Empty leg flights to and from Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the Danish capital, a centre of shipping, life sciences and design on the Øresund, and one of the easiest European cities to reach by private jet from Britain. Two airports serve it. Kastrup, code CPH, lies about 8 kilometres south east of the city centre on the island of Amager, and Roskilde, code RKE, is a quieter business and general aviation airport about 30 kilometres to the west in a straight line, owned by the same company. A light or midsize jet from London reaches either of them in about 1h 50m.

Choosing between the two airports is the first decision on every Copenhagen trip, because Kastrup is a busy slot controlled hub while Roskilde has no slots and moves passengers from the aircraft to the car in minutes.

Copenhagen sectors available today

The first list gathers every sector we hold into or out of Kastrup and Roskilde, and adds flights into Malmö when they appear. The second list, just below, shows what the same aircraft would cost as a normal charter on the dates you pick, so the saving on each released sector is plain to see.

Also moving across Malmö and Billund

Sectors on this list do not touch Copenhagen itself. They are shown because the fields are close enough that the drive rarely costs you more than waiting for the right sector does. Tell us which one interests you and we will confirm it is still open.

Why Copenhagen produces empty legs

Copenhagen is under two hours from most British airports, close enough for light jets and for day trips. Short sectors like these are rarely worth a waiting crew, so aircraft that bring passengers in often leave empty, and many trips produce a spare flight in one direction.

Supply is steadiest on weekday business routes to London and Scotland, and busiest for leisure from June to August and in the weeks around the design and fashion events. January and November are the quietest months.

Copenhagen Kastrup and Roskilde airports in detail

Copenhagen Airport opened at Kastrup on 20 April 1925, one of the oldest civil airports in Europe, and is now the busiest in the Nordic countries and the main hub of SAS. Roskilde opened in 1973 as a relief airport and today handles business jets, air taxis and most of the Danish light aircraft fleet. Both belong to Copenhagen Airports, which itself points business and general aviation towards Roskilde.

Roskilde is a different kind of airport. It has two runways, 11/29 of 1,799 metres and 03/21 of 1,500 metres, long enough for light and midsize business jets but not for the largest ones, and it needs no slots. The airfield is open from 07:00 to 22:00 local time, and outside those hours flights need prior permission requested at least an hour before closing. Customs and immigration are available at any hour with an hour's notice, and handling is compulsory for every aircraft above 3,000 kilograms.

For crews Kastrup is an easy airport with long runways and mild weather by Nordic standards, although sea fog and winter de icing can slow things down. The complications are the slot and the night rules, and Copenhagen Airports itself recommends Roskilde for business traffic. Our own rule of thumb is Kastrup when the jet is large, the hour is late or someone has an airline connection, and Roskilde whenever a light or midsize jet and the timing allow, with Malmö as the usual alternate.

Landing in Copenhagen privately: handlers, VIP lounges and the border

Private passengers at Kastrup pass through the handlers' own entrance rather than a separate terminal building, while little Roskilde behaves almost like one big private terminal, with a single executive handler beside the apron. This is what passengers can expect.

How we plan a Copenhagen flight

• Airport choice. We match Kastrup or Roskilde to the aircraft, the timing and where you are going in the city.
• Slot and approvals. For Kastrup the operator requests the arrival and departure slots together, and any night departure approval; for Roskilde we arrange prior permission for late movements.
• Border checks. We send your passport details to the handler, which books the police and customs for Roskilde an hour ahead.
• Onward travel. Cars, trains over the Øresund and helicopters to the coast are arranged at the same time as the aircraft.
• Pets. A flight carrying a dog or cat goes to Kastrup, and we check the Danish breed rules and the tapeworm treatment Britain requires on the way home.

Four things to know before booking Copenhagen

Almost every Copenhagen trip turns on the four questions below, so we answer them before an aircraft is held.

From the airport to Copenhagen, North Zealand and Sweden

Kastrup is almost in the city, while Roskilde sits in the countryside west of it. The times below are for a car in normal traffic.

Trains from beneath Terminal 3 reach Malmö in 20 to 25 minutes and continue to the rest of Skåne. For the summer houses of North Zealand, or for a quick hop to the islands, a helicopter can meet the jet at either airport when the weather allows.

What else you pay on a Danish trip

Beside the price of the aircraft, the other charges on a Copenhagen flight are small, and the operator normally includes them in the quote.

British Air Passenger Duty is collected on departure from the UK. In the 2026 to 2027 tax year Band A costs each passenger 32 GBP in a mid weight jet of 5.7 to 20 tonnes, rising to 142 GBP in the heaviest private aircraft. Once that year ends, a single higher rate of 146.63 GBP a passenger covers every private jet of 5.7 tonnes or more. Lighter jets such as the Citation M2 and CJ2 pay nothing, and nor do flights from Jersey or Guernsey, which have their own tax systems. North of the border, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow move to Scotland's own Air Departure Tax from April 2027, and the Scottish Government intends to add a private jet supplement a year later.

