Quick answer
A private jet from London to Paris is under an hour in the air, but door to door it typically saves between nothing and about an hour over the Eurostar, because London's private airfields sit outside the centre. On our indicative figures the whole aircraft costs £5,000–£9,000 one way, or £2,200–£4,500 on an empty leg; Eurostar Premier starts at £245 per person. The live figure is confirmed on enquiry.
Key takeaways
- Door to door, the jet saves between nothing and about an hour, depending on where you start and finish.
- London's private airfields are 45–75 minutes from the centre; St Pancras and Gare du Nord are central.
- Per person, the train is cheaper in almost every case, even against a full jet on an empty leg.
- The jet wins for groups, onward travel beyond Paris, same-day returns, pets and privacy.
- Most private flights from the UK carry Air Passenger Duty, with a higher rate for larger jets; the train doesn't.
A private jet from London to Paris is the shortest international hop in European private aviation, and the one where the alternative is strongest. The Eurostar runs from central London to central Paris in a little over two hours. A jet is faster in the air, but it starts and finishes at airfields on the edge of each city. So the honest question isn't whether the jet is quicker, it's whether it's quicker door to door, and whether that's worth the price for your group.
This is a straight comparison of the two, using Eurostar's own published times and fares, and our house figures for the jet. We don't sell jets, and on this route the train often wins. Here's when it does, and when it doesn't. If you are new to flying private, our guide to private jet charter flights explains how a charter booking works.
Private jet London to Paris vs Eurostar: the door-to-door table
The table below follows a trip from central London to central Paris, stage by stage. Eurostar times and fares come from Eurostar's route page, its check-in guidance and its fares page. Jet figures are from our private jet hire London and private jet hire Paris destination pages.
Jet prices are indicative whole-aircraft figures for a very light or light jet, and the live figure is confirmed on enquiry. Eurostar fares are Eurostar's published "from" prices per person, one way, based on a return purchase, at the time of writing. Door-to-door totals are our estimates from the stage times shown.
The headline: on a typical day the jet saves somewhere between nothing and about an hour, depending on where you start in London and where you're going in Paris. Someone in Mayfair heading to the 8th arrondissement with a Premier ticket will find the train very hard to beat. Someone in Surrey heading to a meeting near Le Bourget or out of town will find the jet comfortably faster.
Where the time actually goes
On the London side
The train's biggest advantage is that St Pancras is in the middle of London. London's private jet traffic uses Farnborough, Luton and Biggin Hill, which our London page puts at 45–75 minutes by road from the centre, depending on the airfield and traffic. Our guide to private jet airports in London explains which one suits which part of the city. If you live or work near one of those airfields, the calculation flips immediately.
At the terminal
This is where the jet wins clearly. At a private terminal you typically arrive 15 to 30 minutes before departure, clear security and passport control in a few minutes and walk to the aircraft. Eurostar recommends arriving 75 minutes before departure in Standard and Plus, and 45 minutes in Premier, with gates closing 30 and 15 minutes before departure respectively.
On the move
Eurostar says most London to Paris trains take 2 hours 16 minutes. A light jet is in the air for under an hour. The train, though, is usable time: a table, Wi-Fi and the chance to work or eat. On a short private hop, much of the flight is climb and descent.
On the Paris side
Paris Le Bourget (see our Le Bourget private jet guide) is Europe's busiest business aviation airport, around 7 km north of central Paris, and our Paris page puts the road transfer at 20–30 minutes, traffic dependent. Gare du Nord is in the city itself. Paris traffic at rush hour can stretch the Le Bourget transfer well beyond that range.
London to Paris private jet cost, and the per-person maths
On our indicative figures, a full charter from London to Paris on a very light or light jet runs at around £5,000–£9,000 one way for the whole aircraft. When an empty leg matches your dates, the same trip can appear at around £2,200–£4,500. The live figure is confirmed on enquiry, and peak dates such as fashion weeks push prices up.
Where does that figure come from? London to Paris is about an hour's flying, so at our house light-jet rate of £2,000–£3,200 per flying hour the flying itself is roughly £2,000–£3,200. A one-way charter also pays for the aircraft to fly home or reposition, plus landing and handling at both ends, and on a sector this short those fixed costs are a large share of the bill. That is how a one-hour flight becomes a £5,000–£9,000 one-way price, and why short hops are rarely good value per minute in the air.
