For the return, the General Aviation Report for Britain is filed not earlier than 48 hours and not later than 2 hours before departure.

From the apron to Saint-Étienne and the Loire
Saint-Étienne is not a postcard city and does not try to be. It is the prefecture of the Loire department, in the east of the Massif Central, about 60 km south-west of Lyon, with some 173,000 people in the commune and about half a million in the urban area around it. The land rises from 422 m to 1,117 m inside the city limits, which explains the steep streets, the snow and the sense that the place was built for work and not for show. The name goes back to Saint Stephen, and the first record of the town calls it Saint-Étienne de Furan.
Industry made the city. Arms manufacture began in the sixteenth century, ribbon weaving followed in the seventeenth, and coal mining in the Loire basin powered the rest until the pits closed. Visitors still use the shorthand the French use for it: the city of the weapon, the cycle and the ribbon. It has the oldest tramway in France, one of the few trolleybus networks still working there, and a main station at Châteaucreux with fast trains to Lyon and Paris. What changed the reputation is the reuse of the old industrial buildings, as museums, schools and design studios, and that is the story the rest of this section follows.
The indoor food hall, the Halles Mazerat-Biltoki, dates from the nineteenth century and is the place to buy local produce, and the town has its own chocolate maker, coffee roaster and organic brewery, all of which take visitors. Saint-Galmier, in the same department, is where Badoit water comes from. The wider table is the one of Lyon and the Rhône, which is why a day in the city usually ends with a drive.
the business field, on the east side of Lyontypically about an hour or a little more
the large airport, by the fastest road routeabout 76 km, 57 minutes
the fastest road route from the city centre63 km, about 55 minutes
north-north-west of the cityabout 12 km
the Le Corbusier site and the stadiumabout 15 km, 16 to 19 minutes
the Haute-Loire, by the national road south-westabout 76 km, around 1 hour
Michelin country, by the A72about 147 km, 1 hour 31 minutes
Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie, over the Pilatabout 30 km in a straight line, typically an hour by road
The design city: Cité du Design and the Biennale
In the late 1990s the city launched an international design biennale, and it has been the thread of its reinvention since. The Cité du Design stands on the site of the former royal arms factory, a site of 120,000 square metres whose buildings date from the nineteenth century and which stopped making arms before the conversion. The Berlin practice LIN, led by Finn Geipel and Giulia Andi, added the Platine, a building with a triangular-patterned roof that holds two exhibition halls of about 1,200 and 800 square metres, an auditorium, a library, a restaurant and a 32 m observation tower. The same site houses the school of art and design and a shop. UNESCO counts Saint-Étienne among its Cities of Design, which is a fair description of a place that puts design into its street furniture and its schools.
The Biennale is the event that brings the world to the Cité du Design. It is meant to run every two years, lasts around six weeks in spring or early summer, and fills the Cité du Design and other venues in the city with exhibitions, talks and symposiums. The edition dates move, so we check them with you before we plan a date. Parties come for the openings, for the trade conversations around them and for the weekend programme, and the booking pattern is the same each time: an aircraft to Lyon on the Thursday, a car to the site, and the flight home after the Sunday.
Museums of art, industry and the mine
The Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, known as MAMC+, stands in Saint-Priest-en-Jarez on the edge of the city. Its black façade of ceramic tiles lights up at night, and its collection is described as the largest of modern and contemporary art in France after the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Works by Anish Kapoor have been shown there, and the museum has lent pieces to the MoMA in New York, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and the Villa Medici in Rome. It carries the Museum of France label. Allow two hours, and more if the temporary exhibition is the reason for the visit.
In the centre, the Musée d'Art et d'Industrie covers the three trades that built the city. The weapons section holds about 6,000 hunting and war weapons and is described as the second largest public collection in France. The cycle collection is the largest public one in the country, from the Michaux velocipede to a racing bicycle that weighs 7.5 kg. The ribbon collection, which the museum calls the largest in the world, has Jacquard weaves and haute-couture dresses made from ribbon. A little further out, at Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds, the Maison du Passementier is a living workshop with Jacquard looms in action, free to enter and open on weekday afternoons. It is the place to see how a ribbon is made, and it lies in a town next to Saint-Étienne.
