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Hourly operating costs of 45 jets compared

Cirrus Vision Jet hourly operating costAt AOPA’s request, aircraft purchase advisor Conklin & de Decker has estimated hourly operating costs for 45 jets likely to be at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Las Vegas. These are variable costs and include fuel, maintenance (parts and labor), engine reserves, auxiliary power units if applicable, and miscellaneous expenses to include crew travel, catering and cabin supplies, landing and parking fees—all boiled down to a single number.

David Wyndham, president and co-owner of Conklin & de Decker, made these comparisons.

As a quick summary, the least expensive to operate is a Cirrus Vision SF50 jet at $661.53 per hour. The most expensive, as you might expect, is a private airliner. The Airbus ACJ320 ultra-long-range, large-cabin business jet comes in at $7,964.69 per hour, while the Boeing BBJ 2 ultra-long-range, large-cabin business aircraft comes in at $7,674.95. A BBJ 3 is less expensive at $7,396.29.

The Eclipse comes in at $888.59, while a Gulfstream G650 is $4,843.16 per hour. Looking at additional manufacturers, an Embraer Lineage 1000E costs $5,827.32 per hour, while a Cessna Citation Mustang is $1,015.37. A Cessna Citation X+ is $4,098.69, while the new Cessna Latitude is $2,935.67. The Nextant 400XTi comes in at $1,623.06, and the SyberJet SJ30 at $1,607.77. A Dassault Falcon 8X costs $3,803.75 per hour while a Learjet 75 is $2,172.31, and a Bombardier Challenger 850 is $3,544.71. The Cessna Citation CJ4 is $1,970.13 per hour. Embraer’s Phenom 300 costs $1,757.53 per hour.

The company estimates that the HondaJet costs $1,134.90 per hour to operate.

See the full list of hourly operating costs for the 45 jets in the table below.