Because you pay for the aircraft, the comparison with the train depends on how many of you travel. A light jet seats five to seven. Divide by six and:
- Full charter: roughly £830–£1,500 per person, one way.
- Empty leg: roughly £370–£750 per person, one way.
- Eurostar Premier: from £245 per person, one way, based on a return purchase.
So even with a full cabin and an empty leg, the jet usually costs more per head than the train's top class. The gap narrows with a full group and a good empty leg, and it can matter less than it looks if the time saving is real for your trip. For two people, though, a full charter costs many times more than two Premier seats. Our guide to private jet cost per person works through the group maths in detail.
There's also tax. Passengers departing the UK on aircraft of 5.7 tonnes or more carry Air Passenger Duty, and larger business jets are charged a higher rate, according to Universal Weather's APD guide. The rules for business jets are being tightened, so ask whether APD is included in your quote. Eurostar journeys don't carry APD. See our guide to private jet air passenger duty for how that works and whether it's included in a quote.
See what a jet from London to Paris costs on your dates, for your group.
Check a price →Worked example: a team of five, same-day return
Five colleagues need to be in Paris for a lunchtime meeting and back in London the same evening. Two scenarios show how much the starting point matters.
Scenario 1: the team is based in central London, meeting near the Champs-Élysées. By train, they leave St Pancras mid-morning and arrive at Gare du Nord a little over two hours later, with the Premier check-in time of 45 minutes on top. By jet, they spend 45–75 minutes driving to the airfield, under an hour in the air and 20–30 minutes into Paris from Le Bourget. Door to door, the two are within an hour of each other. Eurostar Premier is from £245 per person each way on a return purchase, so from about £2,450 for five people return. The jet's whole-aircraft price for a same-day return is broadly similar to a one-way, because the aircraft flies home either way, so the five pay a share of roughly £5,000–£9,000, plus waiting time and any extra handling, quoted by the operator. Indicatively, that is around double the train or more, and the live figure is confirmed on enquiry. The train is the sensible choice.
Scenario 2: the team is based in Surrey or Hampshire, meeting north of Paris. Now the jet leaves from an airfield twenty minutes away rather than a terminal an hour and a half away, and Le Bourget is on the right side of Paris for the meeting. The jet might save two or three hours across the day for five people, with a private cabin to prepare in. For a team whose time is billed, the gap in price is easier to justify, and an empty leg in either direction would narrow it further.
Same route, same group size, opposite answers. Run the numbers for your own start and finish points before you decide.
What Eurostar Premier gives you, and what a jet adds
Eurostar's top class is a genuine alternative rather than a consolation prize. According to Eurostar's Premier page, it includes lounge access in London, Paris and Brussels, food served at your seat, free Wi-Fi, priority gates on London routes, three pieces of luggage per adult plus a small bag, and exchanges or refunds with no fee up to 48 hours after departure.
A private jet adds what the train can't: you choose the departure time, the aircraft waits if your meeting overruns, nobody else is in the cabin, a dog can travel with you, and you can fly to an airfield closer to where you are going. What it doesn't add on this route is much time in the air. The flight is short, much of it is climb and descent, and the catering on a light jet is usually cold.
If the train's schedule and stations suit you, Premier gives most of the comfort for a fraction of the price. If they don't, that is where the jet earns its fee.
When a private jet beats the train
- You're starting near a private airfield. If you're closer to Farnborough or Biggin Hill than to St Pancras, the jet's London-side penalty disappears.
- Paris isn't the final stop. If you're going on to Reims, Champagne country or a château outside the city, a jet into a smaller airfield nearer the destination can save hours that the train can't.
- It's a same-day return with meetings at both ends. A jet waits for you and leaves when you're ready. For a team of five or six, that's worth a lot.
- You're travelling with a dog. Eurostar's pet policy says pets aren't allowed on trains to and from London, apart from assistance animals, while a private jet can carry them, subject to the paperwork in our guide to flying private with pets.
- Privacy matters. For people who are recognised in public, or teams discussing sensitive business, a private cabin is a different product from a train carriage.
- An empty leg lines up. When a leg is already flying your route, the price can drop to a level a full group may find easy to justify.
When the Eurostar wins
- You're one or two people. The cost per person is many times higher by jet, for a time saving that may be small.
- You're going from central London to central Paris. City centre to city centre is exactly what the train is built for.
- You want to work on the way. Over two hours at a table is more useful than under an hour of climb and descent.
