Private Jet to Nantucket: Nantucket Memorial (ACK) and How to Plan It

• Airport: Nantucket Memorial (ACK / KACK), 3 miles southeast of town. Owned and run by the Town of Nantucket.
• Main runway: 6/24, 6,303 ft × 150 ft, grooved asphalt, ILS approaches to both ends. Runway 6 has a 538 ft displaced threshold, so landing distance on Runway 6 is 5,765 ft. Runway 24 offers the full 6,303 ft.
• Second runway: 15/33, 4,500 ft × 100 ft.
• FBO: the airport itself runs the only FBO. Hours are 06:00–22:00 from 15 May to 30 September and 06:00–21:00 from 1 October to 14 May. After-hours service goes through Airport Operations.
• Customs: none at ACK. International arrivals clear U.S. Customs first, for example at Boston Logan, Hanscom Field or Hyannis, then continue as a domestic flight.
• Parking: ramp space is limited and summer weekends fill up. We confirm parking when we book the aircraft.
• Flight time: from Boston, about half an hour. From Teterboro or Westchester, about an hour.

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

ACK is a towered airport with a full instrument setup, and it handles everything from piston singles to large-cabin jets. What the FAA and the Town publish about it:

• Runway 6/24: 6,303 ft × 150 ft. Both ends have ILS approaches, approach lights and centerline lights. Because of the displaced threshold on Runway 6, an aircraft landing in that direction has 5,765 ft available. Take-off length is 6,303 ft both ways.
• Runway 15/33: 4,500 ft × 100 ft, a crosswind runway with a lower weight-bearing rating. Jets normally use 6/24.
• Tower hours. Nantucket Tower and Ground are listed 06:00–22:00 from 15 May to 30 September and 06:00–21:00 from 1 October to 14 May. Outside those hours Boston Approach provides the clearances. Crews handle that routinely.
• Larger aircraft. The FAA lists a 2-hour prior permission requirement through the airport manager for unscheduled operations with more than nine passenger seats. Firefighting cover at Index C is provided from 06:00 to 22:00, and outside those hours it also needs 2 hours' notice. If you're flying a large cabin with more than nine seats, the operator files this. We check it's done.
• APU use is limited to 15 minutes for all aircraft, and the airport has noise abatement procedures. That matters for a long wait on the ramp in summer heat or winter cold. The crew plans for it.

Which jets fit. At 6,303 ft, with 5,765 ft of landing distance on Runway 6, ACK suits light, midsize and super-midsize jets such as the Phenom 300, Citation XLS+ and Challenger 350 without fuss. Large-cabin jets also operate here. On a wet runway or at high weight, the operator's performance calculation for the day may limit payload or fuel, and a long nonstop departure can then need a fuel stop. We check this before we quote.

Unlike most U.S. airports, ACK has no Signature or Atlantic. The Town of Nantucket operates the FBO itself: line service, Jet-A and avgas from its own fuel farm, ground handling, parking and a passenger lounge. The Town publishes its fees:

• Landing fee: $8 for aircraft under 6,000 lb maximum take-off weight. For everything heavier, $48 plus $3.93 for each 1,000 lb above 6,000 lb.
• Ramp fee, per calendar day, by maximum take-off weight: for example $200 for 15,001–25,000 lb, $396 for 25,001–50,000 lb, $676 for 50,001–100,000 lb and $1,158 above 100,000 lb.

These are the Town's published rates at the time of writing. The operator pays them and they appear in your all-inclusive quote. Because the ramp fee is charged 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.

The airport says it plainly: ramp space is limited, and departure delays are common on Sunday afternoons, because many visitors leave late in the day.

How we plan around it:

• Confirm parking at booking. In July and August, and on holiday weekends, 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) and Martha's Vineyard (MVY) are each about 27 nm away. This repositioning is priced in the quote, not added later.
• Avoid the peak hour. Leaving Sunday morning or Monday instead of Sunday at 5 p.m. usually means less waiting and more aircraft to choose from.

ACK 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, Nantucket is about 30 minutes away.
• Hyannis (HYA), 27 nm from Nantucket, is a customs landing-rights airport. It needs prior permission from CBP, 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 Nantucket on a light 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 Nantucket is about an hour.
• 7–9 passengers, or a lot of luggage: a midsize or super-midsize jet such as the Challenger 350.
• From farther away (Chicago, Florida, Texas): a midsize or super-midsize jet nonstop. A large cabin works too, with the runway and parking checks described above.

Compare cabins in our aircraft comparison.

Approximate great-circle distances to Nantucket:

Times are estimates for a light or midsize jet in normal winds. A turboprop is slower on the longer legs.

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 Nantucket 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. ACK has ILS approaches to both ends of the main runway, which helps a lot. On a day when the weather goes below minimums, the crew holds, diverts to the mainland or delays. We build a little slack into tight connections, such as a dinner on the island or a connecting international flight in Boston.

Nantucket pairs naturally with other summer destinations on the East Coast. Martha's Vineyard (MVY, runway 6/24 of 5,504 ft) is about 26 nm away, and East Hampton about 101 nm. A common pattern is New York to the Hamptons for a weekend, then on to Nantucket. See our guides to flying private to Martha's Vineyard and private to the Hamptons, our New York destination guide and private jet charter from Boston. 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, parking on the ramp, 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.