Private Jet to Antigua: How to Fly Private into V.C. Bird (ANU)

• Airport: V.C. Bird International (ANU / TAPA), on the north-east of Antigua near St John's. One runway, 07/25, 9,003 ft (2,744 m) × 148 ft (45 m), asphalt.
• Hours: the Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority states the airport is operational 24 hours a day with no curfew and that no slots are required.
• Private terminal: Signature Flight Support runs the FBO on the field, with customs and immigration on site. We confirm FBO hours and any after-hours call-out for late arrivals.
• Entry (US citizens): no visa. A US passport valid for 180 days after your departure date, plus proof of onward or return travel and accommodation, per the US State Department. Passport cards aren't accepted.
• Jets that fit: every business jet class can use the runway. Range, not runway, decides the cabin: from Miami (about 1,160 nm) light jets can fly it nonstop with a light load; from New York (about 1,560 nm) plan on a midsize jet or larger; from London (about 3,520 nm) a heavy or ultra-long-range jet flies it nonstop.
• Barbuda: the new Barbuda International Airport (TAPB) has a 6,099 ft (1,859 m) runway, but it is daylight only and has no fuel.

Send us your dates, passengers and bags, and we come back with all-inclusive options by aircraft class, 24/7.

V.C. Bird is Antigua's only international airport. The Airport Authority describes one runway, 07/25, with a parallel taxiway, and an aerodrome reference code of 4E, meaning it's built for wide-body airliners. Runway length doesn't limit any business jet we charter here.

What the Airport Authority publishes about operations:

• Open 24 hours, no curfew, no slots.
• Fuel: Jet A-1 and Avgas 100LL, supplied by Rubis.
• Overnight parking: charged at 15% of the landing charge per night, with a minimum of US$1.86.

In September 2026, a NOTAM amended the runway's declared distances and displaced both thresholds. That matters to the crew, not to you: it's part of the operator's normal performance planning, and we only mention it because older guides quote different distances.

The FBO. The airport authority names Signature Flight Support as the FBO. Signature lists customs and immigration on site, hangar space, catering, line service and a pet-friendly lounge. Its published hours have varied by season (for example, 06:00–20:00 local for January–April 2026), so for an evening arrival we ask the FBO to confirm the call-out before we confirm the aircraft. The car meets you on the ramp.

English Harbour is across the island. Most villas, Nelson's Dockyard (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the superyacht marinas around English and Falmouth Harbour are on the south coast, while the airport is in the north-east. We plan the car transfer with the arrival time.

Distances below are great-circle from the departure airport to ANU. The operator's flight plan for your load, winds and reserves decides the final answer.

• From Miami or Palm Beach (about 1,160 nm): midsize and larger jets fly nonstop. A light jet such as a Phenom 300 can make it with a light load. With full seats and bags, the operator may plan a fuel stop.
• From New York (Teterboro, about 1,560 nm), Boston (about 1,590 nm) or Washington Dulles (about 1,545 nm): a midsize jet with long legs, such as a Citation Latitude, or a super-midsize such as a Challenger 350 or Praetor 600, is the comfortable nonstop choice. Classic midsize jets like the Citation XLS+ sit close to their seats-full range on this sector, so the operator may plan a stop. A light jet stops for fuel.
• From Toronto (about 1,830 nm): super-midsize and larger for a nonstop.
• From London (Farnborough, about 3,520 nm): heavy and ultra-long-range jets (for example a Falcon 7X, Global 6000 or Gulfstream G650) fly nonstop. Super-midsize jets need one fuel stop.
• From Puerto Rico (about 250 nm) or St Maarten (about 90 nm): a short hop for a light jet or turboprop, often used when you connect from an airline flight.

We don't publish a fixed Antigua price table yet. These are planning figures:

Flight time (approximate, midsize-class jet, nonstop): about 3¾ hours from New York, about 2¾ hours from Miami, and about 7¼ hours from London in an ultra-long-range jet. We scaled these from the block times on our Barbados route data by distance. Your quote shows the operator's actual block time.

Cost. Our cost-per-hour guide puts 2026 retail rates at $3,500–$5,500 per hour for light jets, $5,500–$7,500 for midsize, $7,500–$9,500 for super-midsize and $9,500–$20,000+ for heavy and ultra-long-range jets. As simple arithmetic, a midsize jet for roughly 3¾ hours from New York comes to about $20,000–$28,000 of flight time one way. That's before international handling and customs, taxes, crew overnights, and the cost of the aircraft flying home empty or coming back to collect you. Our quotes show all of those lines up front.

