The pricing model, demystified
Hourly rate is king
Operators price per block hour: turboprop singles like the Caravan run roughly $1,200–1,800/hr in the region; a King Air $2,300–3,200/hr; light jets $3,500–5,000/hr. The rate bundles fuel, crew, maintenance reserves, and insurance.
Block time ≠ distance ÷ speed
Add ~20 minutes per leg for taxi, climb, and approach. A 494 km hop at 340 km/h cruise is ~87 min airborne but ~107 min block — and you pay for block.
Fixed fees stack
Landing and handling ($100–600 per stop), navigation overflight charges, and passenger levies. Short hops feel expensive per km because these fees don't shrink with distance.
Positioning (deadhead)
If the aircraft isn't based where you start, you pay it to fly empty to you. Instant-quote platforms win by matching you to aircraft already nearby — that's the real product.
Worked example: Nairobi → Zanzibar, Caravan
Distance 494 km, cruise 340 km/h → airborne 1.45 h; block ≈ 1.45 + 0.33 = 1.78 h.
Flight cost: 1.78 h × $1,500/hr = $2,670
Fees (two airports + nav): ≈ $450
Positioning allowance (aircraft based NBO): $0
Total ≈ $3,120 → $780 per seat for four travellers. Compare against 4 × business-class tickets plus a half-day saved, and charter stops being a luxury and starts being a spreadsheet decision — which is exactly why marketplaces expose this math instantly.