- Emissions matter to you. Transport & Environment's analysis estimates that private jets are around 50 times more polluting per passenger than trains. On a route with a direct high-speed rail link, that difference is hard to argue with. Our guide to private jet sustainable aviation fuel and offsetting covers what can and can't be done about it.
- You want flexibility on a budget. Eurostar Premier tickets can be exchanged or refunded free of charge up to 48 hours after the original departure time, according to Eurostar's fare conditions. Standard and Plus tickets can be exchanged free until one hour before departure.
A five-minute decision checklist
- Where do you start? Within half an hour of Farnborough, Biggin Hill or Luton, the jet's main penalty disappears. In central London, St Pancras wins.
- Where are you going? Central Paris suits the train. Northern Paris, Le Bourget-side business parks or anywhere beyond the city suit the jet.
- How many of you? One or two: the train, almost always. Five or six with a real time saving: the jet becomes a fair question.
- Is it a same-day return? A waiting aircraft that leaves when you are ready is the jet's strongest card.
- Pets, privacy or a lot of luggage? Any one of these can decide it for the jet on its own.
- Are your dates flexible? If so, watch for an empty leg before paying for a full charter.
Private jet vs train: the honest verdict
Private jet vs train on London to Paris is closer than most people expect, and for a small party heading city centre to city centre the train usually wins on cost and comes close on time. The jet earns its place for groups, for onward journeys beyond Paris, for same-day round trips with meetings at both ends, for pets and for privacy. If you fall into one of those groups, an empty leg can bring the price down to a figure that makes sense. If you don't, take the train, and save the jet for a route where the scheduled alternative is worse.
If you do fly, the route is one of the most frequent repositioning corridors in Europe, because Le Bourget and the London airfields trade aircraft constantly. That makes it a good route to watch. Our guide on how to find empty legs shows how to set up a search, and a route alert does the watching for you.
London to Paris is one of Europe's busiest empty-leg corridors. Set a route alert and we'll watch it for you.
Set up a route alert →Frequently asked questions
How much does a private jet from London to Paris cost?
On our indicative figures, a very light or light jet costs around £5,000–£9,000 one way for the whole aircraft, with empty legs from around £2,200–£4,500. Divided by six passengers, that's roughly £830–£1,500 each on charter. The live figure is confirmed on enquiry.
Is a private jet faster than the Eurostar from London to Paris?
Sometimes, by up to about an hour door to door, but not always. The jet is under an hour in the air, but London's private airfields are 45–75 minutes from the centre, while St Pancras and Gare du Nord are both central.
How long is the Eurostar from London to Paris?
Eurostar says most London to Paris trains take 2 hours 16 minutes. It recommends arriving 75 minutes before departure in Standard and Plus, or 45 minutes in Premier.
Which airports do private jets use for London to Paris?
In London, mainly Farnborough, Luton and Biggin Hill. In Paris, private jets use Le Bourget, around 7 km north of the city centre, rather than Charles de Gaulle or Orly.
Is it cheaper to take the Eurostar or a private jet?
The Eurostar is cheaper per person in almost every case. Premier fares start at £245 one way, while even a full light jet on an empty leg usually works out higher per head.
Can I take my dog from London to Paris on a private jet?
Yes, subject to the legal pet travel paperwork, which applies however you travel. Eurostar doesn't allow pets on trains to and from London, apart from assistance animals, so a private jet is one of the few ways to travel with a dog in the cabin.
Is there Air Passenger Duty on a private flight to Paris?
Usually. Passengers departing the UK on aircraft of 5.7 tonnes or more carry Air Passenger Duty, with a higher rate for larger business jets. Train journeys don't carry APD. Ask whether it's included in your quote.
Is a private jet from London to Paris worth it for two people?
Rarely on cost alone. Two people pay for the whole aircraft, so even an empty leg usually costs several times two Eurostar Premier fares. It can still make sense if you start near a private airfield, are going beyond Paris or are travelling with a dog.
What does Eurostar Premier include?
According to Eurostar, Premier includes lounge access in London, Paris and Brussels, food served at your seat, free Wi-Fi, three pieces of luggage per adult plus a small bag, and fee-free exchanges or refunds up to 48 hours after departure.
Is a same-day return by private jet much more than a one-way?
Often not much more, because a one-way price already pays for the aircraft to fly home. A same-day return uses roughly the same flying time, with waiting and handling added. The operator quotes the exact figure, and the live figure is confirmed on enquiry.
