Nairobi to Mombasa
Private Jet Charter
Nairobi to Mombasa is about an hour in the air, 233 nautical miles from Wilson down to the coast at Moi International, twenty minutes from the city and the beach hotels of Nyali, Bamburi and Diani, on a Caravan, King Air or light jet. It is the most flown private sector in Kenya and the coastal half of almost every safari itinerary. 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 which beach you are heading to. The desk quotes Mombasa every week, files the Kenya permit and the Moi slot with the trip, and tells you which aircraft fits the group 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 Mombasa?
Nairobi to Mombasa is the most requested private sector in Kenya: 233 nautical miles, about an hour in the air, and a landing at sea level twenty minutes from the coast hotels instead of a night on the road or the train. Beach holidays, diving, the family week at Diani and the coast leg of a safari all fly it, and it is the leg where a private aircraft turns a travel day into a morning.
Why private works here
The scheduled alternative is a flight into Moi's airline terminal or a night on the train, and a coast week from Nairobi usually starts with a family and a lot of luggage. Private, the group boards at Wilson together, lands at Moi International with the car at the aircraft and the Indian Ocean twenty minutes away, and the same aircraft can carry the whole itinerary, Mara, Nairobi, coast and home, as one trip with one permit file. When the trip continues to Zanzibar or the Gulf, the light jet that flew you to the coast simply keeps going.
Aircraft fit
233 nautical miles is where the Caravan 208B stops being the obvious answer: it carries up to twelve with beach luggage but takes about an hour and twenty, so for a family of six to eight the desk quotes the King Air first, pressurised and about an hour, with the Caravan as the saving for a bigger party. A Citation class light jet does it in under an hour for six to eight and is the choice when the same aircraft continues to Zanzibar or the Gulf. Moi's 10,990 foot runway at 200 feet takes all of them without the performance calculation that governs the Wilson departure, so the aircraft is sized for the group and the onward trip, not the field.
Advisor note
Mombasa is the easy end of Kenya. Every other field in the country is governed by elevation; Moi sits at 200 feet with a runway long enough for widebodies, so the aircraft that needs a careful calculation out of Nairobi simply arrives. The planning is on the Nairobi end and on paper: the Kenya permit at 72 business hours and a slot at Moi, both filed with the trip. For an international arrival to the coast, landing directly at Mombasa rather than clearing in Nairobi is both quicker and simpler.
Icarus Jet charter deskCost
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Mombasa private charter?
An hour-long domestic sector is priced on the aircraft, the trip shape, the permit and slot, and the dates. These are the things that move the number on Nairobi to Mombasa.
Aircraft
A Caravan is the lowest cost per seat for a group of up to twelve. A King Air carries eight pressurised. A light jet is quickest and the choice when the aircraft continues internationally. The cabin you choose is the biggest single swing in the quote.
Round trip, one way or multi-leg
A beach week is usually one way in and one way home. A safari itinerary puts the coast at the end of a multi-leg trip on one aircraft. The desk prices the shape that fits.
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.
The Moi slot and handling
Moi International requires a slot and handling is arranged on every flight. Both are filed with the permit, and parking for a stay of several days is confirmed before departure.
The season
December to March and July to October are the coast peaks, with the Christmas and New Year weeks the tightest for aircraft out of Wilson and rooms at Diani. Give the desk those dates firm, a couple of weeks ahead.
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 Mombasa?
Every aircraft in the Icarus brokered fleet in Kenya flies this sector. These are the three quoted most on Nairobi to Mombasa.
Cessna Caravan 208B
Up to twelve passengers, about an hour and twenty in the air, and the lowest cost per seat for a family or a group heading to the coast.
King Air 200 and 350 class
Eight passengers in a pressurised cabin, about an hour in the air, and the usual answer for a family that wants a quieter ride.
Citation Sovereign and Bravo class
Six to eight passengers in under an hour, and the aircraft that continues from the coast to Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam or the Gulf on the same trip.
Our guide to private routes from Nairobi has the full Kenya list, and the aircraft we broker shows the range by cabin class.
Before you fly
What should I know before flying Nairobi to Mombasa?
It is a domestic flight, so there is no customs at either end. Bring a passport or Kenyan ID; the crew checks it at the aircraft. You can arrive at the terminal fifteen to twenty minutes before departure, and park fees for the reserves are handled by the lodge or the desk.
