Private Jet to Martha's Vineyard: Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY) and How to Plan It

• Airport: Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY / KMVY), about 3 miles south of Vineyard Haven. Owned by the County of Dukes County.
• Main runway: 6/24, 5,504 ft × 100 ft, grooved asphalt, ILS to Runway 24. Declared landing distance is the full 5,504 ft both ways.
• Second runway: 15/33, 3,327 ft × 75 ft. Jets normally use 6/24.
• FBO: the airport itself runs the FBO and is the sole fuel provider on the field. FBO and fueling are listed 24 hours.
• Customs: none at MVY. International arrivals clear U.S. Customs first, for example at Boston Logan, Hanscom Field or Hyannis (landing rights), then continue as a domestic flight.
• Parking / season: ramp space fills on summer weekends. We confirm parking when we book the aircraft.
• Flight time (desk practice): from Boston, about half an hour. From Teterboro or Westchester, about 45–55 minutes airborne.

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

MVY is a towered Part 139 airport with an instrument approach to the main runway, and it handles everything from piston singles to large-cabin jets when the day's performance works. What the FAA and the airport publish about it:

• Runway 6/24: 5,504 ft × 100 ft. Precision markings, high-intensity edge lights, PAPI both ends, and an ILS/DME to Runway 24 with MALSR. Declared distances (TORA/TODA/ASDA/LDA) are 5,504 ft in both directions.
• Runway 15/33: 3,327 ft × 75 ft, a shorter crosswind runway with a lower weight-bearing rating. It is not the normal jet runway.
• Tower hours. Vineyard Tower and Ground are listed 06:00–22:00 from 15 May to 31 October and 07:00–17:00 from 1 November to 14 May. Outside those hours Boston Approach covers the clearances. Crews handle that routinely.
• Voluntary curfew. The FAA remarks list a voluntary curfew on arrivals and departures between 22:00 and 06:00. It is not a hard ban, but operators treat it seriously, and we plan summer evening returns around it.
• Larger aircraft. The FAA lists a 24-hour prior permission requirement through the airport manager for unscheduled operations with more than nine passenger seats. ARFF Index B. If you're flying a cabin with more than nine seats, the operator files this. We check it's done.
• Noise. The airport publishes noise-abatement procedures and asks crews to avoid residential areas southwest of the field. The operator briefs the crew; it does not change the quote, but it can shape the preferred runway or taxi path.

Which jets fit. At 5,504 × 100 ft, MVY suits light and midsize jets such as the Phenom 300, Citation CJ3+/CJ4 and Citation XLS+ without fuss on a typical New York or Boston sector. Super-midsize and large-cabin jets also operate here when the operator's performance calculation for weight, temperature and runway condition allows it. On a wet runway or at high weight, that calculation may limit payload or fuel. We check this before we quote — there is no hard class ban published by the airport, only the runway and the day's numbers.

Unlike most U.S. airports, MVY does not have a Signature or Atlantic on the field. Martha's Vineyard Airport operates the FBO itself and states that it is the sole provider of Jet-A and 100LL on the airport. FBO service and fueling are listed 24/7. Amenities published by the airport include a passenger and crew lounge, flight planning, ground handling, GPU, de-icing, lav service and on-site rental cars.

Landing fees for transient general aviation are billed through Vector Airport Systems. The airport publishes the structure as a flat fee for lighter aircraft in a low weight band and a per-1,000 lb formula above that, assessed at departure. Ramp fees are charged per calendar day, with the first day often waivable against a minimum fuel uplift paid to the FBO. Exact numbers move; we treat them as line items inside the all-inclusive quote rather than as a separate surprise.

Because the ramp fee is per calendar day, an aircraft that stays four days pays four days. That is one reason we compare the cost of waiting on the island with flying the jet back to the mainland.

