Private Jet to Key West: Key West International, Marathon and What Fits

• Main airport: Key West International (EYW / KEYW), 2 miles east of Old Town. Owned by Monroe County. One runway, 9/27, 5,076 ft × 100 ft.
• Landing distance: Runway 9 has a 275 ft displaced threshold, so the FAA lists 4,801 ft of landing distance in both directions. The operator plans landings on that figure, not on 5,076 ft.
• FBO: Signature Aviation is the only FBO. Its published hours are 07:00–21:00, and it offers call-outs on request.
• Customs: EYW is an international airport of entry. The FAA lists customs 08:00–20:00 Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday.
• Curfew: the airport asks all aircraft to observe a voluntary curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. It is not mandatory, but we plan around it.
• Alternative: The Florida Keys Marathon International (MTH), 40 nm east, has a 5,008 ft runway, Million Air as FBO and a U.S. Customs user-fee facility with limited days.
• Flight time: from Miami, well under an hour. From New York, plan on roughly three hours in a midsize or super-midsize jet.

Send us your dates, passengers and bags, and we come back with all-inclusive options by aircraft class, 24/7.

EYW is a towered, public-use airport right on the island. From the FBO to Duval Street is a short car ride. What the FAA and Monroe County publish about it:

• One runway, 9/27. 5,076 ft long, 100 ft wide, grooved asphalt, with RNAV (GPS) approaches to both ends. Both ends have an arrestor bed (EMAS) beyond the pavement.
• 4,801 ft to land. Because of the displaced threshold on Runway 9, landing distance available is 4,801 ft whichever way the wind blows. Take-off from Runway 9 can use the full 5,076 ft.
• Control tower. Key West Tower and Ground are listed from 07:00 to 21:00. Outside those hours the field is uncontrolled and approach service is provided by Miami Center. Crews handle that routinely.
• Size limit. Prior permission from the airport manager is required for aircraft with a wingspan over 118 ft or above the runway's weight-bearing capacity. Business jets, including the largest Gulfstreams and Globals, are well below that wingspan.
• Voluntary curfew. The airport's noise abatement procedures ask pilots to avoid activity between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. County rules say operators are urged, but not required, to follow them. Jets are asked to use the NBAA noise abatement departure. We plan arrivals and departures inside the 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. window.
• Naval Air Station Key West (Boca Chica, NQX) is 4 nm east. It is a military field and not an option for charter flights.

Why the runway matters. At 4,801 ft of landing distance, light, midsize and super-midsize jets such as the Phenom 300, Citation XLS+ and Challenger 350 operate here routinely. Larger cabins can also use EYW, but on a wet runway, at high weight or on a hot afternoon, the operator's performance calculation may limit fuel or payload. On a long-range departure, for example nonstop to the West Coast or to Europe, that can mean a fuel stop in mainland Florida. We check this before we quote, not on the day.

The airport lists Signature Aviation as the general-aviation operator. Published hours are 07:00 to 21:00, with call-out available on request. Signature provides fuel, ground handling, parking, hangars and ground power. If your arrival is planned after 9 p.m., we book the call-out in advance so the ramp is staffed when you land.

Parking space on the ramp is limited on an island airport. In the winter season and over holiday weekends, we confirm parking when we book the aircraft. If the jet is staying a few days, the crew may reposition to the mainland and come back for the return. That is part of the quote, not a surprise later.

Key West is a popular first U.S. stop on the way back from the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos or Mexico.

• EYW customs hours: 08:00–20:00 Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday, according to the FAA. A Sunday return from the islands needs to clear somewhere else first, for example Miami-Opa Locka (OPF), or be scheduled for Monday.
• Marathon (MTH): a U.S. Customs user-fee facility. The FAA lists it as open Thursday to Monday, 09:00–17:30, and closed to arrivals on Tuesday and Wednesday unless CBP approves a request.
• eAPIS: every private international arrival into the U.S. needs an electronic passenger manifest filed with CBP before departure. The operator files it. We need passport details from every passenger in advance.

If customs hours don't match your plan, the usual fix is to clear in Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach and continue to Key West as a domestic flight. You can read about the Miami airports in our Miami destination guide.

The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport is 40 nm east of Key West, in the Middle Keys. It suits clients staying in Marathon, Islamorada, Duck Key or on a boat in the Middle Keys.

• Runway 7/25: 5,008 ft × 100 ft, grooved asphalt, with RNAV approaches to both ends.
• No control tower. Marathon is an uncontrolled field.
• FBO: Million Air Florida Keys.
• Customs: user-fee facility with the limited days above.
• Noise: a local ordinance restricts engine run-ups at night, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Marathon's runway is slightly shorter than Key West's take-off length, but slightly longer than its landing distance, so the same aircraft classes apply. From Marathon to Key West is about an hour by car on the Overseas Highway, longer in season traffic.

• 2–5 passengers from Florida: a light jet or a turboprop. Miami to Key West is a short hop, and a Pilatus PC-12 or King Air 350 is often the most efficient choice.
• 4–8 passengers from the Northeast or Midwest: a midsize or super-midsize jet. New York, Boston and Chicago are nonstop in this class.
• 8 or more passengers, or a lot of luggage: a large-cabin jet, with the runway check described above.
• From Europe: an ultra-long-range jet, normally clearing U.S. Customs in Miami or another mainland port first, then continuing to Key West. Coming in on a weekday, direct entry at EYW is possible within its customs hours, subject to the operator's performance check for the 4,801 ft landing.

Compare cabins in our aircraft comparison or see the Phenom 300 and Challenger 350 pages.

Approximate great-circle distances to Key West:

Times are estimates for a midsize jet in normal winds. Headwinds on the northbound return add time.

Cost depends on aircraft class, flight time and whether the aircraft waits or repositions. Hourly ranges by category are on our private jet charter cost per hour page. In winter many aircraft fly south to Florida, so empty legs to or from South Florida come up from time to time. They rarely stay available for long. If your dates are flexible, set an empty leg alert.

Key West works well as part of a longer trip. Many clients fly New York to Key West, continue to the Bahamas or Turks and Caicos, and return through Miami or Palm Beach. See our guides to flying private to the Bahamas, to Turks and Caicos and the Miami to Bahamas route. We price all legs in one request.

Tell us the dates, the number of passengers, bags (golf bags and fishing gear included) and where you're staying. We check the runway, the customs and FBO hours for your arrival time and the parking situation, and come back with all-inclusive quotes from vetted operators. The operator keeps full operational control of the aircraft. You get one contact through to landing.