Roughly 2,700 miles long and less than 200 miles wide at any point, Chile is unlike any other country. Its unusual shape, coupled with its geographically scattered industries and tourist destinations, makes it difficult to access all points of interest via a central international airport. However, travelers flying privately can avail themselves of the many smaller city airports near their ultimate destinations. When planning a flight to Chile, travelers should ensure their pilots see to four essential details.

1. SECURE PRIOR PERMISSIONS
Travelers need to secure permission to fly over countries in Central or South America en route to Chile. This is largely a clerical issue; the countries want paperwork stating the name of the pilot and owner of the plane, the call number and a description of the plane, and a copy of the flight plan 24 to 48 hours in advance of the flight. These permissions take slightly longer to secure near holidays and over weekends. Several international services will handle this for a fee.