A business jet photographed head on in level flight above a layer of cumulus cloud

KPBI to MPTO 1,058 nm S 178 degrees true

Private JetCharter Palm Beachto Panama City

1,058 nautical miles direct. About 3h 01m nonstop in a very light jet. Operators bid on this leg without knowing who is flying it.

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Great circle

1,058nm

1,960 km, 1,218 statute miles

Initial track

178°T S

Departing KPBI toward MPTO

Nonstop block time

3h 01m

In a very light jet, the smallest reference class that flies it nonstop

Clock change

-1h

Summer offset. Winter runs 0h.

The leg

Palm Beach to Panama City

Measured airport to airport, PBI to PTY is 1,058 nautical miles. A very light jet does it nonstop in something close to 3h 01m once taxi, climb and descent are counted.

At this length the aircraft reaches a settled cruise and the class differences start to show up on the clock, though not dramatically. The bigger separation is cabin comfort and baggage volume. The clock change is no clock change in winter and 1 hour behind in summer, because the two cities shift their daylight saving rules on different dates.

Nonstop capability starts at the very light jet class on this route, with the Honda Aircraft HondaJet Elite II the smallest airframe we would put on it without a stop. A further 2 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.

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.

Orthographic projection, great circle track Static plot

Aircraft

What flies this leg, and how fast

Block time and nonstop capability across the classes for 1,058 nautical miles. Times are planning estimates in still air.

Aircraft comparison for Palm Beach to Panama City
Aircraft	Class	Seats	Block time	Book range	This leg
Cessna Citation M2 Gen2	Very Light Jet	6	3h 01m	1,550 nm	Nonstop
Embraer Phenom 300E	Light Jet	8	2h 41m	2,010 nm	Nonstop
Cessna Citation XLS+	Midsize Jet	9	2h 48m	2,100 nm	Nonstop
Bombardier Challenger 350	Super Midsize Jet	9	2h 39m	3,200 nm	Nonstop
Gulfstream G450	Heavy Jet	13	2h 37m	4,350 nm	Nonstop
Gulfstream G650ER	Ultra Long Range Jet	14	2h 34m	7,500 nm	Nonstop

Airports

Which runway you actually use

Departing Palm Beach. Most charter traffic uses Palm Beach International (KPBI / PBI). The credible alternates are Boca Raton (BCT) and Palm Beach County Park (LNA). 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 Panama City. Most charter traffic uses Tocumen International (MPTO / PTY). The credible alternates are Marcos A Gelabert Albrook (PAC). 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
Palm Beach International	KPBI	PBI	Palm Beach	Departure	Preferred
Boca Raton	KBCT	BCT	Palm Beach	Departure	Alternate
Palm Beach County Park	KLNA	LNA	Palm Beach	Departure	Alternate
Tocumen International	MPTO	PTY	Panama City	Arrival	Preferred
Marcos A Gelabert Albrook	MPMG	PAC	Panama City	Arrival	Alternate

Cost

What moves the number

The honest answer to what this costs is that it depends, so here is precisely what it depends on.

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.
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

Panama City sits in the tropics, where the practical seasons are wet and dry rather than hot and cold. Afternoon convective weather is the routine cause of delay, so morning departures hold their schedule more reliably.

A business jet parked on an airport ramp at sunrise, backlit, with the nose gear and forward fuselage in the foreground — PBI to PTY

Questions

PBI to PTY

A midsize business jet on the landing roll with speed brakes deployed and a city skyline behind the airfield — Representative cabin and ramp

How long is a private jet flight from Palm Beach to Panama City?

The great circle distance is 1,058 nautical miles, which is about 1,960 km. A very light jet covers it nonstop in roughly 3h 01m block to block. A heavy jet flies the distance in about 2h 37m, and a light jet in about 2h 41m 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 Palm Beach to Panama City nonstop?

Yes. A Embraer Phenom 300E covers this leg nonstop with comfortable margin, using about 54 percent of its published range. That is inside the band where a full cabin and average winds will not force a stop.

Which airport should I use in Panama City?

Tocumen International (MPTO) handles most charter traffic. The alternates are Marcos A Gelabert Albrook (PAC). Choose on ground time to your final address rather than on the name you recognise.

Do I clear customs on a private flight from Palm Beach to Panama City?

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 Palm Beach to Panama City 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.

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