FACT to LFPB 5,054 nm N 349 degrees true
Private JetCharter CapeTown to Paris
5,054 nautical miles direct. About 10h 55m nonstop in a ultra long range jet. Operators bid on this leg without knowing who is flying it.
The leg
Cape Town to Paris
The great circle track from Cape Town to Paris runs 5,054 nautical miles on an initial heading of 349 degrees true. A ultra long range jet covers it nonstop in roughly 10h 55m, before winds.
Very few aircraft connect these two cities without stopping. The ones that do are the top of the market, and even then the answer moves with payload and the winds on the day. The clock change is 1 hour behind in winter and no clock change in summer, because the two cities shift their daylight saving rules on different dates.
You do not need a large cabin for the distance. A Dassault Falcon 8X in the heavy jet class covers it nonstop with margin left over. A further 3 aircraft can do it nonstop on a good day, and those are the quotes worth reading carefully. A marginal leg becomes a fuel stop the moment the winds turn, the cabin fills, or the departure field is hot and high. 34 of the aircraft we track cannot make it without stopping at all, which does not rule them out. A stop on a cheaper airframe sometimes still wins on total cost, and the bid comparison will show you whether it does.
Book range figures assume long range cruise, standard reserves and a stated payload. Load the cabin, add bags, put the departure field at elevation on a hot afternoon, and the real number comes down. We treat anything above roughly 80 percent of book range as a leg that needs the operator to confirm against the specific tail number rather than the brochure.
Aircraft
What flies this leg, and how fast
Block time and nonstop capability across the classes for 5,054 nautical miles. Times are planning estimates in still air.
| Aircraft | Class | Seats | Block time | Book range | This leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 | Very Light Jet | 6 | 13h 07m | 1,550 nm | Fuel stop |
| Embraer Phenom 300E | Light Jet | 8 | 11h 28m | 2,010 nm | Fuel stop |
| Cessna Citation XLS+ | Midsize Jet | 9 | 12h 02m | 2,100 nm | Fuel stop |
| Bombardier Challenger 350 | Super Midsize Jet | 9 | 11h 19m | 3,200 nm | Fuel stop |
| Gulfstream G450 | Heavy Jet | 13 | 11h 11m | 4,350 nm | Fuel stop |
| Gulfstream G650ER | Ultra Long Range Jet | 14 | 10h 55m | 7,500 nm | Nonstop |
Airports
Which runway you actually use
Departing Cape Town. Most charter traffic uses Cape Town International (FACT / CPT). The credible alternates are George (GRJ). Which one you leave from is worth deciding on ground time rather than on the map, because twenty minutes of extra driving often buys a cheaper ramp and a faster departure.
Arriving Paris. Most charter traffic uses Paris Le Bourget (LFPB / LBG). The credible alternates are Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Paris Orly (ORY). Pick the one closest to where you are actually going. The airport with the famous name is frequently the wrong answer.
Confirm slot availability, customs hours and overnight parking at both ends before you commit to a departure time. Those three items cause more schedule changes than weather does.
| Airport | ICAO | IATA | Metro | End | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town International | FACT | CPT | Cape Town | Departure | Preferred |
| George | FAGG | GRJ | Cape Town | Departure | Alternate |
| Paris Le Bourget | LFPB | LBG | Paris | Arrival | Preferred |
| Charles de Gaulle | LFPG | CDG | Paris | Arrival | Customs |
| Paris Orly | LFPO | ORY | Paris | Arrival | Alternate |
Cost
What moves the number
We do not publish a price for this route, and neither should anyone else. Here is what the number is actually made of.
- Positioning. Where the aircraft sits when you call. If it is already on your departure ramp you pay for your legs only. If it has to fly in empty and fly home afterwards, someone pays for that, and it is you.
- Daily minimum. Most operators bill a minimum number of flight hours per day the aircraft is away. A short leg with a three night stay can price higher than a long leg that returns the same day.
- Crew duty. A crew has a legal duty limit. Cross enough time zones or depart late enough and the trip needs a second crew or an overnight, and both cost money.
- Ramp and handling. Landing fees, ramp fees, overnight parking and the FBO handling charge vary enormously between fields in the same metro.
- Peak days. Operators apply surcharges around the predictable weekends. Thanksgiving Sunday, the Super Bowl, Art Basel, the Fourth of July and the ski season change of week all price differently.
- Fuel and stops. A technical stop costs fuel to climb back to altitude, a landing fee, handling, and forty five minutes to an hour of ground time.
- De-icing. Winter departures from northern fields add de-icing, which is charged by volume of fluid and can be a serious number on a large aircraft.
- International handling. Customs, immigration, overflight permits, landing permits and a local handling agent. On some routings the permits need days of lead time.
Our fee sits on top of the operator price as its own line, visible, so you can see both halves. Send the trip and the operators bid against each other on all of the above at once.
Timing
Season, weather and the clock
These two cities sit in opposite hemispheres, so you are trading seasons on the way. Peak demand runs in opposite directions across the year, and so does aircraft availability.
Questions
CPT to LBG
How long is a private jet flight from Cape Town to Paris?
The great circle distance is 5,054 nautical miles, which is about 9,360 km. A ultra long range jet covers it nonstop in roughly 10h 55m block to block. A heavy jet flies the distance in about 11h 11m, and a light jet in about 11h 28m if it can make it without stopping. These are planning estimates in still air and exclude winds and air traffic routing.
Can a light jet fly Cape Town to Paris nonstop?
No. This leg needs about 256 percent of a light jet's published range, so plan on a fuel stop or move up to a class with the legs for it. The smallest aircraft that does it nonstop with margin is the Dassault Falcon 8X.
Which airport should I use in Paris?
Paris Le Bourget (LFPB) handles most charter traffic. The alternates are Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Paris Orly (ORY). Choose on ground time to your final address rather than on the name you recognise.
Do I clear customs on a private flight from Cape Town to Paris?
Yes. Crossing a border on a private aircraft still means customs and immigration at both ends, but it happens at the private terminal rather than in a terminal queue, and it is usually a matter of minutes. The operator files the passenger manifest in advance, so passport details are needed before departure rather than at the airport. Some routings also need landing or overflight permits with days of lead time, which is worth raising early.
What does a private jet from Cape Town to Paris cost?
We do not publish a figure, because a fixed number for this route would be invented. The dominant variable is where the aircraft is parked when you call, not the aircraft type. Positioning legs, daily minimums, crew duty, ramp fees, peak day surcharges and taxes all move the total. Send the trip through the quote form and certificated operators bid against each other on it, sealed, without knowing who you are.
Are empty legs available on this route?
Sometimes. An empty leg exists when an operator has to reposition an aircraft along this track anyway, so the timing is theirs and not yours. They appear and vanish with little notice and get cancelled when the paying trip behind them changes. Flag empty legs on the quote form and we will include any that fit your window, but do not build a fixed commitment around one.
Nearby
Related routes
More from Cape Town
More into Paris
Photography on this site is representative. It does not depict a specific aircraft, operator or tail number offered for charter.