How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Private Helicopter?

Hiring a private helicopter is no longer something only the uber-rich can afford, and it can be done for many different reasons. Luxury travel and personalized travel experience is a reason enough to hire a helicopter, or maybe you’re a good gift giver and want to surprise your loved ones with a private flight to your favorite destination.

Of course, the world of private jets and helicopters remains a mystery for many. For that reason, I’ll try to give you the most important details regarding hiring a private helicopter. After this read, you should know how and where to hire a private helicopter, and most importantly, if you can afford it.

Why Hire a Private Helicopter

The benefits of hiring a private helicopter are endless. Besides skipping the line and showing only 20 minutes before the flight, there are several other reasons why it’s a good idea to hire your own helicopter.

• Save time by quickly going through check-in and passport control;
• Impress your business partners or family;
• Have an intimate atmosphere while flying above the most beautiful cities;
• Enjoy aerial views of beautiful landscapes;
• Easier to land compared to a jet;
• Reach inaccessible places due to the vertical lift-off and landing;
• Cheaper than a private jet.

As you can see, private helicopters have a myriad of uses which is why hiring a private helicopter is becoming available to many. Now, let’s take a look at the costs and go over all the factors that influence the price.

Costs To Hire a Private Helicopter

Just like with jets, the price of hiring a private helicopter depends on many variables. Another thing to be aware of is that companies will usually charge you only for the air time, which is different from flight time. 

Air time means that the “taximeter” will start ticking once the helicopter takes off, and will stop once it lands, so you’ll be charged only for the time you spend in the air. On the other hand, the flight time will include the whole service, from the time of arrival, including the waiting time, to the time you land.

The following points are crucial when determining the price of hiring a private helicopter.

• Departure and destination

Not only does the price differ for different departure and destination points, like from London to Moscow, or from Paris to Nice, but sometimes the price also depends on the airport you’re taking off from (that is, if you don’t have a large space in an unpopulated area where the helicopter can land and take off from), as well as the one you’re landing on.

• Number of passengers

When you hire a helicopter, you usually have the whole aircraft for yourself. There is usually one price for the helicopter, which the passengers then split. Therefore, if it’s only you and another passenger, it will be more expensive than, let’s say, sharing the trip with another couple.

• Type of helicopter

Just like with car rental, a newer and faster model will be more expensive than a used Toyota from 1996. Such is the case with helicopters, where a single-engine piston aircraft is your friend, and a twin-engine gas turbine helicopter will damage your wallet quite a lot.

Let’s list the helicopters by type of engine, starting from the least expensive one.

1. Single Engine Piston
2. Single Engine Gas Turbine
3. Twin Engine Gas Turbine

These are the three categories you need to remember, that will give you the ability to detect whether a helicopter is expensive or affordable to hire.

• Duration of the flight/trip

Again with the obvious statement, but there are things that can be easily overlooked. Most often, you hire a helicopter per hour, but there are also daily fees, especially if you plan to spend the night in your destination city.

In such cases, the price will go up, as you will be obliged to pay for the pilot’s accommodation and meals. So, make sure you remember this before booking a three-day trip.

Sometimes, there can be two pilots and a catering service, and you will have to pay for that too. So, when booking a helicopter, make sure that only the services that you asked for are included.

Pricing Per Hour

Regardless if the helicopter has one or two engines, one or two pilots, or a catering service, the most convenient and usual way of renting is by the hour. I also mentioned that the service can also be rented per day, but those occasions are very rare.

Anyway, let’s make things more clear with a general pricing list. In the following table, you will see the pricing based on the number of passengers and the helicopter’s engine. These prices are very general, but in our other table, you can see the prices based on destination and hours, too.

Each figure includes the costs for a pilot as well.

Number of passengers	Type of helicopter/number of engines	Price per hour in USD ($)
1	Single Engine Piston	250 – 300
3	Single Engine Piston	450 – 550
4	Single Engine Piston	950 – 1,200
4	Single Engine Gas Turbine	1,200 – 1,500
6	Single Engine Gas Turbine	1,800 – 2,200
6	Twin Engine Gas Turbine	2,000 – 3,000
12	Twin Engine Gas Turbine	5,000 – 6,000

Sometimes, it can happen that a helicopter running with a twin-engine gas turbine is cheaper than a single-engine gas turbine. This usually means that the helicopter model is better, newer, or simply more comfortable.

For example, an Airbus EC130/H130 helicopter, which runs on one engine, can cost more than a Leonardo AW109, which has two engines “under the hood”. So, learn your helicopters before booking a flight.

Pricing Per Hour (Including Destinations)

I will use this table to portray how prices change when adding or excluding a passenger, and when you go from a short-term trip to a longer one. The examples include some of the most popular destinations, so you might find yours.

Usually, the price is the same for one to four passengers. That’s because, as we already mentioned, you’re hiring the whole helicopter that can fit four people. So you’ll have to pay for the whole aircraft even when you’re the only passenger.

If you’re planning on taking a larger group, or more than four people, then you should call a company offering these services, because different rules apply to different companies.

Route: London, UK to Paris, France

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$8,000	$11,500

Route: London, UK to Rome, Italy

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$7,900	$11,400

Route: London, UK to Geneva, Switzerland

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$14,000	$20,500

Route: New York, USA to Los Angeles, USA

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$43,700	$45,000

Route: Singapore, Singapore to Bangkok, Thailand

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$28,800	$45,000

Route: Los Angeles, USA to Las Vegas, USA

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$7,300	$9,500

Route: Johannesburg, South Africa to Cape Town, South Africa

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$18,700	$21,500

Route: Milan, Italy to Ibiza, Spain

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$14,600	$17,000

Route: Birmingham, UK to Paris, France

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$8,200	$10,100

Route: London, UK to Amsterdan, Netherlands

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$5,900	$7,100

Route: Toronto, Canada to New York, USA

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$7,800	$9,000

Route: Atlanta, USA to Miami, USA

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$10,400	$13,700

Route: London, UK to Moscow, Russian Federation

Number of passengers	One-way	Two-ways
1-4	$28,300	$31,200

Conclusion

As I said before, renting a private helicopter can be quite expensive, but also very affordable if you follow our tips.

In order to avoid paying ridiculously high amounts, make sure to bring as many people on board, based on the helicopter’s capacity, of course. You pay for the whole aircraft, so the more passengers there are, the smaller your share will be.

The number of passengers is not the only parameter you have to look out for. For instance, the type of helicopter plays a big role, too. A single-engine piston helicopter is the most affordable one to hire, while a single-engine gas turbine heli will add some dollars to the flight. The most expensive option, however, is to hire a helicopter packing a twin-engine gas turbine.

Other parameters that might increase the price include an extra pilot, or an overnight stay before returning. Remember that you are obliged to pay for the crew’s accommodation and meals during the trip as well.

Following this logic, hiring a private helicopter can cost as low as $300 for short trips in a less powerful helicopter, but can reach very high figures, counting thousands of dollars if the destination and the aircraft type demands it.