Aircraft Name Category Variable Cost per Hour Seats - Executive Maximum Take-off Weight Maximum Range 4 PAX Max Cruise Speed Number of Engines Engine Model Engine Manufacturer
Bombardier Challenger 350 Jet Long Range $3,152.10 8 40600 0 470 2 HTF 7350 Honeywell Engines
Bombardier Challenger 650 Jet Long Range $3,384.82 10 48200 4063 488 2 CF34-3B MTO General Electric
Bombardier Challenger 850 Jet Long Range $3,544.71 15 53000 2946 459 2 CF34-3B1 General Electric
Cessna Citation X+ Jet Long Range $4,098.69 8 36600 3370 527 2 AE 3007C2 Rolls Royce
Dassault Falcon 2000LXS Jet Long Range $3,089.71 10 42800 4065 482 2 PW308C Pratt & Whitney Canada
Dassault Falcon 2000S Jet Long Range $3,149.57 10 41000 3601 482 2 PW308C Pratt & Whitney Canada
Dassault Falcon 900LX Jet Long Range $3,587.50 12 49000 4750 482 3 TFE 731-60 Honeywell Engines
Embraer Legacy 500 Jet Long Range $3,179.78 8 37919 3125 467 2 HTF7500E Honeywell Engines
Embraer Legacy 600 Jet Long Range $3,739.73 13 49604 3429 455 2 AE 3007A1E Rolls Royce
Embraer Legacy 650 Jet Long Range $3,860.49 13 53572 3919 459 2 AE 3007A2 Rolls Royce
Gulfstream G280 Jet Long Range $3,162.73 8 39600 3400 482 2 HTF 7250G Honeywell Engines
Gulfstream G450 Jet Long Range $4,747.16 14 74600 4363 500 2 TAY 611-8C Rolls Royce
Bombardier Learjet 70 Jet Medium $2,166.11 6 21500 1920 465 2 TFE 731-40BR Honeywell Engines
Bombardier Learjet 75 Jet Medium $2,172.31 8 21500 1899 465 2 TFE 731-40BR Honeywell Engines
Cessna Citation Latitude Jet Medium $2,935.67 9 30800 2787 429 2 PW306D Pratt & Whitney Canada
Cessna Citation Sovereign+ Jet Medium $2,699.38 9 30755 3095 459 2 PW306D Pratt & Whitney Canada
Cessna Citation XLS+ Jet Medium $2,302.54 8 20200 1896 440 2 PW545C Pratt & Whitney Canada
Embraer Legacy 450 Jet Medium $2,789.09 7 35271 2575 470 2 HTF7500E Honeywell Engines
Gulfstream G150 Jet Medium $2,380.09 7 26100 3018 470 2 TFE 731-40AR Honeywell Engines
Cessna Citation CJ3+ Jet Small $1,680.03 6 13870 1748 417 2 FJ44-3A Williams
Cessna Citation CJ4 Jet Small $1,970.13 7 17110 2022 454 2 FJ44-4A Williams
Cessna Citation M2 Jet Small $1,395.31 6 10700 1074 404 2 FJ44-1AP Williams
Embraer Phenom 300 Jet Small $1,757.53 7 17968 1974 444 2 PW535E Pratt & Whitney Canada
Nextant Aerospace 400XTi Jet Small $1,623.06 7 16300 1716 460 2 FJ44-3AP Williams
SyberJet SJ30 Jet Small $1,607.77 5 13950 1876 483 2 FJ44-2A Williams
Airbus ACJ318 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $6,572.96 19 145504 0 0 2 CFM56-5B9 CFM International
Airbus ACJ319 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $6,926.22 19 168650 6360 486 2 CFM56-5B7 CFM International
Airbus ACJ320 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $7,964.69 19 169785 0 486 2 CFM56-5B4 CFM International
Airbus ACJ321 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $7,954.51 19 196210 0 467 2 CFM56-5B4 CFM International
Boeing BBJ Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $6,851.39 19 171000 6230 486 2 CFM56-7 CFM International
Boeing BBJ 2 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $7,674.95 19 174200 5722 473 2 CFM56-7B CFM International
Boeing BBJ 3 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $7,396.29 19 187700 5722 473 2 CFM56-7B CFM International
Bombardier Global 5000 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $5,093.92 13 92500 5137 511 2 BR 710-A2-20 Rolls Royce
Bombardier Global 6000 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $5,149.70 13 99500 6390 511 2 BR 710-A2-20 Rolls Royce
Dassault Falcon 7X Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $3,849.79 12 70000 5803 0 3 PW307A Pratt & Whitney Canada
Dassault Falcon 8X Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $3,803.75 12 73000 6450 0 3 PW307D Pratt & Whitney Canada
Embraer Lineage 1000E Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $5,827.32 19 120152 4602 471 2 CF34-10E7-B General Electric
Gulfstream G550 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $4,731.05 18 91000 6820 508 2 BR 710-C4-11 Rolls Royce
Gulfstream G650 Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $4,843.16 18 99600 7000 516 2 BR 725 A1-12 Rolls Royce
Gulfstream G650ER Jet Ultra LR & Lrg Cabin $4,847.91 18 103600 7488 516 2 BR 725 A1-12 Rolls Royce
Cessna Citation Mustang Jets VLJ $1,015.37 4 8645 800 340 2 PW615F Pratt & Whitney Canada
Cirrus Vision SF50 Jets VLJ $661.53 4 6000 0 300 1 FJ33-5A Williams
Embraer Phenom 100E Jets VLJ $1,151.84 5 10582 1045 390 2 PW617F-E Pratt & Whitney Canada
Honda Aircraft HA-420 HondaJet Jets VLJ $1,134.90 5 9963 0 420 2 HF120 GE Honda
One Aviation Eclipse 550 Jets VLJ $888.59 3 6000 574 371 2 PW610F-A Pratt & Whitney Canada
Alton Marsh
Alton K. Marsh
Freelance journalist
Alton K. Marsh is a former senior editor of AOPA Pilot and is now a freelance journalist specializing in aviation topics.
Topics: National Business Aviation Association, Aviation Industry, Aviation Organizations

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