Private aviation · Empty leg flights

Empty leg flights

The same aircraft, the same crew, the same private terminal — for 25–75% less, because the jet was already flying your way. Tell us the route and how much your dates can move, and we flag matches as they appear.

Private jets repositioning on the ramp at dusk
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How empty leg flights actually work

Private jets do not live where their next client is. An aircraft that flies a family from London to Nice has to get somewhere else for its next booking — back to Farnborough, on to Geneva, down to Ibiza. That repositioning flight happens whether or not anyone is on board, and the operator would far rather sell it at a discount than burn the fuel for nothing. That is an empty leg.

What you get is not a lesser product. It is the identical aircraft, the same two pilots, the same private terminal with no queue and a fifteen-minute arrival. The only difference is who decided the schedule: on a standard charter that is you, and on an empty leg it is somebody else’s trip.

That is the whole trade, and it is worth being blunt about it. An empty leg exists because of a booking you have no control over. If that client moves their departure by four hours, your flight moves by four hours. If they cancel, the repositioning may never happen and the empty leg vanishes. Operators are clear that these flights are sold subject to the originating charter, and we pass that on rather than bury it.

Who empty legs suit

  • Flexible dates. If you can move by a day either side, your chance of a match rises sharply.
  • Flexible airports. Farnborough instead of Luton, Cannes-Mandelieu instead of Nice, adds options.
  • One-way trips. Empty legs are one-way by definition; pairing two is possible but rarely lines up.
  • Smaller parties. You take the aircraft that is repositioning, so the cabin is whatever it is.

Who should book a standard charter instead

  • Fixed meetings, weddings, court dates, Grand Prix weekends — anything where the time cannot move.
  • Large groups needing a specific cabin size or luggage capacity.
  • Anyone who would rather pay the full price than carry the risk of a cancellation.

What we do

We monitor repositioning flights daily across the operators we charter from, in every class from turboprop to ultra-long-range. There is no subscription, no membership requirement and no fee to be on the list — you tell us the route and the window, and we message you when something fits. Most matches surface a few days to a few weeks ahead; occasionally one appears the same morning.

We will also tell you when an empty leg is a bad idea for your trip. If the saving is £2,000 and the risk is missing a wedding, that is not a saving.

Empty leg flights from London

London generates more repositioning traffic than anywhere else in Europe, which is why most of the empty legs we flag start here.

Three airports do the work. Farnborough is the dedicated business-aviation field south-west of London and the single most productive source of empty legs we see — aircraft based there reposition constantly to Nice, Geneva and the Balearics. Luton carries the highest volume of based fleet and throws off legs in every direction, including the Gulf. Biggin Hill is quieter but well positioned for the Riviera and useful if you are south or east of the city.

The corridors that produce the most are the ones flown most: London to Nice, Ibiza, Geneva, Cannes and Palma in summer, and London to Geneva, Zurich and Chambéry through the ski season. Southbound legs cluster on Thursday and Friday; the northbound returns — often the cheaper direction — cluster on Sunday and Monday.

If you can leave from any of the three and shift by a day, your odds of a match rise sharply. Tell us the route and the window and we will flag what appears.

More detail by region: empty legs from Nice, Geneva and Le Bourget, and what a private jet from London costs in 2026.

Routes we see empty legs on most

Our most-flown corridors, with the standard charter price for comparison. An empty leg on these typically lands 25–75% below the from-price.

RouteFlight timeStandard charter fromUsual class
London → Nice~2h 05m£9,000light jet
London → Ibiza~2h 20m£10,500light jet
London → Geneva~1h 40m£8,500light jet
London → Cannes~2h 05m£9,500light jet
London → Mykonos~3h 40m£14,500midsize jet
Paris → Nice~1h 25m£6,500light jet
Ibiza → Mykonos~2h 50m£12,500midsize jet
London → Dubai~6h 50m£48,000heavy jet

From-prices are market guides for a standard charter. Empty leg pricing depends entirely on the specific repositioning flight — we quote it as a fixed all-in number when one appears.

Questions

Where do empty leg flights from London depart?
Farnborough, Luton and Biggin Hill. Farnborough is the most productive source we see because its based fleet repositions constantly to Nice, Geneva and the Balearics; Luton carries the highest overall volume including Gulf legs. Southbound empty legs cluster Thursday and Friday, northbound returns Sunday and Monday. Being open to all three airports materially increases your chance of a match.
What is an empty leg flight?
An empty leg is a private jet repositioning without passengers — flying to collect a client, or returning to base after a drop-off. The aircraft is flying regardless, so the operator sells the seat capacity at a discount rather than fly it empty. You get the same aircraft, crew and private terminal for substantially less.
How much cheaper are empty leg flights?
Typically 25–75% below the standard charter price for the same aircraft, depending on how close to departure it is and how well the route matches. A London–Nice light jet leg that normally runs from about £9,000 can appear at £3,000–£5,000. The saving is real, but it only exists when the aircraft was already going your way.
What is the catch with empty legs?
Flexibility. The flight exists because of somebody else's booking, so the date, time and airports are fixed by their trip, not yours — and if that original booking moves or cancels, your empty leg moves or disappears with it. They suit travellers who can shift by a day and route through a nearby airport. If your schedule is fixed, book a standard charter.
How do I find empty leg flights from London?
Tell us your route, your date window and how much either can move. We monitor repositioning flights daily across the operators we charter from and flag matches as they appear — usually a few days to a few weeks ahead, occasionally same-day. There is no subscription and no fee to be on the list.
Can I book an empty leg one way?
Empty legs are one-way by definition — the aircraft is going somewhere specific for its next booking. If you need a return you can pair two separate empty legs when the timings happen to work, or we quote the outbound as an empty leg and the return as a standard charter.
Are empty legs available from Lagos?
Less often than in Europe, because there are fewer aircraft repositioning on West African corridors. They do appear on Lagos–London and Lagos–Dubai, usually when an aircraft has dropped a client and is heading back. We flag them when they come up, but for a fixed date out of Lagos a standard charter is the reliable option.

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