Ramp space on Martha's Vineyard is finite. July, August and holiday weekends fill early. How we plan around it:

• Confirm parking at booking. In peak summer we confirm with the FBO that the aircraft can stay before we confirm the trip.
• Drop and reposition. If the ramp is full, the aircraft drops you off and repositions to a mainland or nearby airport, then comes back for the return. Hyannis (HYA) is about 22 nm away; Nantucket (ACK) about 26 nm. This repositioning is priced in the quote, not added later.
• Avoid the peak hour. Leaving Sunday morning or Monday instead of Sunday late afternoon usually means less waiting and more aircraft to choose from.

MVY does not appear on CBP's list of airports where customs is available for general aviation. A flight from Europe, Canada or the Caribbean has to land at a U.S. port of entry first.

• Boston Logan (BOS) and Hanscom Field (BED) are on CBP's general aviation list and are the usual choices for a transatlantic arrival. From either, Martha's Vineyard is about half an hour away.
• Hyannis (HYA / Cape Cod Gateway), about 22 nm from MVY, is a customs landing-rights airport. CBP asks for landing-rights requests in advance (typically 48 hours during business hours through the New Bedford port), and it suits smaller international arrivals, for example from Canada or Bermuda.
• 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.

Many of our European clients fly London to Boston or New York first and continue to the Vineyard on a light or midsize jet after a night on the mainland. That avoids a long day ending in an island ramp at peak hour.

• 2–6 passengers from Boston: a turboprop such as the King Air 350 or Pilatus PC-12, or a light jet. On a leg of about 30 minutes the turboprop is often the most efficient choice.
• 4–7 passengers from New York: a light jet such as the Phenom 300 or a Citation CJ3+/CJ4. Teterboro to Martha's Vineyard is about 45–55 minutes airborne in normal winds.
• 7–9 passengers, or a lot of luggage: a midsize or super-midsize jet such as the Citation XLS+ or Challenger 350, subject to the day's performance on 5,504 ft.
• From farther away (Chicago, Florida, Texas): a midsize or super-midsize jet nonstop. A large cabin can work too, with the runway and parking checks described above — the operator's performance numbers decide, not a marketing class label.

Compare cabins in our aircraft comparison.

Approximate great-circle distances to Martha's Vineyard:

Times are general desk practice for a light or midsize jet in normal winds, not published airline schedules. A turboprop is slower on the longer legs. Block time (engine start to shutdown) is a little longer once taxi at both ends is counted.

Cost depends on aircraft class, flight time, and whether the aircraft waits on the island or repositions. Hourly ranges by category are on our private jet charter cost per hour page. Charter flights in the U.S. also carry the 7.5% federal excise tax on air transportation, which we show as a separate line. In summer, many aircraft fly to the Vineyard and leave empty, so empty legs on the New York and Boston corridors come up from time to time. They rarely stay available for long. If your dates are flexible, set an empty leg alert.

Fog and low cloud are a known feature of flying to the islands south of Cape Cod, particularly in late spring and early summer. MVY has an ILS to Runway 24, which helps. On a day when the weather goes below minimums, the crew holds, diverts to the mainland (often Hyannis) or delays. We build a little slack into tight connections, such as a dinner on the island or a connecting international flight in Boston.

Martha's Vineyard pairs naturally with other summer destinations on the East Coast. Nantucket (ACK, runway 6/24 of 6,303 ft) is about 26 nm away, and East Hampton about 78 nm. A common pattern is New York to the Hamptons for a weekend, then on to the Vineyard or Nantucket. See our guide to flying private to Nantucket, private to the Hamptons, our Martha's Vineyard destination page, New York destination guide and private jet charter from Boston. The city-pair pages are New York to Martha's Vineyard and Boston to Martha's Vineyard. We price all legs in one request.

Tell us the dates, the number of passengers, bags (bikes and beach gear included) and where you're staying. We check the runway and performance, the FBO and tower hours for your arrival time, the voluntary curfew, parking on the ramp, the 24-hour PPR if the cabin has more than nine seats, and customs if you're coming from abroad. Then we 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.