Westland AW109
Twin engine. The one for over-water legs and bad weather.
Passengers
6 + pilot
Engines
Twin turbine
An hour of open water between the Balearics and the mainland. We fly it from Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca, in both directions, on the day and at the time you choose.
The scheduled flight from any of the islands to Barcelona is short. Everything around it is not: the drive to the airport, bag drop, security, the gate, the wait on the apron, baggage reclaim and the taxi queue at the other end. An hour of flying turns into most of a working day.
The helicopter replaces the whole sequence with about an hour in the air and a short drive at each end. No check-in, no security queue, and the aircraft is yours — the fare covers the helicopter and the pilot regardless of whether two of you fly or six.
The fare and the flying time on this page are the Palma leg, because that is where the fleet is based and it is the one we fly most. Ibiza and Menorca are flown just as regularly, but the distance is different from each, so we quote those individually rather than publishing a figure that would be wrong for two islands out of three.
Tell us which island you are on when you enquire and you get the real number for your leg rather than an average. It works the same in reverse: Barcelona out to any of the three, or a same-day return, which is quoted below the price of two singles because the aircraft and crew are already committed to your slot.
This is the longest of the routes we fly regularly and the only one that is open water almost end to end. The island drops away behind you within a few minutes and there is nothing but sea until the Catalan coast comes up ahead.
The last part is the good part. The approach runs in along the coastline with the city laid out beside you — the beaches, the port, the grid of the Eixample behind them — which is a view you do not get from a scheduled flight on final approach to El Prat.
Where you land depends on the day: the city has more than one option and availability varies. We confirm the arrival point when we quote, rather than after you have booked, so you know the drive at the far end before you commit.
Ground transport is arranged with the booking and landing fees at both ends are already in the fare. If you are connecting onward from Barcelona, tell us the flight when you enquire and we build the timing backwards from it.
Mostly people for whom the day matters more than the fare. A morning meeting on the mainland and dinner back on the island is a normal shape for this flight, and it is not a shape a scheduled timetable supports.
The other regular case is a group travelling together with luggage, where six scheduled seats plus hold bags plus two taxis has already stopped being cheap and has definitely stopped being quick.
Longer routes want more notice than the island hops. Twenty-four hours is usually workable, but this one crosses into mainland airspace and involves a second set of ground handling, so a couple of days is more comfortable — and in July and August it is close to necessary.
Which one depends on your group and your luggage. We confirm it when we quote, not after you book.
Twin engine. The one for over-water legs and bad weather.
Single engine. The workhorse — quiet, quick, panoramic.
Four seats. The value option for tours and short hops.
Single engine. Four seats and a proper hold — the classic island runabout.
Twin engine, rigid rotor. Agile, and the clamshell rear doors swallow awkward loads.
Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca, and the same routes in reverse out of Barcelona. The fare shown here is the Palma leg; tell us which island you are starting from and we quote that one, because the distance is different from each.
About sixty minutes in the air from Palma. From Ibiza or Menorca the time differs and we confirm it with the quote. Add a short drive to the departure pad at the island end and the transfer into central Barcelona at the other.
From EUR 3,800 for the whole aircraft, one way from Palma, with landing fees at both ends included. It is the price of the aircraft rather than a per-seat fare, so the cost per person drops sharply with the size of the group. Ibiza and Menorca are quoted individually.
It depends on what your day is worth. The scheduled flight is cheaper per seat and always will be. What the helicopter buys is the two to three hours that check-in, security, boarding and baggage take out of the day at each end, and the ability to leave at a time you chose rather than one an airline chose.
Yes. The route runs in both directions and is priced the same. A same-day return is quoted below the cost of two one-way flights because the aircraft and crew are already held for your slot.
Up to six passengers plus the pilot on the largest aircraft in the Palma fleet. Larger groups fly across several aircraft released on the same slot so everyone arrives together.
The pilot decides on the day and safety comes first. If the flight cannot go you are not charged; we rebook or refund. This crossing is longer and entirely over water, so it is the route most likely to be affected when the weather turns.
Everything is validated as you type. You see the aircraft and the fare before you send anything, and nothing is charged at this stage — this is a quote request.
| Route | Flight time | From (one way) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mallorca→Ibiza | 40 min | €2,400 | View route → |
| Mallorca→Menorca | 40 min | €2,700 | View route → |
| Mallorca→Dénia | 50 min | €3,900 | View route → |
| Mallorca→Valencia | 60 min | €4,500 | View route → |
| Mallorca→Alicante | 75 min | €4,600 | View route → |