The Puits Couriot is the mine, and it is more moving than the word museum suggests. The pit was the last to close in Saint-Étienne, in the early 1970s, and the museum opened in the early 1990s, with a reconstructed gallery, the great washroom where the miners changed, the lamp room, the winding and power rooms and the compressor hall. The shaft was about 643 m deep, and the whole site is listed as a historic monument and holds the Museum of France label. About 50,000 to 60,000 people visit each year. It is a coal mine of the Loire and not the UNESCO-listed mining basin of northern France, and the distinction matters to anyone who plans a visit around the World Heritage list.
Le Corbusier at Firminy
Firminy, about 15 km south-west of Saint-Étienne, is where Le Corbusier's ideas can be walked through. The Firminy-Vert quarter holds four of his buildings: the Maison de la Culture, the stadium, the Unité d'Habitation and the church of Saint-Pierre. The complex is presented as the largest group he designed in Europe, and it is part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage listing of his work. The stadium is the only one in France classified as a historic monument. The church was designed by Le Corbusier and completed by José Oubrerie after his death, and its lower level holds an exhibition with models, original sculptures and a film tour of the housing unit. Visitors can sleep in furnished flats in the Unité d'Habitation, which is a good reason to stay for the night.
For a party with an interest in architecture, this is the best single half day in the region, and it combines easily with the Cité du Design. A car from Lyon-Bron reaches Firminy in about an hour and a quarter, a little longer than Saint-Étienne, and the church, the stadium and the housing unit are all in the same quarter, so the visit needs no second drive.
Les Verts: AS Saint-Étienne and Geoffroy-Guichard
Football gives the city its loudest weekends, and the green shirts are the reason. The club, known as Les Verts or simply Sainté, won the French league title ten times, a record that stood for decades, and lost the final of the European Cup to Bayern Munich at Hampden Park by a single goal. The goalposts that night were square, and the French still call them les poteaux carrés. The colour green came from the grocery group linked to the founding of the club.
The Stade Geoffroy-Guichard holds 41,965 people and is known as the Chaudron, the cauldron, or the Green Hell. It has staged matches of two European championships, a World Cup and rugby World Cups. The Musée des Verts inside the stadium covers 800 square metres in eleven themed areas. The big fixture is the derby against Olympique Lyonnais, the local rivalry of the two cities, and a visiting party that wants to see it should ask for tickets as early as the fixture list is out. The league runs from August to May, and we can fly a party in on the Saturday and out on the Sunday.
Cycles, Manufrance and the ribbon trade
Manufrance was for almost a century the best-known name in the city. It began when Étienne Mimard and Pierre Blachon bought a gun maker for 50,000 gold francs and launched the hunting magazine Le Chasseur Français in the same year. It sold guns, Hirondelle bicycles and Omnia sewing machines through a mail-order catalogue that began as a small booklet and grew until about 1.5 million households received it. At its peak the company made roughly 65 per cent of French hunting weapons, employed more than 4,000 people and occupied 125,000 square metres of factories in the city. It went into receivership, the workers' cooperative that followed also failed, and the trademarks were bought by a regional businessman who relaunched the name. The name still trades, mostly online.
The city's reputation as the capital of the French bicycle industry rests on the same ground: Mavic, Motobécane and Vitus are names from here. For a cycling client, the Musée d'Art et d'Industrie is the first stop, and the second is a conversation with the bike shops that still carry the names.
The Pilat, Mont Pilat and the Haute-Loire
The Pilat regional natural park starts at the edge of the city. It covers 65,000 hectares across the Loire and the Rhône departments, takes in 47 communes with about 50,000 residents, and climbs from 140 m by the Rhône to 1,432 m at the Crêt de la Perdrix, the highest point. The view from the Crêt de la Perdrix is described as a panorama over seven departments. In winter the ridges carry snow for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, in summer they are walking country, and the Saut du Gier waterfall is at its best in autumn and spring. A legend says that the body of Pontius Pilate lies in the massif, and the origin of the name is uncertain.
