Best known for being the home of the Cannes Film Festival and, of course, the marvelous coastline, Cannes is a small yet magnificent town located in the breathtaking French Riviera. It’s abundant in luxury hotels, shops, and restaurants, which is why it’s one of those places most attractive to celebrities, aristocrats, and business people from all over the world.
Whatever it is that brings you to this glamorous town, you’ll surely want to arrive in style, and the fastest and most comfortable option is traveling by private jet. In this article, we’ll cover all the important info regarding flying privately from London to Cannes, so let’s get started.
Topics
London to Cannes: Overview
You don’t have to be a geography geek to know that in order to reach Cannes from London, you need to cross the whole of France, from top to bottom. This would take you at least 15 hours by car, but if you want to get there quickly, in around 2 hours or less, a jet is the way to go
Even though private jet rental prices vary a lot due to all the variables such as time and date of the flight, jet size, extra services, and whatnot, we can still make an estimate. The price range for this flight goes from £6,000 (7,100 EUR) to £20,000 (23,700 EUR) or more.
London has more than enough infrastructure for private flyers, as you can choose from more than 30 fixed-base operators (FBOs). Cannes, on the other hand, has one airport with a few FBOs running terminals.
Pricing Options
Knowing the right price is crucial before making any plans. With private jets, that’s always tricky because the companies always have extra offers for you, membership cards that might give you a discount, and so on. Anyway, in this chapter, we’re going to see the raw average prices per jet category – turboprop, light, medium, and heavy.
The following prices are written as seen from the official website of The Aviation Factory.
London to Cannes Average Flight Prices
Aircraft type | Number of passengers | London to Cannes route price | Estimated flight time |
Turboprop | 4 – 19 | £6,500 / 7,500 EUR | 2 hours 30 minutes |
Light jet | 4 – 11 | £6,000 / 7,000 EUR | 1 hour 55 minutes |
Midsize jet | 6 – 10 | £11,500 / 13,500 EUR | 1 hour 45 minutes |
Heavy jet | 6 – 72 | £13,000 / 15,000 EUR | 1 hour 45 minutes |
If you’re wondering why a turboprop costs “more” than a light jet, note that when you rent a jet, you’re renting the whole aircraft. So, The Aviation Factory will rent you a turboprop jet that can fit up to 19 people, for a maximum price of £6,500 (7,500 EUR). That’s less expensive than a £6,000 (7,000 EUR) plane that fits a maximum of 11 people.
London to Cannes Airports
You don’t have to worry about finding the perfect FBO in London. All worldwide famous companies have their facilities in the British capital, and there are also a few private airports that could fill in some gaps.
London’s most famous airports are Heathrow, Luton, and Stansted, and each one of these has more than a few FBOs either within the airport buildings or in the near surroundings.
From London Heathrow to Cannes
London Heathrow is the airport that’s most likely to pop up to your mind when London’s mentioned. It’s the nation’s busiest airport operating some 1,300 flights every day and welcoming around 80 million passengers per year, on average.
Its location is pretty convenient as well, as you only need about half an hour to reach it by car, and it is well connected by metro. However, note that there isn’t a vast choice of FBOs.
Don’t get me wrong, London Heathrow itself has a special VIP lounge for those who want it, but only has the Signature Flight Support and Menzies Aviation FBOs nearby. Obviously, if you choose to use these private terminals, you won’t regret it, as a lot of important people have been using them, including Heads of State or the Royals.
If you choose to fly via Signature Flight Support’s FBO, you will have access to the computer room where you can print, scan, or just use the internet if you need to. You can also ask for drinks, snacks, coffee, or some entertainment if you’ve arrived early, such as playing golf on the courts nearby.
From London Luton to Cannes
London Luton is the city’s fifth airport regarding operations and only has one terminal. It’s mostly used by low-budget airlines but also attracts some private flyers because of the few fixed-base operators running separate facilities in the area.
