Empty leg flights in Europe

Europe is the densest business aviation market outside North America, and the distances are short enough for a light jet to cross most of it in two or three hours. Every summer the fleet flows south to the Riviera, the Balearics and the Greek islands, every winter it heads for the Alps, and all year it shuttles between London, Paris, Geneva, Milan and the other business capitals. Each of those journeys leaves an aircraft somewhere it does not want to be, and the flight that takes it home or to its next client is an empty leg.

European sectors available today

The first list below carries every sector we hold that touches an airport in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or the western Balkans, whether it starts or ends in Britain or links two European cities. The second gives full charter prices between the UK and the main European destinations, so each empty leg can be measured against what the same trip costs on your own dates. Use the search box to narrow the first list to a country, a city or an airport.

Why Europe produces so many empty legs

Positioning is the root of every empty leg: a jet finishes one job in the wrong city for the next. Europe creates that situation more often than almost anywhere else, for five reasons.

A large share of business jet flights in Europe, perhaps as many as four in ten, carry no passengers at all. Only some of them are ever offered for sale, because a sector may be too short, too uncertain or too close to the next job, but on the busiest routes there is a steady supply.

Business aviation in Europe: airports, operators and traffic

Business aviation in Europe links some 1,400 airports, about 900 of them reached only by business aircraft, but the traffic is concentrated on a small group of hubs. These were the ten busiest in 2023, counted by business aviation flights.

After Istanbul in eleventh place, Madrid, Amsterdam, Ibiza, Athens, Malaga, Berlin, Vienna, Prague and Munich follow close behind. Paris Le Bourget, Nice, Geneva, Farnborough and Luton alone handle a large share of all European business aviation, which is why so many empty legs start or end at one of them.

The airport rules that shape a European empty leg

Each European airport sets its own hours, slots and parking limits, and they often decide whether a sector exists and whether you can use it. These are the rules we meet most often.

Europe's private terminals from the passenger's side

Nearly every busy European airport has a terminal of its own for private flights, and most of them are run by handlers known as FBOs. The operator of the aircraft chooses the handler, so on an empty leg the terminal comes with the sector, but the differences between them are worth knowing.

What happens at any European private terminal

The details vary, but the routine at a European private terminal follows the same pattern, and it is very different from an airline departure.

Tax refunds need planning: at Nice and Geneva the VAT refund desks are in the main terminals, so tell the handler about the forms before the day. Passengers with reduced mobility should mention it at booking, because a business jet is boarded by a short, steep airstair and the operator plans the assistance around it.

Empty legs between the UK and Europe

These are some of the most frequent routes between Britain and the continent, with the flying time, the season and a typical empty leg price for the whole aircraft. They come from the same data as our city pages, and the charter price list for the UK and Europe gives the full price of each flight on your own dates.

London sits within two hours of Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Munich, Nice and Milan, so these routes see traffic in both directions every day. The Mediterranean islands and Greece are further away and more seasonal, and their empty legs come in waves at the start and end of each holiday week.

Empty legs inside Europe

Many of the best value sectors never touch Britain. Aircraft reposition between European cities all day long, and a party already on the continent can hop between them for far less than a full charter. The table shows typical sectors with the aircraft we usually see, the flying time, a guide empty leg price for the whole aircraft and the full charter price for comparison.

Prices move with the aircraft and the date, and a sector released a day or two before departure is often cheaper still. Within Europe the operators are nearly always licensed in the EU, because the rules on cabotage keep British operators out of flights between two EU airports.

Popular European routes and when to catch them

Every busy route has a rhythm: some months produce far more empty legs than others, and on most routes the aircraft fly without passengers mainly in one direction.

The clearest pattern of all is the Saturday changeover. From Christmas to Easter it runs through the Alps, from June to September through the islands, and in both seasons it sends jets home empty on Saturday afternoon and out again empty on Friday evening.

Which aircraft fly the European routes

Almost any business aircraft can fly within Europe, but a handful of categories carry most of the traffic. The hourly rates below are the figures operators start from; short sectors cost more per hour once minimum charges, positioning and fees are added, and an empty leg on the same aircraft typically costs less than half the full charter.

For a European empty leg, the aircraft usually decides the price more than the distance. A Citation M2 sector across the Alps can cost less than a Challenger 350 hop along the Riviera, so it is worth comparing a smaller aircraft on a longer route with a larger one on a shorter route.

Rules for private flights inside Europe and beyond

Europe is one market for business aviation but not one set of rules. Passports, customs, operators and taxes all depend on which countries a flight connects.

Passenger taxes on private flights across Europe

The taxes on a private flight in Europe vary more than anything else in the price. Most are charged per passenger on departure, Italy's on arrival as well, and a positioning flight with no passengers pays none of them, while an empty leg you book pays them like any charter.

A party of four flying from Nice to London in a Citation XLS+ therefore pays 1,680 euros of French tax, the same four flying from Geneva pay nothing, and from Milan they pay 400 euros, because London is inside the Italian 1,500 kilometre band. For a group based on the Riviera, that difference alone can justify driving to a Swiss or Italian airport or choosing a turboprop.

Leaving Europe and flying further

• The exit check. A British passenger leaving the Schengen area has the exit recorded by the EES at the last Schengen airport, even on a private jet, so allow time for passport control before a flight to the Middle East, Africa or North America.
• Long haul taxes. France charges up to 2,100 euros per passenger on a long haul jet, Italy 200 euros and Britain up to 1,097 GBP, rising in April 2027, while Switzerland charges no passenger tax, so a party staying near the Alps can save a large sum by starting a flight to Dubai or New York in Geneva or Zurich.
• Goods and cash. Goods bought in the EU can have their VAT refunded on the way out if customs stamp the forms, and cash of 10,000 euros or more must be declared on leaving or entering the EU.
• Coming back to Britain. Each adult arriving on a private flight has a goods allowance of 270 GBP, plus 200 cigarettes, four litres of spirits, 18 of still wine and 42 of beer; from 1 October 2026 sparkling wine joins the wine allowance and cider the beer one.

How to book a European empty leg well

An empty leg is cheaper because the operator sets the time and the route. A little preparation turns that constraint into an advantage.

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.

European empty leg calendar, month by month

The fleet moves with the seasons, and so do the empty legs. The calendar shows how busy European business aviation is in each month and where the sectors appear.

The seasonal changeovers in April and September release the most repositioning sectors, and summer and winter weekends the most regular ones. For a specific trip, the day after a big event, when many aircraft leave at once, is usually the best moment to look.

Three situations, three answers

Travelling with a dog or cat around Europe

Pets flying from Britain into the EU need a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old and an animal health certificate signed by an official vet within ten days of travel. The certificate then covers onward travel between EU countries for four months, so a Riviera summer with a hop to Italy needs no new papers. Since 22 April 2026 EU pet passports no longer cover these trips for people living in Britain.

Returning to Britain is stricter than leaving it. The pet must travel with an operator the UK has approved, and dogs need a worming treatment for tapeworm, given by a vet between 24 hours and five days before arrival. Switzerland and Norway follow similar rules to the EU. Raise the animal at the first enquiry, as several operators decline pets and a few countries set extra conditions.

Empty legs in Europe: common questions

Call +44 7857 574938 , message the same number on WhatsApp , or write to flight@empty-leg.co.uk . Name the cities or airports, the dates and how flexible they are, the number of passengers and the luggage, and any pet. We will reply with the European sectors that fit, their full charter prices for comparison and the taxes and permits that apply to your route.