Private Jet to Reims and Épernay: Prunay or Vatry

Reims and Épernay by private jet, 25 minutes from Le Bourget

Champagne is reached by jet through two airfields with opposite profiles. Prunay, run by Edeis for the Reims urban area, its owner since 2013, is a local aerodrome: 10 minutes to central Reims and 40 minutes to Épernay, according to its operator. Vatry, managed by a public body of the Marne department, has a runway that the AIP opens to aircraft as large as the A380.

Prunay: 1,150 m of runway, under 900 m to land

Runway 07/25 at Reims-Prunay measures 1,150 m by 30 m. The AIP nonetheless reduces its declared distances because of the D944 and D931 roads, which run past both ends: 895 m remain for landing towards the east and 765 m towards the west.

Take-off brings its own constraint. To protect drivers from jet blast, the operator requires jets to follow a procedure, updated in June 2023, that has them line up short of the threshold. Take-off distance available then falls to 895 to 970 m for an aircraft with a wingspan under 15 m, and to 795 to 870 m up to 24 m. The captain signs these conditions for each pairing of crew and aircraft type.

These figures do not close Prunay to jets. They move the decision to the operator's performance calculation, at the actual weight and for the runway condition of the day, with the additional margins that commercial air transport imposes. Every jet must in any case obtain prior permission (PPR) from the AFIS.

Opening hours change on 1 November

Prunay's AFIS opens from 09:00 to 12:30 and from 13:30 to 18:30 between 1 March and 31 October, and closes at 17:30 from November to February. An arrival at 13:00 falls into the midday break.

Outside those windows, an opening must be requested before 16:00. Jet A1 is available during the same hours, and handling, mandatory above 3 tonnes, is booked 24 hours ahead through the airport's online platform.

From London, no direct arrival at Prunay

Customs officers travel to Prunay for Schengen flights arriving from outside the European Union, on 24 hours' notice, which covers Switzerland. Flights from outside the Schengen area are not permitted at all.

London is the clearest case. A flight from one of the London airports cannot land directly at Reims-Prunay: it arrives at Vatry, a designated border crossing point, and passengers complete the trip by road. The same rule applies to a non-stop flight from Dubai or New York. From Luxembourg or Brussels, a flight within both the EU and the Schengen area needs no customs.

Châlons-Vatry: 3,860 m and customs from 07:00 to 23:00

Vatry accepts business flights 24 hours a day, with prior notice for movements between 19:00 and 07:00, according to the Union of French Airports. Its 3,860 m by 45 m runway removes any question of runway length for a business jet, whatever its category.

The operator handles aircraft under 45.5 tonnes in its business aviation terminal, with a meeting point at the foot of the control tower and a waiting lounge. Customs is present from 07:00 to 23:00 according to the AIP, and beyond that on request. Handling is mandatory for every aircraft, and parking must be requested at least 2 hours in advance.

The trade-off is distance: about 40 minutes by road to Reims, around 20 minutes to Châlons-en-Champagne.

Épernay-Plivot: grass runways only

Épernay has its own airfield at Plivot, 10 km east-south-east of the town. The visual approach chart published by the French aeronautical information service (SIA) shows only two unpaved runways, of 1,200 m and 960 m, with no air traffic service and no customs, and 100LL aviation gasoline as the only fuel. The field is run by the Les Ailes Sparnaciennes flying club.

It is not an airfield for a business jet. To reach the Avenue de Champagne, allow about 40 minutes by road from Prunay.

From the Saint-Nicaise hill to the Avenue de Champagne

The Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 4 July 2015. The listing covers three sites: the Saint-Nicaise hill in Reims, the historic hillsides from Cumières to Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay.

Several Reims houses open their cellars to visitors, among them Taittinger on place Saint-Nicaise, Ruinart on rue des Crayères, Pommery on place du Général-Gouraud and Veuve Clicquot on rue du Temple, according to the Union des Maisons de Champagne. Reims cathedral, the Palace of Tau and the former Abbey of Saint-Remi have been listed since 1991.

In Épernay, the Avenue de Champagne stretches for nearly a kilometre. Moët & Chandon is at number 20, Mercier at number 75. Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger and de Venoge are among the houses along it.

Which aircraft for Reims and Épernay

Here the airfield often chooses the aircraft.

• PC-12: a turboprop for six passengers with luggage, able to reach very short runways; Prunay's jet procedure does not apply to it
• Light jets: possible at Prunay if the operator's calculation confirms it, from €4,000 per flight hour
• Phenom 300: seven seats, suited to Vatry from London, about 55 minutes' flying time
• Citation XLS: eight passengers for a delegation hosted by a house, via Vatry, from €4,800 per hour

Our rental cost page lists these starting rates by category, with no fixed price for Champagne. On how range and category shape a regional itinerary, see our guide to range by aircraft category.

Chartering to or from Reims with IBC Aviation

As an independent broker, IBC Aviation operates no aircraft: we select the operator, then check what the airfield demands. In Champagne, the order matters. The departure point comes first, because a flight from outside Schengen rules out Prunay; the performance calculation comes next, against the reduced distances; timing comes last, since the AFIS closes from 12:30 to 13:30.

Our Paris office handles these flights, and our Luxembourg office is about 30 minutes' flying time from Reims. What a charter broker actually does on this type of airfield is explained in our magazine.

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 private jet land at Reims-Prunay?

Yes, with conditions. The runway measures 1,150 metres, but the published landing distance is only 895 metres towards the east and 765 metres towards the west, because of two roads. Every jet must obtain prior permission from the AFIS, and the operator must validate its performance calculation.

Can a flight from London land in Reims?

Not at Prunay, where flights from outside the Schengen area are not permitted. From London, the arrival is at Châlons-Vatry, a border crossing point where customs is present from 07:00 to 23:00 and beyond on request, followed by about 40 minutes by road to Reims.

Does Épernay have an airfield for jets?

No. Épernay-Plivot has only two unpaved runways, of 1,200 and 960 metres, with no air traffic service, no customs and no Jet A1. Jets land at Reims-Prunay, 40 minutes by road from Épernay according to its operator, or at Châlons-Vatry.

What are the opening hours at Reims-Prunay?

From 09:00 to 12:30 and from 13:30 to 18:30 between 1 March and 31 October, closing at 17:30 from November to February. Outside those windows, an opening must be requested before 16:00. Handling, mandatory above 3 tonnes, is booked 24 hours ahead.

Prunay or Vatry: which one for Champagne?

Prunay puts you 10 minutes from central Reims, provided the aircraft passes the performance calculation and the flight comes from within the Schengen area. Vatry suits every jet and every departure point, with 3,860 metres of runway and customs, at the cost of about 40 minutes by road.