Private jet from Teterboro to Toronto: Pearson or Billy Bishop, customs, times and prices

What goes into the price of a Teterboro to Toronto charter?

On a flight of about an hour, the flying is a small part of the cost. A one-way trip usually carries the aircraft’s empty return to New York, and a same-day trip is priced as an aircraft that flies up, waits and flies back with you.

The US tax is the domestic one, unlike a flight to London or the Bahamas. The tax code treats a flight that ends anywhere in Canada or Mexico within 225 miles of the continental US as taxable transportation, the same as a flight inside the US. Pearson is about 52 miles from Niagara Falls, New York, so a Toronto trip pays:

• the 7.5% federal excise tax on the charter price, which IRS Publication 510 says includes waiting time and the empty positioning flight
• a $5.30 per-passenger segment fee for each takeoff and landing in 2026

It does not pay the $23.40 per-passenger international arrival and departure tax, which the code switches off for trips that are taxed in full at 7.5%. This is our plain reading of 26 U.S.C. 4261 and 4262 and Publication 510; the operator’s invoice applies it.

The rest is the usual:

• handling at Teterboro and at the Toronto FBO, and any ramp charge at Pearson
• Pearson’s landing fees, which we couldn’t find published for business aviation, so Jake gets them from the FBO
• catering
• de-icing on winter mornings, at either end

What makes this route cheaper or more expensive?

Waiting versus returning empty. A day trip with the aircraft waiting costs less than two separate one-way flights. The low end of the round-trip range assumes a same-day return. An overnight in Toronto adds parking and crew hotels.

The FBO. Signature at Pearson says it doesn’t offer overnight hangar or ramp parking. Skyservice lists hangar and on-ramp parking. If the aircraft stays the night, that decides the FBO.

Aircraft size. A turboprop or light jet does the trip in about an hour. A larger jet adds cost without saving time.

Are there empty legs between New York and Toronto?

Sometimes. Toronto and New York are both large business aviation markets, so aircraft reposition between them in both directions. That is broker experience, not a published statistic. Charter Jet One’s own figure for the saving on empty legs is up to 75%.

An illustrative example: a midsize jet has dropped passengers at Pearson and is heading back to Teterboro empty. A traveller who needs to come home that day could fly with it for less. It shows how an empty leg arises. It isn’t a flight on offer, and it runs on the operator’s timing. An empty leg also has to fit Pearson’s reservation window, which leaves little room to move the time.

What should you know about departing from Teterboro?

Teterboro is about 12 miles from Midtown, roughly 22 minutes in free-flow traffic. Its runways are 6,997 and 6,014 feet, and its FBOs are Jet Aviation, Atlantic and Signature. The airport asks for voluntary restraint from 11 pm to 6 am, and runway 24 departures are limited to 80 decibels from 10 pm to 7 am.

Because the flight is international, bring passports for everyone, including children, and give the operator names and passport details in advance so it can file the US departure manifest.

Which Toronto airport can you use?

	Toronto Pearson (YYZ)	Billy Bishop (YTZ)
Jets	Yes	No, except medical evacuation flights
Location	About 19 miles from Union Station, roughly 32 minutes by road without traffic	On the Toronto Islands, a 90-second ferry ride or a pedestrian tunnel from the downtown waterfront
Longest runway	11,120 feet	About 3,990 feet (1,216 metres)
Hours	Reservations 6:30 am to 12:29 am; night program from 12:30 am to 6:29 am	No takeoffs or landings from 11 pm to 6:45 am, except medical evacuation
FBOs	Skyservice, Signature and others	Porter and Stolport

Pearson for any jet. Business jets use the FBOs rather than the airline terminals. Skyservice Midfield, at 6120 Midfield Road in Mississauga, lists 24/7 operations, on-site customs clearing, and hangar and on-ramp parking. Signature, at 2450 Derry Road East, is open 24 hours but lists customs with limited hours on weekdays and no overnight parking.

Billy Bishop for a turboprop, if the type is accepted. The airport says “all jet aircraft (except MEDEVAC flights) and certain type of propeller aircraft are prohibited.” Its noise rules and daily limits come from a tripartite agreement among the federal government, the City of Toronto and the Toronto Port Authority. Ontario’s government has said it will take over the city’s part of that agreement and wants a longer runway for jets, but on July 24, 2026 the federal transport minister rejected the expansion. For now, a jet can’t use it. Before quoting a turboprop into Billy Bishop, Jake confirms the type with airport operations and the FBO, and checks how customs will clear the flight.