Roskilde, Malmö, Billund and the other airports near Copenhagen

Between them Kastrup and Roskilde handle almost every private flight to Copenhagen. The four airfields below cover the alternates we file and the trips that begin or finish outside the city.

Popular routes between the UK and Copenhagen, and which way they run empty

Each figure in the table is what one party pays for the entire jet on a trip that is flying regardless; seats are never sold singly. Times count only the hours in the air. Copenhagen is close enough to Britain for light jets such as the Citation M2 and CJ2, and the list runs up to the Challenger 350 for larger parties. Where dates cannot move, compare with the ordinary charter prices shown in the second list at the top.

Business sectors run all year and cluster on Monday mornings and Thursday or Friday afternoons. In summer the festivals, the sailing season and the North Zealand holiday houses add weekend sectors, and the fashion weeks in February and August bring short, busy peaks.

Online calculator

If you want to see what your route would cost as a standard charter, so you have something to measure an empty leg against, use the calculator below. Fill in the airports, the dates and the number of passengers, add any preference on aircraft type, and we will send a written calculation by email or messenger. Please check your contact details carefully so that we can reply quickly.

The figure the calculator returns is an estimate for planning. The firm quote comes back from our consultants with the cost broken out line by line, and the price agreed there is the price written into the contract.

If you would rather skip the arithmetic, send us the route and the dates instead and a consultant will come back with both numbers, the charter price and any empty leg that fits.

Border and customs rules for Denmark

As an EU and Schengen member, Denmark applies the Union's rules to anyone flying in from Britain, with a few Danish details. The points below are those a private passenger is most likely to meet.

• Passport. On arrival in Denmark a British passport must be less than ten years old, and it must stay valid for three months or more after the date you plan to leave the Schengen area.
• 90 days in 180. Nights in Denmark add up with those in every other Schengen country, and British visitors may spend no more than 90 days in any 180.
• EES. At your first Schengen entry in Denmark the border police take fingerprints and a photograph for the EES; children under 12 are only photographed.
• Alcohol. Anyone from 17 upwards may carry in 16 litres of beer and 4 of table wine, and on top of that either a litre of spirits or 2 litres of port, sherry or sparkling wine.
• Tobacco and goods. Smokers may bring 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco, and by air other purchases up to a value of 3,250 kroner enter duty free.
• Food. The EU does not allow meat, milk or products made from them to be brought in from the UK, so pack no ham, sausages or cheese.
• Money. Denmark has kept the krone rather than the euro; payment by card or phone is the norm, and sums of 10,000 euros or more in cash have to be declared.
• Home again. When the jet lands in Britain, every adult may bring home 270 GBP worth of presents and shopping without duty, alongside 42 litres of beer, 18 of wine, 4 of spirits and 200 cigarettes. Once the British categories are redrawn on 1 October 2026, a bottle of cider uses the beer allowance and a bottle of fizz the wine allowance.

Empty leg calendar for Copenhagen, month by month

Copenhagen is a business city all year, with a long summer season, two fashion weeks and a busy Christmas month.

Prices are keenest on the Monday to Friday links with London and Scotland, and on summer Saturdays and Sundays when jets head home after a holiday drop. Travellers with fixed dates will find the widest choice of aircraft in January, March and November.

Three situations, three answers

Bringing a dog or cat to Denmark

Pets travelling from Britain to Denmark need a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old and an animal health certificate issued by an official vet, and they must enter at one of the three Danish airports approved for pets from outside the EU: Copenhagen Kastrup, Billund or Aalborg. Landing with a pet at Roskilde is not allowed, and the authorities recommend giving the airport 24 hours' notice. Denmark does not require a tapeworm treatment on the way in, but it bans 13 breeds, among them the pit bull terrier, the tosa inu, the American Staffordshire terrier and the Dogo Argentino, and the ban covers dogs on holiday as well.

The return needs more care than from Norway or Finland: a Danish vet must treat a dog against tapeworm no less than 24 hours and no more than five days before it arrives in Britain. In the cabin of a private jet the animal stays with you throughout. Mention the animal at the start, as a few operators will not carry pets.

Private flights to Copenhagen: questions and answers

Call +44 7857 574938 , message the same number on WhatsApp , or write to flight@empty-leg.co.uk . Let us know the purpose of the trip, whether business, a summer stay by the sea or a drive on to Sweden, along with the dates, the party, the luggage and any pet travelling with you. We will come back with the sectors that fit, their full charter fares and our advice on Kastrup or Roskilde, the handler and the drive into town.