New York to the Bahamas by Private Jet: Airports, Customs and Flight Time

A private jet from Teterboro to Nassau covers about 1,110 miles in roughly two hours 45 minutes to three hours, and on 3 November 2026 the Villiers estimate for the whole jet one way was about $31,900 in a light jet and $35,100 in a midsize. Flying on to Eleuthera, Exuma or Abaco instead moves that by only a few per cent. What really shapes the trip is customs: Bahamian paperwork on arrival, and on the way home a US manifest filed an hour before take-off and a rule that can force a stop in Florida. Here is all of it, with the numbers.

The short answer

Most private flights from New York to the Bahamas land at Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) in Nassau, which has two long runways and private terminals with Bahamian customs and immigration inside. If your hotel or house is on an Out Island, the jet can usually fly you straight there instead: North Eleuthera (ELH) for Harbour Island and Spanish Wells, Exuma International (GGT) near George Town, and Leonard M. Thompson International (MHH) at Marsh Harbour in the Abacos all take light and midsize jets and have customs on site in the daytime.

On the New York side, the usual departure airports are Teterboro and Westchester. Our Teterboro airport guide covers the FBOs and the customs facility you will use on the way back; for flying private from the city in general, start with our New York private-jet guide. The decisions that change your trip are which island, which jet, how many people share it, one way or round trip, and how you clear customs coming home.

What it costs: Nassau and the Out Islands

We ran the live Villiers estimator on 3 November 2026 from Teterboro to Nassau and to the three Out Island airports above, and from Westchester to Nassau. These are indicative estimates for the whole aircraft, not quotes; they move with dates, demand and the aircraft actually available.

Villiers estimate, 3 November 2026, via the NY Jet Desk price tool: central estimate and, for Nassau, the estimated range. The estimator returned light and midsize jets for these routes, no heavy-jet figure; a check with eight passengers gave the same Nassau figures, because the price is for the aircraft. Miles are straight-line (great-circle) distances, our calculation from airport coordinates.

Because the price is for the jet, the number of people on board decides what each one pays:

A couple in a light jet pays about $16,000 each; a family of six in a midsize jet pays about $5,850 each, and eight people — if the jet has eight seats — about $4,400. Our guide to how whole-jet pricing works explains what pushes the number up or down.

Published figures for this route vary. Mercury Jets, a charter broker, lists one-way prices from New York to Nassau “starting at” $16,620 for a light jet, $20,640 for a midsize and $22,940 for a super-midsize, well below the Villiers estimates above. A “starting at” price is the lowest end of a range, not what a typical date costs. Treat any published number, including ours, as a starting point: only a live quote for your date and group is a real price.

Round trip or two one-ways?

We also asked the estimator for a round trip, Teterboro to Nassau and back, and compared it with two one-way estimates:

Two one-ways = two times the one-way estimate; the difference and percentages are our arithmetic.

So a round trip came in about 14% below two separate one-way estimates — a bigger saving than on our domestic routes, where the same check gave 7–14%. The estimator does not ask how long you stay: ask the operator whether the jet and crew wait in the Bahamas or fly home and come back, and how that is priced for your dates. If you only need one direction, look for an empty leg flying the way you need.

Which Bahamas airport? Nassau and three Out Islands

Nassau is the gateway, but you do not have to change planes there. How the four airports compare for a jet from New York:

Runways, customs hours and FBOs: FltPlan airport pages for MYNN, MYEH, MYEF and MYAM (Exuma’s listing gives two different day ranges; Marsh Harbour’s data was last updated in 2021). Estimates: Villiers, 3 November 2026, our arithmetic.

The practical difference is the clock. Nassau’s private terminals run around the clock; the Out Island customs desks keep office hours, and a late arrival can mean overtime charges or waiting. Plan an early-afternoon arrival if you are flying straight to Eleuthera, Exuma or Abaco, and ask the operator to confirm customs will be there.