The south-facing slopes above the Rhône carry vines and fruit trees, and the goat's milk cheese Rigotte de Condrieu, named after a village on the Rhône, holds a protected designation of origin. Further south-west, in the Haute-Loire, Le Puy-en-Velay is about 76 km and an hour from Saint-Étienne by road. Its cathedral of Notre-Dame, reached by about sixty steps up a striped façade, is part of the World Heritage listing of the pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela, and Le Puy is a historic starting point for the walk. The town is also known for lace, for its green lentils, which hold a European protected designation of origin, and for Verveine du Velay, a green liqueur flavoured with verbena. A car from Saint-Étienne makes it a half day.
The Rhône wines within reach
The northern Rhône is the other half of the case for coming, and it sits within a drive of Saint-Étienne on the far side of the Pilat. Three appellations suit a day trip. Côte-Rôtie is red wine made from Syrah, with up to 20 per cent Viognier allowed though most producers use 5 per cent or less, from steep south-facing slopes on the right bank of the river, on about 333 hectares. Condrieu is white wine made entirely from Viognier, from narrow terraces, on about 215 hectares, and it is the largest white appellation of the northern Rhône. Saint-Joseph is the larger one, about 1,352 hectares, and is mostly red Syrah with some Marsanne and Roussanne for the whites, with a style that runs from peppery to rich, so the producer matters.
The Condrieu vineyards are only 18 nautical miles from Bron in a straight line, so a day that starts with an aircraft and ends with a tasting is easy to build. We book the cellars and a driver who does not taste, since the slopes are steep and the cellars are many, and we send a list of purchases to the aircraft so that the crew can plan the load. For a party that wants to see the vines from the air, a helicopter from Bron is described in the helicopter section below.
Lyon next door: gastronomy and the city
Lyon is 63 km from Saint-Étienne, which makes it a natural place to sleep for a party that has flown in. It is the third-largest city in France and calls itself the capital of French gastronomy. It counts nearly 4,000 restaurants and about 20 starred tables, the traditional bouchons, and the Halles Paul Bocuse market, and the Presqu'île is on the World Heritage list. The Fête des Lumières fills the city with visitors in early December. Trains between Lyon Part-Dieu and Saint-Étienne take around 42 minutes at their fastest, with about ten services a day, so a dinner in Lyon after a morning in the Loire needs no car.
North of Saint-Étienne, in the Loire department, the Maison Troisgros at Ouches, about eight kilometres from Roanne, has held three Michelin stars for decades and is the great table of the region. It is a lunch of its own, with a car and a long afternoon.
Clermont-Ferrand and the Michelin country
Clermont-Ferrand is 147 km from Saint-Étienne by the A72, about an hour and a half. It is the headquarters of Michelin, and L'Aventure Michelin, the company's interactive museum, tells the story from the bicycle era to future tyres in about an hour and a half, with the many faces of Bibendum, the Michelin Man. The old centre, known as the black town, sits on an extinct volcano and is dominated by a Gothic cathedral, and the Puy de Dôme, 1,465 m, can be climbed or reached by cable car. For tyre-industry business, we normally fly a party straight to Clermont-Ferrand and not to Lyon, since its runway is 3,013 m and the handler wants 48 hours' notice. The airfield is part of the reserve plan for Saint-Étienne as well.
Flying to Saint-Étienne with a dog or a cat
For a pet the paperwork is the part of a trip to the Loire that needs planning, and the flight is the easy bit: the animal sits beside you in the cabin, never in a hold, and on a sector of about an hour and twenty minutes most simply sleep. The date on the health certificate is the detail that goes wrong, because the certificate is valid for only ten days for entry to the EU.

What an EU country such as France asks for when a pet arrives from Britain:
- An ISO microchip, fitted before the rabies vaccination or at the same time;
- A rabies vaccination given when the animal was at least 12 weeks old, with 21 days elapsed before the animal travels;
- An Animal Health Certificate for each trip, issued by an Official Veterinarian and valid for ten days for entry to the EU. A British pet passport cannot be used to enter the EU;
- No more than five animals per traveller, presented at a travellers' point of entry, which we confirm in writing for the airport;
- For dogs, a tapeworm treatment from a vet between 24 and 120 hours before arrival back in Britain, recorded on the paperwork. Cats are exempt.
