Private jet charter in Washington

The American capital lies about 3,100 to 3,300 nautical miles from London, a crossing that a super-midsize jet can fly nonstop and a midsize jet cannot, and the airspace around the city leaves the choice of landing field far narrower than the map suggests. Private Jets UK charters the aircraft that the crossing demands and the airfield that the rules of the capital allow. 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. Washington receives its flights from abroad at Dulles, 39 km to the west of the centre, while the city airport at Reagan National is open to private charters only under a federal security programme, and a ring of smaller fields fills the gaps, so the real decisions are which airfield, which cabin and which week.

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 Washington 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. On a sector of more than three thousand nautical miles the choice between a nonstop super-midsize cabin and a midsize jet with a stop in Newfoundland moves the price more than any other item. 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, an Embraer Praetor 600 flying nonstop to Washington Dulles 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 Washington?

The nonstop flight from London to Washington takes about 8 h 05 min in a Praetor 600 from Farnborough, and a little less from Scotland and Northern England. The routed distance to Dulles runs from 3,099 to 3,335 nautical miles depending on the British field. Embraer publishes a range of 3,900 nautical miles for the Praetor 600, quoted with four passengers, so the margin over the crossing is 565 to 801 nautical miles before the westbound headwind is counted. The Challenger 605 class is published at about 4,000 and the Global 6000 at 6,000. A Challenger 350, published at 3,200, falls short of the sector from London, and a Citation Latitude at about 2,500 cannot fly it at all; both cross in two legs with a stop at Gander in Newfoundland. Washington keeps Eastern time, five hours behind Britain for most of the year, so a morning departure lands around midday. The times below assume the headwind the North Atlantic normally supplies on the way west. The table gives the sector from each British field we use.

Prices for the private jet flights to Washington

Typical trips from Britain, cheapest first, all of them into Dulles. The cherry blossom weeks, the weeks around an inauguration and the December gala weekend sit above these figures, and the calendar block further down explains when.

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 Washington

Washington is a springboard as well as a destination. New York and Boston are a morning flight up the coast, Palm Beach is a winter weekend down it, and the way home is the same crossing as the way out, with the wind on the tail. Typical one-way prices:

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 the Washington run:

This is a small part of what is available. Aircraft that can cross the Atlantic are fewer than the ones that serve Europe, and their positions change daily, so a super-midsize already waiting in London is often cheaper than one that must first be brought over from North America. Washington works the other way round after a big event, when the aircraft that brought delegations and guests are heading home, and a jet that is going back across the ocean anyway can sometimes be had on better terms for the eastbound leg.

How to book a private jet?

You can book a private jet flight to Washington 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.

Business aviation airports in Washington

Seven airfields can take a business jet around the capital, and two more places appear on the map for reasons that do not help a charter client. They are not interchangeable. The airport that matches the postcode is often one that private flights cannot use, so it pays to know the rules before a quote arrives with the wrong field in it.

Four details decide most Washington arrivals:

Border, passport and US customs

The United States is not in the Schengen area or any shared travel zone with Britain, and every passenger is inspected by US Customs and Border Protection on arrival. British citizens can enter under the Visa Waiver Programme with an approved ESTA for a stay of up to 90 days for business or tourism, and the passport has to be valid for the length of the stay. An approved ESTA does not decide admission: the officer at the terminal does. It can be refused or may not be enough in some cases, for example after an arrest, even without a conviction, after an earlier overstay, or for business done on behalf of a US company, and anyone in doubt applies for a visa instead, which takes longer. Apply for the ESTA well before the day, through the official site only. On a private aircraft the ESTA normally works only if the operator holds Visa Waiver Program carrier status, which we check before we quote.

For the aircraft there is a separate set of steps, and our handler and the operator carry them out. The pilot in command files the passenger and crew manifest through the CBP electronic system, no later than 60 minutes before departure from Britain, and must have the approval from the US authorities before the aircraft leaves. Approval of the manifest is not the same as permission to land: the pilot also secures landing rights from CBP. At Dulles the fact sheet we work from asks the pilot to contact CBP before leaving the foreign airport and at least two hours before the expected arrival, with a tolerance of 30 minutes either way, and an arrival outside that window voids the permission. The aircraft parks on the handler's ramp as the tower directs, and passengers and crew are processed at the CBP office of the handler or wherever the officer designates, after which passengers can leave straight from the handler. Passports, any visas, the pilot's licence and medical certificate, the aircraft registration and the user fee decal are shown. We confirm the procedure with the operator for each trip, because the rules change and a booking has to follow the text in force, not a memory of it.

Dulles lists inspection services round the clock. The same sheet places Leesburg and Manassas in the Dulles port, with inspections from 08:00 to 20:00 and requests made in business hours, at least two hours ahead. Frederick and Montgomery County list no customs, and Baltimore/Washington is listed with customs landing rights of its own, and its hours are confirmed separately. We do not assume that an officer is on duty at the hour you land anywhere but Dulles; we ask, and put the answer in the quote.

Coming back into Britain brings its own paperwork. British and Irish citizens need no permission to enter, and most other visitors who need no visa still need a UK electronic travel authorisation. The aircraft is covered by a General Aviation Report, filed with the UK authorities between 48 hours and two hours before departure from Washington. A mistake is expensive: £2,500 for a first landing at an aerodrome that is not a regulated one, and £2,000 for every passenger carried without permission. The operator and the handler file the report, and we check that it has gone in.

The airspace around the capital

Washington is the one American city where the sky is part of the security plan. A jet from Britain meets it on the last hundred miles, and it helps to know what the crew will tell you.

