Flying Private to Cannes Film Festival: Everything You Need to Know

The Event

The Festival de Cannes is the world's most prestigious film event, held annually over 12 days in May. Beyond the screenings and the Palme d'Or ceremony, Cannes is a marketplace — thousands of distribution deals, co-production agreements, and talent contracts are negotiated in hotel suites and beachfront pavilions along the Croisette.

The festival draws an estimated 40,000 industry professionals alongside celebrities, press, and luxury brand representatives. Hotels within walking distance of the Palais des Festivals sell out a year in advance. The result is a concentrated, high-stakes environment where time efficiency determines opportunity.

For attendees juggling back-to-back meetings, premieres, and dinners, commercial flight schedules are simply too rigid. Private aviation offers the flexibility to arrive on your terms, leave when the last meeting ends, and make side trips to nearby cities without rearranging your entire itinerary.

Getting There by Private Jet

Cannes has two primary airport options for private aviation:

• Cannes Mandelieu Airport (CEQ) — The closest option, just 6 km from the Croisette. This is a dedicated general aviation airport with multiple FBOs, including Dassault Falcon Service and Aviapartner. However, runway length (1,610 m) limits it to light and some midsize jets. Heavy jets and ultra-long-range aircraft cannot land here.
• Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) — The primary gateway for larger aircraft, 30 minutes by road from Cannes. The TAG Aviation and Signature Flight Support FBOs handle hundreds of private movements during festival week. Helicopter shuttle services from NCE to Cannes take 7 minutes.

During the festival, slot allocation at both airports tightens dramatically. Cannes Mandelieu can process roughly 80 movements per day under normal conditions but regularly exceeds 200 during the festival, requiring strict scheduling. Filing your slot request 3–4 weeks in advance is standard practice.

What It Costs

Charter pricing to the Riviera during Cannes fluctuates based on origin, aircraft type, and timing within the festival window:

• Light jet from Paris (Le Bourget to CEQ, 1.5 hrs): $9,000 – $14,000 one-way
• Midsize jet from London (Luton or Farnborough to NCE, 2 hrs): $16,000 – $28,000 one-way
• Heavy jet from New York (Teterboro to NCE, 8 hrs): $85,000 – $140,000 one-way
• Helicopter transfer (NCE to Cannes helipad): $1,500 – $3,000 per trip

Opening weekend and the closing ceremony weekend command the highest premiums. Mid-festival travel (days 4–8) is typically 15–20% less expensive and still places you in the heart of the action.

Timing Your Flight

The festival runs from mid-May to late May. Key scheduling considerations:

• Opening ceremony — Arrive the day before (typically a Monday) to clear customs unhurried and attend the opening night gala.
• Market days — The Marché du Film runs in parallel, peaking mid-week. Industry professionals should plan to arrive Sunday or Monday and depart Friday or Saturday.
• Closing ceremony — Saturday night. Departures on Sunday morning face the heaviest congestion at both CEQ and NCE. A late Sunday or Monday departure avoids the worst of the rush.

Many attendees book multi-day parking at Cannes Mandelieu or Nice to keep their aircraft available for a quick departure when the schedule allows.

VOLO's Event Charter Service

VOLO's event charter service has extensive experience with the Cannes Film Festival corridor. We pre-secure parking positions at CEQ and NCE during the festival window and coordinate ground transport — including the 7-minute helicopter transfer that saves an hour of Riviera road traffic.

Our team handles slot requests, customs pre-clearance for international arrivals, and on-demand scheduling changes when your premiere moves or a meeting runs over. For studios and agencies sending multiple executives, we offer group charter coordination that manages multiple legs under a single booking.

Submit a quote request on our platform and specify your Cannes dates. We will present aircraft options matched to your origin, group size, and schedule flexibility.