The airport is a bit further away than Heathrow, as you’d need about an hour to reach it by car. The good thing is that it’s also connected with public transportation, and you shouldn’t spend significantly more time using the bus or tube.
Signature Flight Support runs two private terminals there, simply called the T1 and T2. The T1 is a world-known FBO that has been kept very busy for years now, being the most visited Signature Flight Support terminal outside the United States. The facility offers excellent VIP lounges, concierge services, or conference rooms for those needing them.
Another amazing choice would be to use the services of Harrods Aviation, which runs a high-end FBO at London Luton. The personnel of Harrods Aviation will make sure that you have everything you need such as transportation, a meal, refreshments, or reading materials. Moreover, they provide jet maintenance services, so you can refuel or hangar your jet at their facility if needed.
From London Farnborough to Cannes
If the distance isn’t an issue, Farnborough would be a really good choice. The private airport officially belongs to Rushmoor, Hampshire, so you’d need about an hour and a half to reach it from Victoria Station.
The Farnborough Airport is specialized in operating business jets, so it’s kind of famous for being a business hub in this part of the country. This award-winning airport offers separate lounges for passengers and crews, which is rarely the case.
The FBO has conference and meeting rooms available upon request, resting areas, refreshments, and is pet friendly, in case you’re traveling with your furry friend. There are even installed chargers for electric cars, and a room with a gaming console, if you suddenly get in the mood for some Play Station.
From London Stansted to Cannes
London Stansted is an exciting choice for private travelers because the airport itself and the area have plenty of FBOs to choose from. The airport is located some 40 miles northeast of London’s central area, but you have a metro line that will get you there from Victoria Station in 1 hour sharp.
Here are all the private terminals that you can find around Stansted:
- Fayair Ltd;
- Infinite Jet Center;
- X Jet London;
- London Jet Center;
- Universal Aviation;
- Diamond Hangar Ltd;
- Antonov Airlines UK;
- North Air Ltd;
- Harrods Aviation;
- Ruslan International;
- Titan Airways;
- London Jet Charter;
- Inflite The Jet Center;
- NATS Jet Stansted;
- Aeronexus;
- GT Engine Services;
- Swissport.
From London Biggin Hill to Cannes
Biggin Hill is a private airport that offers a choice between two FBOs. One private terminal is run by the airport, or the Biggin Hill Executive Handling, while the other one is operated by Signature Flight Support.
Biggin Hill offers you various services such as air taxis that can take you very quickly from and to London’s central area. Moreover, you can store your jet at their premises, fuel it if needed, or hire a professional team to maintain your aircraft.
Cannes Airport (Cannes-Mandelieu Airport (CEQ))
The city of Cannes has one airport directly serving the needs of the people living there and those visiting. There are alternatives if you land in Nice or Toulon, which are close by, but if you want to go directly to Cannes, you’ll land at the Cannes-Mandelieu Airport (CEQ).
Cannes-Mandelieu Airport (CEQ) has a history of welcoming VIPs so the concierge services truly deserve a 5-star rating. The airport can be your hub for organizing business meetings, having lunch, drinks, and you can even ask them to book you a hotel room.
Sky Valet is another fixed-base operator that runs a terminal within this airport where you can also enjoy a special 5-star treatment. Besides access to the internet, reading materials, and other forms of entertainment, the personnel can even schedule your meetings or make lunch or dinner arrangements, and that’s what we call a royal treatment indeed.
Which Planes Can You Fly to Cannes From Each Category?
Choosing the private jet model for your flight can be more interesting than the flight itself, especially if you’re an avgeek. With all the modern jets in the world, it’s not very easy to settle on just one that will fly you to your destination.
Small and Midsize Jets (Turboprops, Light Jets, and Midsize Jets)
If you don’t mind a slightly longer trip, there are a few turboprop planes that I can think of, which would be excellent for this route.
The Beech BE350 KingAir can take 8 people on board in its spacious walk-around cabin and it doesn’t really need much time to reach Cannes. You will be there in 2 hours and 13 minutes and the price to rent this one is around £8,000 / 9,500 EUR via Private Fly.
