Charter runs $2,500 an hour for a turboprop to $17,000 for an ultra-long-range jet — but the hourly rate is only ever 65–75% of your invoice. Positioning, landing fees, crew overnights, fuel and tax add 25–35% domestically and 40%+ internationally. Build your route's honest estimate below before any broker builds you a pretty one.
Estimate your charter — the all-in number, not the hourly tease
Three questions. We apply 2026 market rates plus the add-ons quotes conveniently omit.
Why the advertised rate is never your bill
The hourly rates below are real. What turns them into a surprise is everything billed around them. The aircraft ferries to your departure airport at full hourly rate — $10,000–$34,000 on thin routes. Landing and handling run $500–$3,000 per sector; crew overnights $200–$600 per person per day. Fuel surcharges apply whenever jet-A moves (early 2026 averages ~$4/gallon), European departures add a 2–6% sustainable-fuel surcharge, and US domestic flights add 7.5% federal excise tax. The rule that survives every market cycle: add 25–35% to the base calculation domestically, 40%+ internationally. The estimator above does exactly that.
| Class | Hourly rate | Passengers | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprop | $2,500–$3,500 | 4–8 | to 1,000 nm |
| Very Light Jet | $3,500–$4,500 | 4–6 | to 1,200 nm |
| Light Jet | $4,500–$6,500 | 6–8 | 1,500–2,000 nm |
| Midsize | $6,500–$8,500 | 7–9 | 2,000–3,000 nm |
| Super-Midsize | $8,000–$12,000 | 8–10 | 3,500–4,500 nm |
| Heavy Jet | $10,000–$15,000 | 10–16 | 4,000–6,000 nm |
| Ultra-Long-Range | $11,000–$17,000 | 10–19 | 6,000–8,000+ nm |
| Route | Time | Aircraft | All-in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva → St Moritz | 35 min | Pilatus PC-12 | $8,000–$12,000 |
| LA → Aspen | 1.5 h | Citation CJ4 | $14,000–$20,000 |
| London → Nice | 2 h | Phenom 300E | $18,000–$24,000 |
| New York → Miami | 3 h | Citation XLS+ | $28,000–$38,000 |
| London → Dubai | 7 h | Challenger 350 | $72,000–$95,000 |
| New York → London | 7.5 h | G650 | $115,000–$160,000 |
Fly the smallest aircraft your route allows. The class table is a ladder of range and cabin, not of safety or prestige. A Phenom 300 does London–Nice as well as a Global does, at a third of the price. Use secondary airports: handling at the big hubs can triple the sector fee. Be flexible and hunt empty legs: repositioning flights sell at 25–75% off, and the platforms are compared here. Never accept a one-line quote: an itemised quote is the only defence against the padding documented in our hidden-fees guide. Comparing two itemised quotes is how you find the fair one — get a second number for the same route before signing anything.
Flying more than a handful of times a year? The per-trip arithmetic changes shape: see what 25/50/100/200 hours actually costs annually and whether a membership programme ever beats on-demand for your pattern.
How much does a private jet cost per hour in 2026?
From about $2,500–$3,500 per hour for a turboprop, $4,500–$6,500 for a light jet, $8,000–$12,000 for a super-midsize, and $11,000–$17,000 for an ultra-long-range jet. Add 25–35% for fees and tax domestically, 40%+ internationally — the hourly rate is typically only 65–75% of the final invoice.
What is the cheapest private jet to charter?
Turboprops — the Pilatus PC-12 and King Air 350 — at $2,500–$3,500 per hour, ideal under 1,000 nautical miles and unbeatable into short mountain strips. Among true jets, very light jets run $3,500–$4,500 per hour for 4–6 passengers on short hops.
What does a Gulfstream G650 cost per hour?
Around $11,000–$17,000 per hour on the 2026 charter market, at the top of the ultra-long-range class. A transatlantic New York–London one-way on a G650 prices at roughly $115,000–$160,000 all-in.
What gets added on top of the hourly rate?
Positioning (ferrying the aircraft to you, at full hourly rates — $10,000–$34,000 on thin routes), landing and handling ($500–$3,000 per sector), crew overnights ($200–$600 per crew member per day), fuel surcharges, a 2–6% SAF surcharge on European departures, and 7.5% US federal excise tax on domestic flights.
Is a super-midsize worth the premium over a light jet?
Only when the mission needs it: transcontinental range without a fuel stop, a stand-up cabin for 8–10, or long overwater sectors. For flights under three hours, the light jet delivers the same doors-to-doors time for roughly half the hourly rate — pay for range and cabin, not for image.
Do charter prices rise during peak season and big events?
Sharply. School holidays, Monaco GP week, Art Basel and the Christmas ski migration can add 20–50% and exhaust availability days out. Book event-driven flights weeks ahead, or invert the trade and hunt the empty legs those events create in the opposite direction.
Read next
The fees quotes hide · Empty-leg platforms compared · Annual cost by hours flown · Membership programmes compared · The jet card index
By Richard J. · Updated 24 August 2026
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