France
Trip Support
Nice PPR, slots, curfews and APU limits, Paris Le Bourget and its alternates, Cannes weight limits, the solidarity tax on commercial flights, and the Monaco, Cannes and festival weeks when the Riviera fills, from the desk that files them.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 10 September 2026
The working reference
How France works for a private flight
France has two desks: Paris and the Riviera. Paris Le Bourget takes arrivals around the clock and departures 0600 to 2200 with no slots or PPR, which makes it the easiest big-city field in Europe, and Pontoise, Chalons Vatry and Beauvais take the overflow when an event closes the city. The Riviera is the opposite. Nice needs PPR confirmed about a week out and a slot before the flight plan is filed, with a tolerance of minus ten and plus fifteen minutes, a noise curfew with no landings 2330 to 0615 and no take-offs 2315 to 0600, no hangar space, and often no overnight parking during Monaco, Cannes or the festivals. Its APU rules are enforced by spot checks. Cannes Mandelieu bars jets over 35 tonnes and turboprops over 22, and Monaco has no runway at all, only the heliport. Since March 2025 the solidarity tax applies to commercial departures in three distance bands. The desk files Nice a week out, holds Toulon, Le Castellet or Marseille with a helicopter link as the alternate, and plans the ground stop around the APU clock.
Nice: PPR, slots and curfew
PPR confirmed about a week out, slot mandatory before filing, tolerance minus ten and plus fifteen minutes. Noise curfew: no landings 2330 to 0615 and no take-offs 2315 to 0600 local. No hangar space. Overnight parking often unavailable during events.
Nice: APU limits
On the pop-up GPU stand the APU runs only within ten minutes before the target start-up time. On self-manoeuvring stands, fifteen minutes after arrival and thirty before off-block. On the overnight parking the APU is prohibited outright and the aircraft is powered down after towing. Spot checks bring fines or delays, so the desk plans short turns, full servicing on arrival and evening GPU pre-cooling.
Paris
Le Bourget: arrivals around the clock, departures 0600 to 2200, no slots or PPR, APU limited to ten minutes before departure when a GPU is available. Charles de Gaulle bans arrivals 0030 to 0530 and departures 0000 to 0500 and is for airline connections. When an event locks the city, Pontoise (no customs, Schengen only), Chalons Vatry with overnight parking and Beauvais take the overflow.
The Riviera alternates
Cannes Mandelieu for aircraft under 35 tonnes, with exceptions for the Falcon 7X and 900. Toulon Hyeres, Le Castellet and Marseille, about 45 minutes from Monaco by helicopter, when Nice has no parking. Saint Tropez La Mole for light jets. Monaco is reached by helicopter only.
Solidarity tax
Applies to commercial, remunerated departures since 1 March 2025, in three distance bands measured from Paris and four aircraft classes including business turboprops and jets of 19 seats or fewer, with reduced rates for Corsica, the overseas departments and public service routes. Private Part 91 flights are outside it. The tax guide carries the current bands.
Data Link and ATC
France runs Data Link logon lists across its main control centres since 2023. Strikes are announced with a minimum-service NOTAM; the desk reads the Network Manager and DSNA pages before filing on a strike day and moves the departure rather than gambling on it.
Events
Monaco Grand Prix in late May and the Cannes festivals fill Nice and Cannes for a week either side, with PPR the constraint. The Paris Olympics in 2024 closed the city's airspace for the opening ceremony and turned Le Bourget into quick turns only; the same playbook applies to any large Paris event.
Customs and entry
Nice, Le Bourget, Marseille and Toulon clear non-Schengen arrivals. Pontoise and Cannes do not, so a flight from the UK, the US or Switzerland into those fields clears elsewhere first. EES applies to non-EU passengers.
Guides and updates
France articles from the desk
The detailed pieces behind this page, newest first, each with the year it was written and the discipline it belongs to.
APU Limits in Nice: What Private Jet Crews Need to Know at LFMN
Explains Nice airport's APU time limits by stand type and the KILO overnight ban, why it matters in summer heat, and five practices for working around it.
Read the guide2025Events and seasonal operationsPrivate Jet Trip Support in Nice: Planning for Pilots During F1 Monaco Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival
A pilot guide for Nice and Cannes during the Monaco Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival covering slots, curfews, APU limits, aircraft size restrictions, alternate airports and helicopter transfers.
Read the guide2025Regulation, tax and insuranceNew solidarity tax rates in France: Effects on private aviation
Summarises France's 2025 solidarity tax overhaul for commercial business aviation: new distance bands, aircraft classes, per-passenger rates and reduced-rate routes.
Read the guideQuestions
France trip support questions
Do I need PPR and a slot for Nice?
Yes, both. PPR is confirmed about a week out and the slot must be in hand before the flight plan is filed, with a tolerance of minus ten and plus fifteen minutes. The desk files both with the handler.
What are the APU rules at Nice?
Ten minutes before start-up on the pop-up GPU stand, fifteen minutes after arrival and thirty before off-block on self-manoeuvring stands, and no APU at all on the overnight parking. Spot checks bring fines, so the desk plans the turn around a GPU.
Can I land at Nice at night?
No landings 2330 to 0615 and no take-offs 2315 to 0600 local. A late arrival goes to Marseille or Toulon with a car or helicopter to the coast.
Does Paris Le Bourget need a slot?
No. Arrivals around the clock, departures 0600 to 2200, no slots or PPR. It is the easiest big-city field in Europe outside event weeks.
Which Paris airport should a private jet use?
Le Bourget for almost every trip. Charles de Gaulle only for an airline connection, with night bans on arrivals and departures. Pontoise, Chalons Vatry and Beauvais take the overflow when an event locks the city.
Can I fly a large jet into Cannes?
No. Cannes Mandelieu bars jets over 35 tonnes and turboprops over 22, with exceptions for the Falcon 7X and 900. Anything larger uses Nice, or Toulon and Marseille with a helicopter link.
How do I get to Monaco by private jet?
Nice, then the helicopter, about seven minutes, or the road. Monaco has a heliport and no runway. When Nice has no parking, Marseille is about 45 minutes away by helicopter.
Does the solidarity tax apply to my flight?
Only if it is a commercial, remunerated departure from France. It is charged per passenger in three distance bands and four aircraft classes. A private Part 91 flight is outside it. The desk shows it on the quote where it applies.
What happens during a French ATC strike?
A minimum-service NOTAM is issued and the Network Manager publishes the regulations. The desk reads both before filing and moves the departure rather than gambling on a slot that day.
When is the Riviera busiest?
The Monaco Grand Prix in late May, the Cannes festivals in spring and the August weeks. PPR at Nice is the constraint and parking overnight is often not available, so the desk holds an alternate with a helicopter link from the start.
Get it filed
Flying to Nice or Paris? Filed from the desk
Send the dates, the aircraft and the address. You get the PPR and slot filed, the APU clock planned, the alternate held with a helicopter link, and a number you can hold us to.
Contact UsPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email tripsupport@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7.