Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE): Private Jet, FBOs and Slots

Nice Côte d'Azur (NCE / LFMN) is open to private jets 24 hours a day, on two parallel runways of 2,963 m and 2,628 m that rule out no aircraft category, from very light jets to ultra long range. The real constraint is elsewhere: the airport is coordinated at level 3 all year, so every business aviation movement needs a slot, and parking for more than four hours needs separate approval. IBC Aviation, which has an office in Nice, secures both before confirming the aircraft for your flight to or from the French Riviera.

Nice Airport at a glance

A slot for every flight, in February as in August

Many European airports are only coordinated in summer. Nice is coordinated twelve months a year: COHOR, the French slot coordinator, allocates an arrival and a departure time to each business aviation flight, requested through the ground handler. A same-day departure is still possible, provided a slot remains free that day.

Parking is the second variable. Beyond four hours on the ground, the aircraft needs the airport's approval, and the business aviation apron holds around 120 aircraft depending on their size. During the Monaco Grand Prix or the Cannes Film Festival, a parking stand can become the real bottleneck, and the aircraft may drop its passengers before repositioning to another airfield. Our guide to airport operating restrictions sets these rules in their European context.

At night, only the noisiest aircraft stay on the ground

The airport never closes, but the AIP imposes a night noise restriction. Chapter 2 aircraft, and the noisiest Chapter 3 aircraft (cumulative noise margin below 13 EPNdB), may not land between 23:30 and 06:15 or take off between 23:15 and 06:00, local time on the apron. Recent-generation business jets normally fall outside this scope; for a late departure, we check the noise certification of the proposed aircraft before selecting it.

On the KILO apron, the rules also target noise on the ground: engines shut down on arrival, electricity and air conditioning supplied by ground equipment, and the aircraft's auxiliary power unit limited to 30 minutes.

Three FBOs and a dedicated helicopter terminal

Private jet passengers never walk through the commercial terminals. Nice's business aviation terminal covers 1,510 m2, with its own customs post and two security checkpoints, which matters when you land from Dubai, London or New York. Three FBOs handle arrivals and ground services there: Signature, DC Aviation G-OPS, whose renovated private terminal was unveiled in May 2024, and Aviapartner Executive. The choice often follows the aircraft operator's habits; our article on what an FBO does explains the services involved.

Sky Valet does not operate in Nice: this FBO handles flights at Cannes-Mandelieu and at La Môle airfield.

The helicopter terminal, 201 m2 opened in November 2015, serves the Monaco link. Monacair publishes a 7-minute flight to the Principality, with regular rotations through the day.

Getting to Monaco, Cannes and Saint-Tropez

• Nice city centre: around ten minutes by car outside rush hour.
• Monaco: 7 minutes by helicopter, or about thirty minutes by road, far longer on major event days. Our page on Monaco by private jet covers arriving in the Principality.
• Cannes: 30 to 45 minutes by road depending on traffic, or a direct landing at Cannes-Mandelieu if the aircraft is admitted there.
• Saint-Tropez: the drive is long in summer; La Môle, 15 km from the village, only accepts a jet after a file lodged one month in advance.

Nice or Cannes-Mandelieu: what tips the balance

Cannes-Mandelieu is closer to the Croisette, but its AIP bars jets above 35 tonnes, its runway is 1,540 m long and it is not open around the clock. Nice has none of these limits. It is therefore the airport for the largest business jets, such as the Global 7500 or the Gulfstream G650, whose maximum take-off weight exceeds that ceiling, and for late-evening departures. For four passengers in a light jet heading to Cannes, Mandelieu usually remains the most direct option.

Flight times and rates from Nice

Paris, Geneva, London and Ibiza are the one-way examples published on our private jet rental cost page; Milan, Mykonos and Dubai give the hourly rate of the suggested category, with flight times that vary with the aircraft and the winds.

Which aircraft for Nice

Runway length rules out no business aircraft. The choice comes down to distance and passenger numbers: light jets for Paris, Geneva or Milan, midsize jets for London and the eastern Mediterranean, heavy jets for the Gulf, and ultra long range jets beyond. For a night flight, the only extra check concerns noise certification.

IBC Aviation in Nice

Our Nice office arranges flights to or from the French Riviera with our Paris and Geneva teams: slot, parking approval, choice of FBO, helicopter to Monaco. Our page on private jet charter in Nice brings together the city's routes and prices.

• Nice: +33 4 93 21 48 88
• France: +33 1 41 69 88 88
• Switzerland: +41 22 880 28 88
• Email: contact@ibc-aviation.com

Available 24/7.

Frequently asked questions

Is Nice Airport open at night for private jets?

Yes, it is open 24 hours a day. Chapter 2 aircraft and the noisiest Chapter 3 aircraft may not, however, land between 23:30 and 06:15 or take off between 23:15 and 06:00.

Do you need a slot to land a private jet in Nice?

Yes, all year. Nice is coordinated at level 3 by COHOR: the ground handler requests the slot, and parking for more than four hours must be approved by the airport.

Which FBOs handle private jets at Nice Airport?

Signature, DC Aviation G-OPS and Aviapartner Executive, in the business aviation terminal, which has its own customs post.

How long does it take to get from Nice Airport to Monaco?

7 minutes by helicopter from the airport's helicopter terminal, or about thirty minutes by road outside major events.

Can a Global 7500 land in Nice?

Yes. The 2,963 m and 2,628 m runways accept the largest business jets, which are however barred from Cannes-Mandelieu, where jets are limited to 35 tonnes.