Not Buttonville. The old Toronto Buttonville airport in Markham closed on November 30, 2023.

What happens when you land at Pearson?

The reservation. Pearson’s Airport Reservation Office requires a reservation for every general and business aviation arrival and departure. Requests open 72 hours before the flight. Since October 21, 2025, the flight has to operate within 30 minutes either side of its reserved time, down from a two-hour window. Reservations are made through the airport’s online system or through an FBO. In practice the departure time from Teterboro is fixed more tightly than on a domestic trip, and a late start can mean rebooking the reservation.

Customs. The Canada Flight Supplement data says general aviation aircraft clear customs at the FBO of their choice and that ramp charges may apply. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) clears the flight there, not in the airline terminal.

Why the private-pilot rules don’t apply to you. Many websites describe CANPASS and telephone reporting. Those are for private flights. CBSA’s memorandum D2-5-12 says aircraft “that charge passengers a fee for passage” are not allowed to report by telephone, and the CANPASS corporate program “is not available to members using chartered aircraft.” A charter is a commercial flight, and the operator arranges its clearance with the FBO.

Ground transport. Downtown is about 19 miles by road. Jake arranges a car to meet you at the FBO.

Who is allowed to fly you into Canada?

Not every US charter operator. Two Canadian approvals are needed:

• A Canadian Foreign Air Operator Certificate from Transport Canada, which authorizes an international commercial air service to or from Canada under Part VII, subpart 701 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations.
• A non-scheduled international licence from the Canadian Transportation Agency. For a US carrier flying between Canada and the US there is no per-trip permit. With a small aircraft, under 15,900 kg (about 35,000 pounds) maximum take-off weight, there is usually nothing to file at all. Larger jets, such as the Challenger 350 at 40,600 pounds, send a monthly report after the flight.

No flights inside Canada. The licence covers flights between Canada and the operator’s home country. The CTA says it “does not authorize the transportation of local traffic between points in Canada.” A US operator can fly you from Teterboro to Toronto and back, or Toronto to anywhere in the US, but not from Toronto to Montreal. That leg needs a Canadian operator.

What documents do you need for Canada?

• US citizens. Canada says you need no visa or eTA if you travel with a valid US passport.
• US green card holders. A valid passport from your country of nationality and the green card.
• Other nationalities. Rules vary. Tell Jake each traveller’s nationality before booking.
• ArriveCAN. We found no requirement for charter passengers to use it. CBSA presents its Advance Declaration as an optional time-saver at participating airports, listing Pearson Terminals 1 and 3, which are airline terminals.

The full Canadian and Mexican border rules are in flying private to Mexico or Canada. A passenger with a DUI or another conviction should read flying private to Canada with a criminal record before booking.

How do you get back into the US?

The operator files the US manifest and asks CBP for permission to land. CBP’s Teterboro fact sheet says to request it at least two hours before leaving the foreign airport, with a 30-minute tolerance. Teterboro has customs on the field from 7:30 am to 11:15 pm daily, so the return can land straight back at Teterboro.

No border stop. The rule that makes flights from Mexico land first at a designated airport near the border covers arrivals from the south. It doesn’t apply to a flight from Canada.

Preclearance. CBP lists Toronto Pearson and Billy Bishop as preclearance locations, but its general aviation page names only Shannon in Ireland and Aruba as places where private flights clear in advance. We couldn’t confirm that a charter can use preclearance in Toronto, so we plan to clear at Teterboro.

The customs sequence for any international trip is in flying private internationally.

Which aircraft fits best?

A light jet such as a Phenom 300E or Citation CJ3 is the natural choice: about an hour each way, six or seven seats. A turboprop such as a Pilatus PC-12 costs least and takes about 25 minutes longer, and it is the only option if you want to try Billy Bishop. A midsize or super-midsize jet makes sense for seven to nine people or a lot of luggage. What size private jet you need explains the trade-off.

How does Jake handle this route?

Jake starts by confirming the operator holds a Canadian Foreign Air Operator Certificate and a CTA licence, and that it is ARGUS Gold or Platinum rated. He collects passport details early so the manifests can be filed, asks the FBO to book the Pearson reservation, and picks the FBO by your arrival time and whether the aircraft stays overnight. He plans the return so you land at Teterboro before customs closes at 11:15 pm, and he arranges a car at both ends. He often meets clients on the ramp at Teterboro.