A luxury experience on a chartered flight does not have to come with an exorbitant price tag.
If you’d interested in the privacy, convenience, and comfort of private aircraft, but want to contain your costs, take a look at these six popular and efficiently-designed light jets and turboprops.
The ultimate very light jet, the Phenom 100 from Embraer has unsurpassed fuel efficiency for a private business aircraft. You can’t argue with the most cost-effective and impressive specs in its class: the Phenom 100 is faster than the competing CJ1+ and has more range and one more seat than the Citation Mustang (a smaller jet with similar cost per mile). Business Jet Online put it best when they asserted that the Phenom 100 is “tough to beat in terms of acquisition and operating costs, speed, and—finally—comfort.”
The slightly larger Phenom 300 is a premium upgrade as the fastest long-range single-pilot business jet on the market. Take it on a nonstop jaunt all the way from NYC to Cancun while reducing private jet travel costs and burning 19% less fuel per flight than other light jets.
With this model, Cessna stretched the popular CJ2’s cabin two feet, widened the wingspan three feet, and upgraded the engines. It’s a strict performance upgrade over other popular light aircraft like the Embraer Phenom 100 — bigger, better, faster — and still offers a careful balance of comfort, speed, and low fuel burn.
The impressive roominess and elegance of the Hawker 400XP’s cabin give it the feel of a much larger private jet. And yet, as a light jet, it’s also a fuel-efficient 8-seater that’s both comfortable and cost-effective on short to mid-range chartered flights. The secret to the 400XP’s stunningly low operating costs may be in the finely tuned Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5 turbofan engines atop each wing.
If you’re curious about turboprop options, look no further than the Pilatus PC-12/45. You’d be hard pressed to find a more consistent reputation in the turboprop class for short to mid-range excellence. As a direct competitor to the King Air line from Beechcraft, the Pilatus PC-12/45 offers superior performance. No other plane can take a flier (or eight of them) as far or fast at such an economical price point, and with lower fuel burn than anyone thought possible.
The King Air fleet gives fliers incomparable durability and longevity — after all, it’s the best-selling turboprop family in the world. With a 58-foot wingspan and 17-foot cabin, most turboprops cannot compete with the King Air 350’s handling, stability, and quiet cabin. You’d swear you were on a more expensive light jet like the Embraer Phenom 300 or Cessna Citation V. As Flying Magazine put it back in 2007, “The Beechcraft King Air 350 is for people who want to make their airplane budget in ink, not pencil.”
Our experienced agents are ready to help! Contact Hangar 7 Aviation for answers and guidance on all private jet travel cost questions, curated aircraft recommendations, and white glove service for your next chartered aircraft trip.
*Featured image courtesy of Skies Magazine