If you have ever priced a private flight from London to Nice, you have probably seen quotes between £8,000 and £45,000 for what looks like the same trip. This guide explains why — and how to pay the lower end.
The three airports that matter
- London Luton (LTN) — the workhorse of UK business aviation. Best slot availability, biggest pool of operators, fastest in-and-out. Most empty-leg deals depart Luton.
- Farnborough (FAB) — the cleanest private experience: dedicated private terminal, no commercial mixing, 7-minute curb-to-aircraft. Premium pricing reflects it.
- Biggin Hill (BQH) — south of the city, often quietest. Good for southbound trips when London airspace is jammed.
City Airport accepts a handful of private operators but is constrained for jet movements.
Aircraft categories (and 2026 hourly rates from London)
- Light jet — Citation CJ3, Phenom 300. 5 — 7 pax. London → Nice in ~1h 50m. £4,500 — £6,500/hr.
- Midsize — Citation XLS, Hawker 800. 7 — 9 pax, walk-around cabin. London → Nice in ~1h 45m. £6,000 — £9,000/hr.
- Super-midsize — Citation Sovereign, Challenger 300. 9 pax, stand-up cabin. London → Nice in ~1h 40m. £8,500 — £12,500/hr.
- Heavy — Falcon 7X, Global 6000. 10 — 14 pax, transcontinental range. £14,000 — £22,000/hr.
These are hourly rates. A London → Nice round-trip with a 6-hour stay is usually charged as 2 flight-hours each way plus a positioning leg, so a light jet "weekend in Nice" lands around £18,000 — £24,000 all-in.
Why empty legs are not always the deal they look
An empty leg is a repositioning flight an operator must fly anyway — for example, a London → Nice flight booked one-way means the aircraft must fly Nice → somewhere on its own. That return is offered at 30 — 60% off retail.
The catches:
- Schedules are not flexible. You move with the aircraft, on its date and slot.
- They cancel. Up to 24h before departure if the original charter changes.
- The route may not be exactly yours. "London to Côte d'Azur" empty leg may be quoted from Luton to Cannes, not Nice — fine if you don't mind the 30-minute road transfer, less fine if you wanted Nice.
OF.luxury monitors empty-leg pools from Air Partner, VistaJet, Victor, Magellan and ten others. If a leg matches your flexible window, we secure it. If it does not, we quote retail and tell you honestly.
What to ask before signing
- Final price including landing, handling, catering, crew nights, and APD? Not just the hourly rate.
- Tail number reserved? Operators sometimes sell a category, then sub-out to a partner aircraft.
- Crew duty time — if your day overruns, will the same crew fly you home, or do you owe a crew night?
- Cancellation curve — at what point does cancellation cost 25% / 50% / 100%?
If the operator will not put these in writing, walk.
How OF.luxury handles charters
- Direct relationships with operators at Luton, Farnborough and Biggin Hill.
- Empty-leg alerts on your saved routes (London → Nice, London → Ibiza, London → Monaco, London → Geneva, London → Mykonos).
- Same-day quotes for time-critical departures.
- One contract, transparent commission, no broker-of-broker chains.
Request a quote. For frequent travelers we can also arrange a card or block-hours programme with a single operator.