For a client the practical result is simple. The aircraft lands at Dulles, the party clears customs there and drives into town, and the question of Reagan National is settled before the quote is sent.

From the apron to Capitol Hill

Washington spreads over the district, Virginia and Maryland, and the airport you choose decides which side of the Potomac you start on. The figures below are straight-line distances from the middle of the city, which understate the drive but show the order of things.

Flying to Washington with a dog or a cat

The United States asks for little paperwork on the way in and more on the way home. The animal normally travels with you in the cabin, and the crossing is long enough that most dogs sleep through it. What matters is the timing of three documents: the CDC import receipt for a dog, the state paperwork for the place where you land, and the certificate for the return to Britain, which has a short life.

What the two countries ask for:

• For a dog, a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, which is free and covers one dog. The United Kingdom is not on the CDC list of countries at high risk for dog rabies, so the lighter rules apply: the dog must look healthy on arrival, be at least six months old and carry a microchip that a universal scanner can read. A dog from such a country may enter through any port of entry, so Dulles and Baltimore both work;
• Virginia, where Dulles and Reagan National stand, says that it has no entry requirements for personal pet dogs and cats, but that a dog or cat over four months old should be up to date on its rabies vaccination. Maryland, the state of Baltimore/Washington and Frederick, publishes a rule that a dog or cat entering the state should carry a certificate of veterinary inspection with a rabies statement, valid for 30 days, and we check whether it applies to a pet travelling with its owner. We also check the rules of the District itself for your dates;
• For the return to Britain, the United States is a "part 2" listed country: a Great Britain pet health certificate completed by an official vet and dated in the ten days before arrival, with a pet passport or animal health certificate not accepted. The rabies vaccination must be at least 21 days old, and the microchip must have been fitted before or at the same time as the vaccine. The official text lists no blood test for these countries;
• For dogs, a tapeworm treatment from a vet between 24 and 120 hours before arrival in Britain. Cats are exempt. No more than five animals per traveller.

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. We also confirm in writing the entry point and the paperwork for the animal on the way back into Britain.

The Washington calendar: blossom, a gala and a swearing-in

Washington runs on a calendar that is set by politics, ceremony and the seasons. Spring brings the cherry trees, the summer fills the Mall with festivals, and the busiest weeks of all arrive on a schedule that nobody in the charter business controls. Knowing which week you want matters more than choosing an aircraft.

Ways to bring the Washington price down

• Pick the aircraft for the ocean, not for the cabin photographs. A super-midsize flying nonstop costs noticeably less than a long-range jet, and less than a midsize with a stop; for four to eight people it is the fair trade;
• Ask where the aircraft is based. A Praetor or Challenger positioning from London needs less ferrying than one coming from Florida or the west coast, and on a transatlantic sector positioning is a large share of the bill;
• Be flexible by a day or two. A flight that avoids the blossom peak and the weeks around a ceremony is easier to price, and a return that fits an empty leg is cheaper than a fresh charter.

Types of flights

Washington produces its own mix of trips, because it is a seat of government, a diplomatic city and a tourist city at the same time.

• Government and diplomatic travel, from visits to the embassies on Embassy Row, where the city counts 177 foreign embassies, to delegations with a fixed meeting and a firm return;
• Business trips tied to Capitol Hill, the associations and the offices of Northern Virginia, where timing is set by hearings and the officer's hours at the terminal are the main concern;
• Ceremonial weekends, from the blossom festival and the correspondents' dinner to the honours gala and the inauguration, which tie the flight to a date set by the organisers;
• Family and leisure visits to the Smithsonian museums and the monuments on the Mall, often combined with a day in Baltimore or Annapolis;
• Onward journeys to New York, Boston and Florida, using Washington as the port of entry to the United States and a lighter aircraft from there.

One-way or return deserves a second look. Over this distance a return within the week is priced as two separate sectors plus the crew's rest and hotel in Washington, so we quote both versions. For a short stay, keeping the aircraft on the East Coast and flying home on the third day usually beats flying it back empty and fetching it again, while after a week or more two one-way charters are simpler than a jet standing idle.

Empty Legs

An empty leg is a repositioning flight that nobody is paying for, offered to a passenger at a fraction of the normal price. On the Washington corridor the supply follows the calendar more than the volume of traffic, and it helps to know where it comes from.

The fleet that can cross is small, so a client who can offer three days stands a much better chance than one who needs a particular evening. The price of the discount is control: the operator owns the date and the hour, and a leg can disappear when the original booking moves. Whatever is free is listed on our empty legs page, and we flag a Washington match the day an operator releases it.

Helicopter charter

In Washington a helicopter is a tool for the edge of the region and not for the middle of it. The Flight Restricted Zone closes the airspace over the centre of the city to ordinary flying unless a waiver is granted, so a charter helicopter will not set you down by the Mall, and the useful work starts at an airport outside the zone. From Dulles, Leesburg or Manassas a helicopter reaches the Virginia countryside, the Chesapeake shore and the Maryland towns far faster than the road does.

For scenic work the usual choice is the Airbus H125, for villa and marina transfers the roomier H130, and where a twin is wanted the H135 or the Bell 429. We book the helicopter alongside the jet, so that both crews follow 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 Washington 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 Washington

The super-midsize and large-cabin jets for Washington leave mostly from Farnborough, Biggin Hill, Luton and Stansted. Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow save a northern client the drive south; Manchester and Birmingham take roughly 60 to 120 nautical miles off the crossing and Edinburgh and Glasgow 170 to 240, depending on the London field. The price table higher up covers twelve 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

Washington 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 Washington