Moi International is the arrival. A 10,990 foot main runway at 200 feet elevation, two terminals, customs and immigration on site, and about twenty minutes from central Mombasa. Nyali and Bamburi are on the north coast a short drive away; Diani is on the south coast across the Likoni channel, about an hour and a half by road or a short hop on to Ukunda airstrip.
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. The whole of Kenya is on East Africa Time, so a 9 am departure from Wilson has you on the beach before lunch.
When to go
When is the best time to fly Nairobi to Mombasa?
December to March is the hot, dry coast season and the peak, with the Christmas and New Year weeks the busiest of the year for aircraft out of Wilson and rooms at Diani and Nyali. July to October is the second peak, when the coast is paired with the migration in the Mara. For those weeks, give the desk firm dates a couple of weeks ahead on top of the 72 business hours for the permit.
April to June is the long rains and the quietest time on the coast, when a few days of notice is normal from Nairobi once the permit is filed.
Related
Nairobi and Mombasa airport guides
Every field this sector uses, with runways, handling, permits and history on its own guide.
Questions
Nairobi to Mombasa private charter questions
How long is a private flight from Nairobi to Mombasa?
About 55 minutes on a light jet, about an hour on a King Air and about an hour and twenty on a Caravan. The sector is 233 nautical miles from Wilson to Moi International, and every one of them lands at sea level with the beach twenty minutes away.
How far is Nairobi from Mombasa by air?
233 nautical miles, about 268 statute miles, between Wilson and Moi International. Both are on East Africa Time, so there is no change on the clock. By road or train it is a night's journey, which is why this hour in the air is the most requested private sector in Kenya.
Which Nairobi airport do private flights to Mombasa use?
Wilson, two and a half miles from the centre, for turboprops and light aircraft, which is most of this sector. Jomo Kenyatta, eleven miles out, for jets and for any trip that starts with an international arrival. Both fields are high and warm, so a full-load departure is planned for the morning; Moi has no such problem.
Can private jets land at Mombasa?
Yes. Moi International has a 10,990 foot main runway at sea level, customs and immigration on site, and handling on the field. It takes anything we broker, and it requires a slot, which the desk files with the Kenya permit.
Which aircraft is best for Nairobi to Mombasa?
A Caravan 208B for a group of up to twelve at the lowest cost per seat. A King Air 200 or 350 for eight in a pressurised cabin. A Citation Sovereign or Bravo class light jet for six to eight in under an hour, and for a trip that continues internationally.
Does a Nairobi to Mombasa charter need a permit?
Yes, for the operator, and the desk files it with the Moi slot. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority permit is planned at 72 business hours, and if the trip continues to Zanzibar or the Gulf the destination permit and overflights go on the same file. Passengers need only ID for the domestic leg and passports for anything beyond it.
Can I combine the coast with a safari on one trip?
Yes; the coast is the last leg of most Kenya itineraries. The desk plans Mara, Amboseli or Tsavo and the coast on one aircraft as a single trip with one permit file, and picks the aircraft that fits both the strips and the sector, which for a Mara start means a turboprop all the way.
What determines the cost of a Nairobi to Mombasa charter?
The aircraft, whether the trip is a return, one way or part of a multi-leg itinerary, the Kenya permit and the Moi slot and handling, and the dates against the coast peaks. We tell you what the quote covers before you book.
Can I fly Mombasa to Nairobi on the same page?
Yes. The sector is quoted in both directions. Put Moi International as the departure in the form and the desk handles it the same way, landing at Wilson or Jomo Kenyatta as the trip needs. The Moi slot is filed for the departure just as it is for the arrival.
How do I get to Diani from Mombasa airport?
By road across the Likoni channel in about an hour and a half, or by a short onward flight to Ukunda airstrip near Diani, which the desk adds to the itinerary on a turboprop. Nyali and Bamburi, on the north coast, are the short drive; for Diani the desk prices the Ukunda hop alongside the road transfer.
When is the best time to fly to Mombasa?
December to March for the hot, dry season and July to October when the coast pairs with the migration. April to June is the long rains and the quietest. The Christmas and New Year weeks are the busiest of all, for aircraft out of Wilson and for rooms at Diani and Nyali.
How much notice do I need to book Nairobi to Mombasa?
The Kenya permit and the Moi slot are filed together and planned at 72 business hours; outside the peaks a few days beyond that is normal. For the Christmas weeks and the July to October season, give the desk firm dates a couple of weeks ahead so the aircraft, the slot and the parking at Moi are all confirmed.
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 Mombasa, quoted from the desk
Give us the dates, the passengers and the beach. You will get an aircraft that fits the group, the permit and slot 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.