If you would like to pay less and fly longer, the Beech BE200 Super King Air would be a good choice for you. This one costs some £7,500 / 9,000 EUR to rent and will get you from London to Cannes in 2 hours and 42 minutes. The seating capacity of the BE200 is eight passengers.
A light jet, on the other hand, would be a good choice especially if you’re not a big party and would like to get there faster. The Phenom 100 is a nice-looking spacious jet that will fly you and a maximum of five other people to Cannes in 2 hours sharp. This jet rents for some £7,500 / 9,000 EUR via Air Charter Service.
If you want to keep your travel time under two hours and have a comfortable cabin, consider the HondaJet which needs 1 hour and 55 minutes to pass this route. The jet will cost you some £9,000 / 10,500 EUR to rent and can take five people onboard.
However, if you’re planning on getting something bigger, like a midsize jet, I’d recommend the Citation XLS. The jet has a good rental price of some £10,000 / 12,000 EUR and needs 1 hour and 34 minutes to fly from London to Cannes. Besides you, another seven people can fit in this jet.
The modern-looking Legacy 450 is also a great midsize choice that will cost you around £11,000 / 13,000 EUR to rent. This is a very fast plane that moves at an average of 575 miles per hour (MPH) that will allow you to reach Cannes in 1 hour and 21 minutes with eight more passengers in the cabin.
Heavy Jets
A heavy jet will cover this route in an hour and a half on average. It offers greater comfort in the cabin as they are much bigger, but the price will be higher, obviously.
A good recommendation for a heavy jet is the Challenger 850. This jet is fast and can reach Cannes in 1 hour and 27 minutes. The price to pay for this one is reasonable, some £16,000 / 19,000 EUR, as a total of 16 passengers can get on board.
Another similar jet in terms of money, speed, and space, is the Legacy 600. The price you’d have to pay for this one is around £17,000 / 20,000 EUR and the jet will reach Cannes in 1 hour and 29 minutes, according to Private Fly. The maximum seating capacity of the jet is 13 passengers.
Finally, for those who don’t mind spending a little more, consider the Embraer Lineage 1000. This is an ultra-modern jet with a stunning walk-around cabin that can fit 16 people. It’s going to pass the route in 1 hour and 25 minutes and will cost you some £32,000 / 38,000 EUR.
Prices Per Plane Type: Overview
Below, you will find a table that gives the prices per jet model.
Plane type | |||
Light and midsize jets | Number of passengers | Flight time | Price |
Beech BE350 KingAir | 8 | 2 hours 13 minutes | £8,000 / 9,500 EUR |
BE200 Super King Air | 8 | 2 hours 42 minutes | £7,500 / 9,000 EUR |
Phenom 100 | 6 | 2 hours | £7,500 / 9,000 EUR |
HondaJet | 5 | 1 hour 55 minutes | £9,000 / 10,500 EUR |
Citation XLS | 8 | 1 hour 34 minutes | £10,000 / 12,000 EUR |
Legacy 450 | 8 | 1 hour 21 minutes | £11,000 / 13,000 EUR |
Heavy jets | |||
Challenger 850 | 16 | 1 hour 27 minutes | £16,000 / 19,000 EUR |
Legacy 600 | 13 | 1 hour 29 minutes | £17,000 / 20,000 EUR |
Embraer Lineage 1000 | 16 | 1 hour 25 minutes | £32,000 / 38,000 EUR |
Conclusion
Let’s quickly sum everything up so that you have all the essentials.
As you noticed, prices differ a lot and can be as “low” as £7,500 but can also reach over £30,000 if the jet in question is worth newer, bigger, and faster.
The average flying time is 2 hours or less, which most planes will achieve except for turboprops that usually need over 2 hours.
London has a wide choice of private terminals, while the Cannes airport has its own FBO service, along with the services of another company that operates at the airport.
Now you’re all set to make your flight arrangements. Happy travels!