COSTUME INSTITUTE BENEFIT · MAY 2026
Met Gala — Private Jet Demand by Airport
Met Gala runs 4 May 2026 in New York, United States. This page summarises where charter demand lands — which airports absorb it, how hard slot and parking pressure gets, and the windows in which arrivals and departures compress.
Demand by nearby airport
| AIRPORT | CODE | RUNWAY | EVENT PRESSURE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teterboro | TEB | Runway 06/24 — 7,000 ft (2,134 m). Accommodates all heavy and ULR jets within the 100,000 lb MTOW limit. | Severe | Twelve miles from Manhattan; slot-controlled, the default Met Gala field. |
| Westchester County | HPN | 6,549 ft | High | Northern alternative with curfews, used when Teterboro parking is unavailable. |
| Morristown | MMU | 5,998 ft | Moderate | New Jersey field with deeper RON parking, 55 minutes to Manhattan. |
Typical surge windows
INBOUND PEAK
48 hours before the Met Gala opening day
Arrivals concentrate into a two-day band ahead of 4 May 2026. Teterboro absorbs the majority of it, and slot plus FBO handling requests are typically exhausted first for morning arrivals.
OPENING-DAY COMPRESSION
06:00–12:00 local on day one
Same-day arrivals cluster in the morning window, when New York ground transfer times are also at their worst. Aircraft that cannot secure parking are repositioned to a secondary field after drop-off.
DEPARTURE PEAK
Final afternoon and evening of Met Gala
The heaviest single-day movement of the Met Gala period. Departure slots inside the three hours after the event closes are the scarcest commodity of the week.
REPOSITIONING TAIL
24–72 hours after the closing day
Aircraft that flew guests in leave empty, which is when New York empty-leg availability is at its annual high. This is the cheapest way to fly the corridor in either direction around Met Gala.
BOOKING WINDOW
Transcontinental aircraft for the first Monday in May are committed 6–8 weeks ahead. Teterboro RON parking is the first thing to disappear.
Confirming inside this window is what determines whether you fly into the primary field or a secondary one.
Logistics FAQ
- Which airports serve Met Gala by private jet?
- Teterboro (TEB), Westchester County (HPN), Morristown (MMU). Teterboro carries the heaviest demand during the event; Westchester County is the usual overflow field when parking at the primary airport is closed out.
- When does private jet demand peak for Met Gala?
- Demand builds 48 hours before 4 May 2026 starts, compresses into the opening morning, and spikes hardest on the final afternoon when everyone departs at once. Repositioning traffic — and the best pricing — follows in the 24–72 hours afterwards.
- Do I need a slot and parking for Met Gala?
- Yes for the primary airport during the event window. Slots and FBO handling are requested together, and parking is the binding constraint more often than the runway. If parking is unavailable your operator will drop and reposition to a nearby field.
- How far in advance should I book?
- Transcontinental aircraft for the first Monday in May are committed 6–8 weeks ahead. Teterboro RON parking is the first thing to disappear.
- Can I use an empty leg to fly to New York?
- Inbound empty legs are rare in the run-up because aircraft are being positioned, not repositioned. Outbound empty legs immediately after Met Gala are plentiful — set an alert on the corridor you want and take the aircraft as it leaves.
- What happens if my Met Gala schedule moves?
- Departure timing changes are normal during event weeks. Rebooking a slot on the closing day is the hardest change to make, so we hold a provisional later slot on peak departures wherever the airport permits it.
Empty-leg corridors around Met Gala
Repositioning flights after the event are the cheapest way to fly these corridors. Browse live empty legs, set an empty-leg alert for the corridor you want, or read how empty legs work.