Los Cabos is the go-to warm-weather escape for Los Angeles, close enough for a long weekend at a resort or a private villa between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Private flights land at Los Cabos International (SJD) in San Jose del Cabo, which handles business jets. From Van Nuys the route is well within light and midsize jet range. It is popular for birthdays, golf trips and family holidays, and many travelers fly down on Thursday or Friday and return on Sunday.
| Airport | IATA / ICAO | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Nuys | VNY / KVNY | departure · 1,496 km to SJD | One of the busiest general aviation airports in the country, in the San Fernando Valley; no scheduled airline traffic, suits Beverly Hills, Bel Air and the Valley. |
| Los Angeles International | LAX / KLAX | departure · 1,468 km to SJD | Alternative. |
| Los Cabos International | SJD / MMSD | arrival | Main airport for Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo at the tip of Baja California; mixed traffic with private terminals. |
Source: OurAirports, great-circle.
Private jets to Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo land at Los Cabos International (SJD / MMSD) in San Jose del Cabo. Business aviation there is handled at a private terminal (FBO) of its own, away from the airline terminals, and the single 9,843 ft runway takes everything from a light jet to a large-cabin Gulfstream. Burbank (BUR) works as well as Van Nuys: it is 1,488 km (925 mi) from Burbank to SJD, against 1,496 km from Van Nuys.
Customs on arrival. SJD has its own Mexican immigration and customs, so passengers clear at the private terminal rather than in the airline halls. The operator arranges landing permission and handling in advance and sends the passenger list before departure; what you need is a valid passport for everyone on board, children included.
The flight home. US Customs and Border Protection rules decide where an aircraft coming north from Mexico makes its first US landing, and the passenger information has to be filed before departure. The operator plans the return to an airport where CBP can clear you; ask us at booking where that will be, so the car is waiting at the right place.
Mexico is the top international business-jet destination from the United States (WingX market tracker, February 2025), and Los Angeles to Los Cabos is one of the classic West Coast trips. If you are flying from the Bay Area or Texas, see San Francisco to Cabo San Lucas and Dallas to Cabo San Lucas.
Sources: Los Cabos International Airport facility data (runway, FBO, customs on site); CBP / FAA customs notification rules for arrivals from the south; WingX Global Market Tracker, Feb 2025; distances great-circle from OurAirports coordinates.
| Class | Example (published range) | Verdict for 1,496 km | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light jet | Phenom 300 (3,650 km) | Non-stop | 2 h 25 |
| Midsize jet | Citation XLS+ (3,889 km) | Non-stop | 2 h 15 |
| Ultra-long-range jet | Global 6000, Falcon 8X, Gulfstream G650 (11,112 km) | Non-stop | 2 h 00 |
Rule: non-stop needs 15% range margin. Times are estimates.
6-8 passengers, 3,650 km of published range: 2.4 times this route.
See the aircraft ›13-19 passengers, 13,890 km of published range: 9.3 times this route.
See the aircraft ›From $22,000 one way, whole aircraft, on a light jet. That is the lowest figure we found published by a charter broker for this route: a market reference, not our quote. Every quote we send is in US dollars, for the whole aircraft, and the price includes our service fee.
| When | What happens | Our advice |
|---|---|---|
| November to April | Peak season in Los Cabos, with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's the busiest weeks. | Book holiday weekends early. |
| Summer and early fall | Hot, quieter, and the eastern Pacific hurricane season. | Watch the forecast for late-summer trips. |
Your dates and group size for Cabo San Lucas.