Nairobi to Dar es Salaam
Private Charter
Nairobi to Dar es Salaam is about an hour and a half in the air, 363 nautical miles from Nairobi down the coast to Julius Nyerere International, twelve kilometres from the centre, on a King Air or light jet. It is the business sector between the two East African commercial capitals, and the same-day return is the usual shape. Same time zone at both ends.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 11 September 2026
Route overview
Airport and airspace facts checked against the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority publications and Icarus Jet operations data.
Get your number
Get a number for your dates
Tell us the dates, the passengers and where in Dar es Salaam you are going. The desk quotes this sector every week, files the Kenya and Tanzania permits with the trip, and tells you which aircraft fits before you book.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203. The desk is staffed 24/7.
The route
Why fly private from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam?
Nairobi to Dar es Salaam is the East African business sector on our desk: 363 nautical miles, about an hour and a half in the air, and a landing twelve kilometres from the centre of Tanzania's commercial capital. Banking, mining, energy, the ports and the regional headquarters that run between the two cities fly it in both directions, and most of them are home the same evening.
Why private works here
Leave Wilson or Jomo Kenyatta with customs at the aircraft and land at Julius Nyerere with the car waiting for the twenty minutes into the city. No airline queue at either end, the delegation works through the flight, and an 8 am departure from Nairobi is in a Dar meeting before 10:30 with the aircraft waiting to bring you home.
Aircraft fit
At this distance a King Air carries eight pressurised in about an hour and a half and is the right money for a small delegation. A light jet does it in a little over an hour for six or seven and is the usual answer for a business day. A midsize jet earns its place for eight with luggage or when Dar is the first stop of a regional day that continues to Zanzibar or Lusaka. The 9,843 foot runway at sea level takes all of them.
Advisor note
Dar es Salaam is a straightforward airport with customs, handling and a runway for anything we broker, and the planning is on paper: the Kenya permit at 72 business hours for the departure and the Tanzanian permit for the arrival, both filed with the trip. On a business sector flown this often the file is a routine, and the only thing that changes the plan is the Nairobi departure, which is calculated for the altitude and flown in the morning.
Icarus Jet charter deskCost
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Dar es Salaam private charter?
A ninety-minute international sector is priced on the aircraft, the trip shape, the two permits and how long the aircraft waits. These are the things that move the number on Nairobi to Dar es Salaam.
Aircraft
A King Air carries eight pressurised at the lowest cost. A light jet is quickest and the usual business answer. A midsize jet is worth it for luggage or a multi-city day. The aircraft you choose is the biggest single swing in the quote.
Round trip or two one-ways
A same-day return keeps the aircraft and crew with you in Dar and is the usual shape. A stay of several nights is often better as two one-way flights. The desk prices both.
The Kenya permit
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority permit is planned at 72 business hours for a private or charter flight and covers the domestic legs. An international leg adds the destination country's permit and any overflights. The desk files all of it with the trip.
Handling and parking at Dar
Handling and customs at Julius Nyerere are arranged with the Tanzanian permit, and parking for a stay of several days is confirmed before departure.
Waiting time
On a day trip the aircraft waits in Dar and the quote covers the crew day and the parking. Tell the desk the meeting times and it plans the day around them.
What the number covers
We tell you what the quote covers before you book and we hold the operator to the number we gave you. No surprises on the invoice is the point of using the desk.
Aircraft
Which aircraft flies Nairobi to Dar es Salaam?
Every aircraft in the Icarus brokered fleet in East Africa flies this sector. These are the three quoted most on Nairobi to Dar es Salaam.
King Air 200 and 350 class
Eight passengers in a pressurised cabin, about an hour and a half in the air, and the right money for a small delegation.
Citation Sovereign and CJ class
Six to eight passengers in a little over an hour, and the usual answer for a business day trip.
Citation XLS and Hawker 800 class
Eight passengers with full luggage and a stand-up cabin, for a delegation or a regional day that continues beyond Dar.
The full Kenya list is in our guide to private routes from Nairobi. See the aircraft we broker for the range by cabin class.
Before you fly
What should I know before flying Nairobi to Dar es Salaam?
It is an international flight, so bring passports for everyone aboard. The desk files the crew and passenger details with the permits and confirms each passenger's entry requirements for Tanzania before departure. Customs is cleared at the aircraft at both ends. The desk confirms the Tanzania visa position for every passenger before it files.
Julius Nyerere International is the arrival. A runway of about 9,843 feet at sea level about twelve kilometres south west of the centre, with customs and immigration on site and handling arranged with the permit. The city centre and the business district are about twenty minutes by road outside the rush.