Flight time and which jet

Mercury Jets estimates Teterboro to Nassau at about 2 hours 46 minutes in a heavy jet and 2 hours 48 minutes in a light or midsize jet, for a distance it gives as 964 nautical miles. The route is mostly over open water, and a light jet’s small baggage hold fills quickly with a week of beach luggage for four. Ask any operator who quotes a light jet whether it flies non-stop with your passengers and bags.

A midsize jet adds about 10% to the estimate here ($3,191) and gives you headroom, a proper lavatory and more room for bags. Our light vs midsize vs heavy guide compares the cabins on the New York–Florida run, which is the same kind of trip. Bringing a dog? The customs rules change once you leave the US — tell the operator early, and see our guide to flying private with pets and extra luggage.

Real footage · 10:30

Customs both ways: what happens and when

This is the part that makes a Bahamas trip different from Florida. Your operator handles the filings, but the deadlines affect when you can leave, so it pays to know them.

Arriving in the Bahamas

• Passports: the Bahamas Customs Department lists passports or other proof of identity for the captain, crew and every passenger. Bring a passport for everyone, children included — you will need it again for US customs on the way home.
• Paperwork: a charter files a general declaration (Form C7) and a passenger manifest; privately owned aircraft flown for pleasure can use the online Click2Clear system, which produces Form C7A. Nobody disembarks until clearance is complete.
• Fees: Bahamas Customs lists $150 in and $150 out for private charters with more than four seats ($75 each way with four seats or fewer), and a $29 departure tax per passenger, infants included. Your operator usually passes these on; ask whether the quote includes them.

Flying home to New York

• eAPIS manifest, one hour before: the operator must file an arrival manifest and receive US Department of Homeland Security authorisation at least 60 minutes before the jet leaves the Bahamas. A change of passengers, or of the departure time by more than an hour, means a new manifest — and another 60-minute wait (OPSGROUP summary of CBP rules).
• Permission to land, two hours before: at Teterboro, CBP asks for the landing request at least two hours before departure from the foreign airport, with a tolerance of 30 minutes either side of the approved time.
• Teterboro customs hours: CBP clears arriving private flights at Teterboro daily from 7:30 a.m. to 11:15 p.m., at Hangar 1 on the north side or at Jet Aviation on the south side; say which you prefer when landing rights are requested.
• The Florida-stop rule: US regulations (19 CFR 122.24) require aircraft arriving from areas south of the United States — which includes the Bahamas — to land first at the designated airport nearest to where they cross the coast, unless they are exempt. The usual exemption is a CBP Border Overflight Exemption, which requires an IFR flight above 12,500 feet with no stops (OPSGROUP). Ask your operator whether the jet holds one. If it does not, plan for a customs stop in Florida before the last leg to New York.

When to fly: the Bahamas calendar, 2026–27

Hurricane season and the 2026 outlook: NOAA, as reported by Good Morning America on 21 May 2026. Thanksgiving week: WingX via Private Jet Card Comparisons. Holiday dates: US federal holiday calendar.

Our holiday booking guide lists how far ahead to book the peak weeks.

Empty legs to and from the Bahamas

On 3 November 2026 Villiers listed four empty legs touching Nassau, and every one of them flew between Nassau and Miami-Opa Locka (OPF): a Challenger 604 from Nassau to Opa-Locka on 5 November for $6,342 and back on 8 November for $4,730, and a Citation Ultra from Nassau on 20 November for $2,795 and back on 23 November for $2,472. None linked the Bahamas with New York.

That suggests a two-step idea, and we priced it. A full charter from Teterboro to Opa-Locka was estimated at $26,995 (light jet) and Opa-Locka to Nassau at $16,272, so two full charters ($43,267) cost 36% more than flying Teterboro to Nassau direct. Add the $2,472 Opa-Locka–Nassau empty leg instead, and the total falls to $29,467 — 7.6% below the direct estimate, but only if your dates match the empty leg exactly and you accept that it can be cancelled if the original trip changes.

New to empty legs? Our plain-English guide to what an empty-leg flight is covers the catches.

Frequently asked questions

Part of the NY Jet Desk guides — data and route guides for flying private from New York.