Private Jet to Cognac: Angoulême-Cognac or Air Base 709

Three runways around Cognac, three sets of rules

Two airfields serve Cognac itself, and they do not work the same way. A third, at Bordeaux, takes over for long-haul arrivals and late hours.

Air Base 709: 2,422 m of runway, five working days' notice

Air Base 709, 2.8 km south of Cognac, belongs to the French armed forces. The French AIP classes it as a restricted-use aerodrome: a civil aircraft is admitted only with the approval of the colonel commanding the base, requested through the base operations office five working days in advance, and the approval number then goes into the flight plan.

The military timetable shuts other doors. Air traffic services run from 8.15am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and from 8.15am to 3pm on Fridays, local time, and the base is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Runway 05/23 measures 2,422 m by 45 m, yet the distances declared for civil aircraft begin 60 m further in: 2,362 m for take-off, 2,224 m for landing on runway 05 and 2,147 m on runway 23. Civil crosswind is capped at 15 knots. The AIP lists neither customs nor immigration.

In practice, the base suits a weekday flight within the Schengen area, planned a week out. A return trip decided the evening before, or an arrival from London, goes through another airfield.

Angoulême-Cognac: 1,860 m and customs on 48 hours' notice

The airport stands at Champniers, 15 km north-east of Angoulême, and belongs to the Charente airports syndicate, which runs it directly. Runway 10/28 is 1,860 m by 45 m, with an ILS on runway 28 and a clearway that stretches the take-off distance to 2,060 m on runway 10. The French airports union, UAF, lists it as a border crossing point.

Opening hours remain those of a regional airport. AFIS operates Monday to Friday from 9am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 6.30pm local time; on public holidays and outside those hours, an opening can be requested from the operations department. Fire cover drops from level 4 on weekdays to level 1 outside hours, and an extension to level 4 or 5 is requested the same way.

Customs attend on request with 48 hours' notice, sent to the Bordeaux and Poitiers offices. Handling is compulsory for any aircraft of 3 tonnes or more.

On its private aviation page, the airport lists services available day and night on request: a lounge for passengers and crews, a meeting room, a car to the aircraft steps, Jet A1 delivered by an Air BP bowser and helicopter transfers from the aircraft side.

What 1,860 m of runway allows

On that length, light and midsize jets operate in most configurations. A super midsize or a heavy jet at full load, especially in hot weather, goes through a performance calculation case by case.

• Citation CJ3: up to six passengers, for a meeting at a cognac house and a flight home the same evening.
• Phenom 300: seven seats, in the light jet category from €4,000 per hour.
• Citation XLS: eight seats and a midsize cabin, from €4,800 per hour, for a delegation of buyers.

For a long-haul flight from New York or Singapore, Bordeaux-Mérignac is the answer: a 3,100 m runway and round-the-clock customs and immigration according to the AIP, in a city the tourist office places 120 km from Cognac. On the Atlantic side, the same office counts about 1h30 by road from La Rochelle airport, whose arrival rules appear in our guide to a private jet to La Rochelle and the Île de Ré. Our overview of range by aircraft category helps settle the choice, and our private jet rental rates list the hourly prices, with no set fare for Cognac.

Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin: a town of cognac houses

LVMH dates Hennessy to 1765, when Richard Hennessy founded the house that carries his name. Martell, a Pernod Ricard brand since 2001, goes back to 1715, and Rémy Martin to 1724. All three, along with Camus, receive visitors in Cognac, according to the local tourist office.

The trade body gives the scale of the market. The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac reports that nearly 97.5% of cognac is exported, to close to 139 countries, from a vineyard of more than 87,648 hectares split into six crus. Buyers, importers and distributors therefore arrive from a long way off.

Atout France classifies only two five-star hotels in Cognac: Hôtel Chais Monnet & Spa, set in the town centre on an industrial heritage site, and La Nauve Hôtel et Jardin, with 12 rooms a few minutes from the centre. Cognac, birthplace of King Francis I, holds the French Ville d'art et d'histoire label for its heritage.

Flight times from Paris, Geneva, London or Nice

• Paris-Le Bourget: in the order of 50 minutes to Angoulême-Cognac. Our Paris team and its terminals are presented on the Paris private jet charter page.
• Geneva: in the order of an hour, a route followed by the office described on our Geneva private jet charter page.
• London: about 1h10 from Farnborough or another of the London airports, landing at Angoulême for customs.
• Nice or Brussels: a little over an hour.

These times leave out time on the ground and vary with the aircraft and the wind.

Arranging a flight to or from Cognac with IBC Aviation

Everything starts with the calendar. Our Paris team checks whether the trip can wait the five working days that Air Base 709 requires, or whether it should aim for Angoulême-Cognac, where customs need 48 hours' warning and AFIS hours can be extended on request. Origin, payload and return time come next.

As an independent broker, IBC Aviation then compares the operators available and books the handling, compulsory from 3 tonnes. Our article on the added value of a charter broker explains what that work changes for a business trip.

Private jet charter with IBC Aviation:

Our teams advise you on the private jet best suited to your itinerary and requirements, and organise your trip to or from your destination. Available 24/7:

• France: +33 1 41 69 88 88
• Switzerland: +41 22 880 28 88
• Dubai: +971 55 303 5161
• Bangkok: +66 92 372 4680
• Email: contact@ibc-aviation.com

Frequently asked questions

Can a business jet use the air base at Cognac?

Yes, but not at short notice. Air Base 709 at Cognac-Châteaubernard is a restricted-use aerodrome: a civil aircraft needs the approval of the base commander, requested five working days ahead. It is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and the AIP lists neither customs nor immigration there.

How long is the runway at Angoulême-Cognac?

Runway 10/28 is 1,860 m long and 45 m wide, with an ILS on runway 28 and a take-off distance of 2,060 m on runway 10. Light and midsize jets operate there in most configurations; for a loaded super midsize or heavy jet, a performance calculation comes before confirmation.

Does a London to Cognac flight need customs notice?

Yes. At Angoulême-Cognac, customs attend on request with 48 hours' notice, sent to the Bordeaux and Poitiers offices. Air Base 709 has neither customs nor immigration, so a flight from London lands at Angoulême, or at Bordeaux-Mérignac, where customs are present around the clock.

Is Angoulême-Cognac airport open at weekends?

Not on standard hours. AFIS runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 6.30pm local time. At weekends, on public holidays or outside those hours, an opening is requested from the operations department, as is the fire cover level suited to the aircraft.

Which cognac houses welcome visitors in Cognac?

The tourist office lists visits to the Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin and Camus houses, all in Cognac. Hennessy dates from 1765, Martell from 1715 and Rémy Martin from 1724. For the night, Atout France classifies two hotels as five-star: Hôtel Chais Monnet & Spa and La Nauve Hôtel et Jardin.