On the Nairobi side, the aircraft picks the airport. Wilson, two and a half miles from the centre at 5,546 feet, is where the safari flying leaves from: the turboprops and light aircraft that serve the Mara, Amboseli, Samburu and the coast are based here, on runways of 5,052 and 4,798 feet. Jomo Kenyatta, eleven miles out at 5,330 feet with a 13,507 foot runway, full customs and mandatory handling, is the field for jets and for any international departure. Both are high and warm, so a full-weight departure is calculated rather than assumed, and the desk plans it for the morning.
No time change. Kenya and Tanzania are both on East Africa Time, so an 8 am departure from Nairobi is on the ground in Dar before 9:30, which is why the day trip is the usual shape.
When to go
When is the best time to fly Nairobi to Dar es Salaam?
This is a business sector and it flies year round, so there is no season to wait for. What moves is aircraft availability out of Nairobi during the migration months of July to October and the Christmas weeks, when the same King Airs and light jets are wanted for the safari arrivals. For those dates, give the desk firm dates a week or two ahead on top of the permits.
Outside those weeks, a few days of notice is normal from Nairobi once both permits are filed, and the desk often manages a next-day departure for a King Air when the paperwork is already in hand.
Related
Nairobi airport guides
The Nairobi fields this sector uses, with runways, handling and permits on their own guides. Dar es Salaam gets its guide as the Tanzania set is published.
Questions
Nairobi to Dar es Salaam private charter questions
How long is a private flight from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam?
About 1 hour 10 minutes on a midsize jet, about 1 hour 15 on a light jet and about 1 hour 30 on a King Air. The sector is 363 nautical miles from Wilson and 360 from Jomo Kenyatta.
How far is Nairobi from Dar es Salaam by air?
363 nautical miles, about 418 statute miles, between Wilson and Julius Nyerere International. Both are on East Africa Time, so there is no change on the clock.
Which airport do private jets use in Dar es Salaam?
Julius Nyerere International, about twelve kilometres south west of the centre, with a runway of about 9,843 feet, customs and immigration on site, and handling arranged with the permit. It takes anything we broker.
Which Nairobi airport do private flights to Dar es Salaam use?
Wilson for turboprops and light aircraft, and Jomo Kenyatta for jets or when the trip starts with an international arrival. Both are ports of departure for an international flight, with customs at the aircraft.
Which aircraft is best for Nairobi to Dar es Salaam?
A King Air 200 or 350 for eight in a pressurised cabin at the lowest cost. A Citation Sovereign or CJ class light jet for six to eight, the usual business answer. A Citation XLS or Hawker 800 class midsize jet for eight with luggage or a regional day.
What permits does a Nairobi to Dar es Salaam flight need?
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority permit at 72 business hours for the departure and the Tanzanian permit for the arrival, both filed by the desk. Passengers need passports and the right Tanzania visa, which the desk confirms.
Can I do Nairobi to Dar es Salaam and back in a day?
Yes, and it is the usual shape. An 8 am departure from Nairobi is in a Dar meeting before 10:30, and an evening departure has you home in Nairobi the same night, with both permits covering the round trip.
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Dar es Salaam charter?
The aircraft, whether the trip is a same-day return or two one-way flights, the two permits, handling and parking at Dar, and how long the aircraft waits. We tell you what the quote covers before you book.
Can I fly Dar es Salaam to Nairobi on the same page?
Yes. The sector is quoted in both directions. Put Dar es Salaam as the departure in the form and the desk handles it the same way, landing at Wilson or Jomo Kenyatta as the onward trip needs.
Is there customs on a Nairobi to Dar es Salaam flight?
Yes, it is an international flight. Customs and immigration are cleared at the aircraft at both ends, and the crew checks passports before departure. There is no airline security line.
Can I continue from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar on the same trip?
Yes. Zanzibar is a short hop from Dar and flies on the same aircraft as one itinerary under the same Tanzanian permit. The desk plans it end to end.
How much notice do I need to book Nairobi to Dar es Salaam?
Allow the permit lead times: 72 business hours for Kenya and the Tanzanian permit alongside. A few days is normal outside the peaks, and for the migration months and the Christmas weeks give the desk firm dates a week or two ahead.
Other routes
Other routes from the Nairobi desk
Sectors the same desk quotes every week, each with its own guide to the airports, the aircraft and the timing.
Get your number
Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, quoted from the desk
Give us the dates, the passengers and where in Dar you are going. You will get an aircraft, both permits filed and a number you can hold us to.
Get a number for your datesPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com, or send the trip online. The desk is staffed 24/7.