What catches owners out on the Saint-Étienne run
– France does not ask for tapeworm treatment on the way in, only Britain asks for it on the way home, so it is a vet appointment you book in Saint-Étienne or in Lyon towards the end of the trip. Count back from the departure time, because the window is 24 to 120 hours and a flight that moves by a day can move the window out of reach;
– The order of the chip and the vaccine matters. A vaccination given before the microchip does not count, and an animal that arrives without the right paperwork can be refused entry, so the certificate is checked line by line before the flight, not at the terminal;
– A long weekend in the Pilat is easy with a dog, and a side trip to Switzerland through Geneva is another matter. Tell us if a second country is in the programme, so that we check the paperwork for the whole route.
Requirements for cats, ferrets, birds and anything less usual are collected on our flying with pets guide. For the entry point and the paperwork on the way home, we confirm both in writing before the flight, and our managers check the position for your dates before a booking is taken.
The Saint-Étienne calendar: football, design and a long snowy winter
The city has no tourist high season in the Mediterranean sense. What drives a booking is the football fixture list, the design biennale, the snow on the Pilat and, a little outside the city, the lights of Lyon in December.
Why Lyon decides the date
The aircraft are rarely the problem. The European light and midsize fleet is large, and Lyon is within easy reach of it. What gets tight is everything around the jet: the hotel rooms in Lyon, the cars, and the tower and customs hours at Bron, which are shorter than the ones at Saint-Exupéry. A booking made two weeks before the Fête des Lumières or a big derby can still be done, but it may mean an aircraft positioned from Geneva or Paris, and that costs more. The same booking made two months earlier is simpler and cheaper. Outside those weekends a charter to Lyon can usually be arranged in a day or two, provided the customs notice fits.
Ways to bring the Saint-Étienne price down
- Choose the day. A weekday arrival at Bron inside the tower hours of 06:30 to 22:30 local is the cheapest and the simplest, and a weekend arrival means a request to customs by the afternoon of the previous working day;
- Pick the arrival field for the party. Lyon Saint-Exupéry adds one price step, £6,450 against £6,400 from Biggin Hill, and it is worth paying for a large jet, a late arrival or a Sunday, and not for a light jet on a weekday;
- Pick the cabin for the people, not the mileage. From Luton the step up from a Phenom at £6,900 to a Citation XLS+ adds £1,650, so ask for both figures, and leave from Biggin Hill or London City when the London field is yours to choose.
Types of flights
Saint-Étienne produces a different mix from the Alpine or the Italian destinations we cover, because it is an industrial and design city next to one of the great food capitals of France, with the football, the mountains and the vineyards on its doorstep.
- Business and design visits to the Cité du Design, the school of art and design and the industrial firms of the Loire;
- Football weekends around the home fixtures at the Geoffroy-Guichard, above all the derby against Lyon;
- Architecture trips to the Le Corbusier site at Firminy and the museums of the city;
- Wine days on the northern Rhône, with a tasting at Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu or Saint-Joseph;
- Walking and cycling weekends in the Pilat regional park and on the Haute-Loire roads;
- Gastronomy days that combine Lyon, the Maison Troisgros at Ouches and the market halls.
The day trip is the one to look at closely. Land at Bron at about twenty past nine, reach the city by half past ten, leave it at three in the afternoon and be wheels-up at half past four local time, for a flight that reaches Biggin Hill at about ten to five UK time, with some four and a half hours in the Loire in between. A same-day return means the aircraft and crew wait for you rather than going home, and that waiting is paid for, but it still comes out cheaper than two separate one-way charters. We quote it both ways, so the difference is visible.
Empty Legs
An empty leg is a repositioning flight with nobody aboard, offered at a fraction of the usual price. Saint-Étienne has no single event that creates them every week, and most of the legs on this corridor are really Lyon legs, so it helps to know what produces them.