One-way, round trip, or the aircraft stays?

For a week in Antigua, what the aircraft does during your stay matters more than the hourly rate:

1. The aircraft stays. Good for short trips. You pay crew accommodation and parking, but nobody flies empty.
2. The aircraft goes home and comes back. Better for longer stays, but it adds two empty sectors, which we price openly.
3. Two one-ways. If a return charter or empty leg lines up, a separate return can be cheaper.

• Passport rules. US citizens need a passport valid for 180 days after departure, proof of onward or return travel, confirmed accommodation and, if asked, proof of funds. No visa is needed. UK, EU, Swiss and Canadian citizens are also on the Antigua and Barbuda Immigration Department's visa-exempt list. The Immigration Department can grant visitors up to six months. EU citizens are covered by the EU–Antigua visa-waiver agreement (up to three months in any six-month period). The immigration officer sets the period on arrival.
• ArriveAntigua. The paper arrival card at V.C. Bird has been replaced by an online immigration and customs form at arriveantigua.com, which opens 72 hours before your flight and gives you a QR code to show on arrival. When the government launched it in April 2025, it said the system would expand to private-jet passengers at the FBOs. We tell you whether your handler wants it, and send the link with the trip confirmation.
• Duty-free allowance per adult, as published by the airport: up to 1 litre of spirits, 1 litre of wine, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars and 500 g of tobacco.

Flying home to the US? The first US landing has to be at an airport with customs, and the operator files the US advance passenger information (eAPIS) before departure. We plan the return airport around customs hours.

Pets are welcome on the aircraft, but Antigua's import rules are strict. From the USDA's published requirements for pets travelling from the US to Antigua and Barbuda:

• Apply in advance for a veterinary import licence from the Veterinary & Livestock Division. Send proof of rabies vaccination given within one year, the microchip, a passing rabies antibody (FAVN) test from an approved laboratory, and the pet's medical history, including Ehrlichia and Lyme test results for dogs. Only pets with a licence are accepted.
• Treat the pet for internal and external parasites within 7 days of departure.
• Bring a health certificate issued within 7 days of arrival by a USDA-accredited vet and ink-endorsed by USDA APHIS. The endorsed paper copy has to travel with the pet.
• Pit bull-type dogs aren't allowed to land. A dog that looks like one needs kennel-club certification that it isn't.

The FAVN test is the slow step, so start early. Pets ride in the cabin with you; we tell the operator before we confirm the aircraft.

Barbuda. Barbuda International Airport (TAPB) opened on 3 October 2024 and replaced the old Codrington strip. The Antigua and Barbuda AIP lists one asphalt runway of 1,859 m (6,099 ft) × 30 m, with operations from sunrise to sunset and no fuel. Light and midsize jets can land there in daylight, and crews plan fuel in Antigua. Barbuda's customs, immigration and handling must be arranged in advance through the airport. Many guests still fly into ANU and take a short turboprop or helicopter hop instead.

St Barts. St Barts is about 76 nm from Antigua. Jets don't land at its short runway, so the last leg is flown in a small, specially certified aircraft. See our St Barts guide for how that connection works.

Caribbean high season runs from mid-December to April, and Christmas to New Year is the busiest stretch, so ask for estimates 6–8 weeks ahead for those dates. In Antigua, Antigua Sailing Week runs 21–25 April 2027, and English Harbour fills with yachts and crews that week.

Aircraft that drop clients in the Caribbean often fly back empty toward Florida and the Northeast. Empty-leg pricing is typically 25–75% below the hourly rates in our cost guide.

1. Get an on-demand quote so you have a firm Plan A.
2. Set an empty-leg alert for Antigua, or run a quick AI empty-leg search.
3. If a matching leg appears in your window, we confirm the operator, aircraft and all-in price before you commit.

Planning more than one island? See our guides to Barbados, St Barts, Puerto Rico and Turks and Caicos.

1. Send your departure city, dates, passengers, bags and any pets through the quote form.
2. We return fixed, all-inclusive options and recommend the cabin for your route.
3. We arrange the FBO, the arrival paperwork, any onward hop to Barbuda or St Barts, and the pet import steps.
4. You confirm the aircraft, and we handle operator contracting, handling and the car to your villa, hotel or yacht.

Limitless Sky is an independent charter broker and NBAA member. Flights are operated by licensed air carriers that keep full operational control of the aircraft.