Answered by the MeghQuasar charter desk · Last updated 24 September 2026
The refuelling itself is usually well under an hour on the ground with passengers staying aboard. The real cost is not the minutes: it is the extra landing, handling and crew time, which is why a fuel stop often costs more than moving up an aircraft size.
The aircraft lands at a suitable airport on the routing, is met by a handling agent, takes fuel, completes the paperwork and departs. Passengers frequently stay on board. Where they disembark, or where the stop is in a country requiring entry formalities, it takes longer.
On every route we publish, the aircraft listed are the ones that reach the destination without stopping, and the page says plainly that smaller aircraft would need a fuel stop which usually costs more than moving up a size. That is not upselling; it is what the arithmetic does on long sectors.
When the alternative aircraft is much more expensive, when the party is small enough that a smaller cabin is genuinely comfortable, or when the routing has a natural stopping point that suits the trip. It is a trade to make deliberately rather than by accident.
Often not. Where the stop is purely technical, passengers frequently stay on board and the stop is short. Where the country of the stop requires entry formalities, or where passengers want to disembark, it takes longer.
Frequently not. The extra landing, handling and crew time, plus the fuel burned climbing back to altitude, often exceeds the cost of taking an aircraft that flies the sector directly.
It depends on the aircraft, not the route alone. On each route page we list the categories that reach the destination non-stop; anything below the smallest listed category would need a stop.
Send the route, the date and the number of passengers. We check operators with aircraft near either end and come back with named options and a price.
MeghQuasar is an independent charter broker and does not own or operate aircraft; flights are operated by licensed third-party operators. General information, not advice for a specific trip. Last reviewed 24 September 2026.