Where Saint-Étienne and Lyon empty legs come from
– Match and design weekends. Aircraft that bring a party for a derby or a biennale opening on the Friday and leave empty on the Sunday, or arrive empty to collect them, put a leg on the market towards Britain or Paris;
– Alpine and Riviera positioning. Lyon sits on the way between Britain and the Alps and the south of France, so aircraft that have dropped a party in Geneva or Nice often come back through Lyon empty, and an outbound leg on a Monday morning is the one most often offered;
– Regional loops. Operators moving aircraft between Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Geneva and the London fields put short hops on the market, and those hops can be cheap.
Because the Lyon corridor is thinner than the busiest London routes, 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 Lyon match the day an operator releases it.

Helicopter charter
In Saint-Étienne a helicopter is a tool for the edges of a trip and not the middle. The city is small enough to cross by car, and the places where rotary flight changes the journey are the road from Lyon, the Pilat and the vineyards of the Rhône. Both Bron and Bouthéon list helicopter stands in their AIP entries, and Bron has a refuelling stand for helicopters, so a helicopter can land at either, but we cannot point to a helicopter operator based at either field. An aircraft is normally positioned from elsewhere in the region, and the quote says from where.
31 nm in a straight line, against about an hour on the road, for a party that does not want the driveabout 24 minutes
36 nm in a straight line, for the Le Corbusier site, against about an hour and a quarter by carabout 27 minutes
18 nm in a straight line, for a tasting on the Rhône, against about 45 minutes by carabout 17 minutes
Before you plan around a helicopter
– A helicopter cannot land wherever it likes. A landing away from an aerodrome needs an agreed site and the landowner's consent, and a regional natural park or a vineyard is not a place to assume permission, so we check the status of a site before the quote is written, not after it;
– Weather sets the schedule. Snow, low cloud and fog on the high ground can stop a helicopter on a day when the jet lands without trouble, so a transfer needs a road alternative planned into the same day;
– A transfer into Saint-Étienne itself is the hardest case, because the city is hilly and built up. The usual answer is Bouthéon, with a car for the last 12 km, and we agree it with the airport in advance.
The machines for this ground are the Airbus H125 for hills and scenic work, the wider H130 for hotel transfers, the H135 and the Bell 429 where a twin is wanted, and the H155 for larger parties. 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 from Saint-Étienne 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 Saint-Étienne
Biggin Hill, London City, Farnborough and Luton send most of the traffic on this corridor, with Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter close behind and the Midlands, the north and Scotland at the long end; 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 |
Saint-Étienne 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.
DAY TRIP · OUT AND BACK
A morning meeting at the Cité du Design and home for dinner
Biggin Hill - Lyon-Bron and return, Citation CJ3+, about 1 h 20 min each way · 4 pax
Wheels up at seven, on the ground at Bron at about twenty past nine local time, in the meeting by eleven and back at Biggin Hill in the early evening. The aircraft and crew waited on the apron rather than going home, which is a real line in the quote and still comes in below two separate one-way charters. The handler had the passenger list two days ahead, and the Tuesday date was chosen because of the 24-hour customs notice.
MATCH DAY · THE DERBY WEEKEND
Six supporters, a Saturday fixture and a Sunday flight home
London Luton - Lyon-Bron, Citation XLS+, about 1 h 25 min · 6 pax
The jet was the easy part and the tickets were not. We confirmed the hotel and the cars before the aircraft, asked the handler for a stand close to the lounge and had a driver waiting at the aircraft door, so the party reached the stadium with time for lunch. The return left on the Sunday afternoon, inside the tower hours at Bron.
ARCHITECTURE DAY · A CAR AT THE AIRCRAFT DOOR
A visit to the Le Corbusier site and the mine
Farnborough - Lyon-Bron, Citation CJ3+, about 1 h 20 min · 4 pax
They wanted the church and the stadium at Firminy and the Puits Couriot in one day, so we booked the jet to Bron, a car with a driver who knew the quarter, and the flight home that same evening.
WINE DAY · THE NORTHERN RHÔNE
A tasting at Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie, then home
Southampton - Lyon-Bron, Citation CJ3+, about 1 h 20 min · 4 pax
A short tasting day built around two cellars, with the driver confirmed by name and the purchases sent ahead to the crew for the load plan. The aircraft stayed at Bron, a short drive from the vineyards, and the party was back at the field in time for a departure well inside the tower hours.
CITY BREAK · A DOG ON BOARD
Four adults and a spaniel for a long weekend in the Pilat
Cardiff - Lyon-Bron, Citation CJ3+, about 1 h 35 min · 4 pax + dog
The Animal Health Certificate had to be dated inside ten days of arrival, and the vet appointment near the hotel for the tapeworm treatment had to fall between 24 and 120 hours before the flight home. We booked both with the aircraft, the hotel took the dog, and the whole thing was settled in a single exchange of messages rather than three.
EMPTY LEG · MONDAY MORNING NORTH
A jet already going your way
Lyon-Bron - Biggin Hill, Citation CJ3+ empty leg, about 1 h 20 min · 3 pax
The aircraft had brought a party in for the weekend and was going home empty. The client gave us a three-day window instead of a date, which is what makes these work, and paid well below a fresh one-way charter for a Monday morning departure to the London fields.
Frequently asked questions about flying to Saint-Étienne
1How long is a private jet flight from London to Saint-Étienne?
About 1 hour 20 minutes from Biggin Hill in a light jet to Lyon-Bron, and about the same from Luton in a Phenom, covering roughly 404 to 441 nautical miles. From Birmingham or Manchester allow about 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, and from Edinburgh or Glasgow around 2 hours. The aircraft lands at Lyon, so the drive to Saint-Étienne, roughly an hour, comes on top. France is one hour ahead of Britain, so a seven o'clock departure lands at about twenty past nine local time.
2How much does a private jet to Saint-Étienne cost?
From about £6,400 one way on a light jet out of Biggin Hill, £6,500 from London City and £6,600 from Farnborough, flying into Lyon-Bron, and £6,900 in a Phenom from Luton. A midsize cabin from Manchester runs about £10,200 and from Scotland about £12,500. Landing at Lyon Saint-Exupéry adds one price step. A football derby weekend, the design biennale, the Fête des Lumières and late arrivals outside the handling hours can price above these figures.
3Which airport should a private jet use for Saint-Étienne?
Lyon-Bron (LFLY) for a light or midsize jet, about 10 km east of Lyon and about an hour by road from the city. Lyon Saint-Exupéry (LFLL) for a large jet, an evening arrival or a weekend, because its customs and immigration are listed every day without special notice and its runway is 4,000 m. Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon (LFMH) has a 2,300 m runway but weekday hours and no border police post in its AIP entry, so we use it only on written confirmation. Clermont-Ferrand (LFLC) is the reserve.
4Do I need a visa or customs clearance for Saint-Étienne?
Britain is outside Schengen and France is inside it, so you clear passport control and customs on arrival at the first airport, which is normally Lyon. Saint-Exupéry lists customs and immigration every day without special notice, while Bron asks for 24 hours' notice on weekdays and for a request by the afternoon of the previous working day at weekends. British passport holders need no visa for up to 90 days in any 180, with a passport less than ten years old and valid for three months beyond departure. A first-time visitor may be asked to register a photograph and fingerprints at the EU border system. We file the request and the aircraft paperwork.
5Can a private jet land at Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon airport?
Yes, in principle. The runway is 2,300 m by 45 m, handling is compulsory for aircraft over 3 tonnes during opening hours, and the airfield is about 12 km from the city. The tower works on weekdays from 08:00 to 20:00 local time, and the AIP shows no border police post, so a flight from Britain needs the passport control arranged in advance. We confirm that in writing with the airport before we plan it, and otherwise land at Lyon and drive.
6Can I take my dog to Saint-Étienne on a private jet?
Yes. The dog travels in the cabin with you, and an EU country such as France asks for a microchip fitted before or with the rabies vaccination, a vaccination given at 12 weeks or older and at least 21 days old, and an Animal Health Certificate valid for ten days for entry. A British pet passport cannot be used. France does not ask for a tapeworm treatment on the way in, but a dog needs one from a vet between 24 and 120 hours before arriving back in Britain. Cats are exempt from the treatment.