Boeing private jets

What a Boeing Business Jet is

Boeing set up its business jet division together with General Electric and based the first aircraft on the 737-700. The idea has not changed since: Boeing builds a certified airliner with an empty cabin, and a completion centre fits the interior to the first owner's order. No two aircraft look the same inside, so every quote comes with the cabin plan of the actual aircraft.

Under the floor are the holds of an airliner. Part of that space takes auxiliary fuel tanks, and their number decides both the range and the room for suitcases. Two aircraft of the same version can therefore differ in how far they fly with a full cabin.

The BBJ, BBJ2 and BBJ3 are out of production but still fly with operators. They are the Boeing aircraft that appear most often in charter offers in Europe, so the tables on this page show only them. Other aircraft of this size are compared on the VIP airliners page.

Ranges are Boeing figures with auxiliary tanks. For the route tables we use lower planning limits for a VIP cabin with baggage: 9,000 km for the BBJ, 8,300 km for the BBJ2 and 8,000 km for the BBJ3. Within these limits all three reach New York from Western Europe, and the BBJ also reaches Miami and Malé.

Which BBJ for which group

Boeing against Airbus and large business jets

The direct rival of the BBJ is the Airbus ACJ319: the cabin is about the same length, 16 cm wider and 5 cm higher. The Embraer Lineage 1000 is a narrower and lower airliner-based jet with up to 19 seats. For 8 to 12 people the Bombardier Global 7500 has a lower cabin of 1.88 m, but it flies further and faster and usually costs less on a transatlantic trip.

In practice availability decides more bookings than the brand. Both fleets are small, and the aircraft free on your date and closest to your airport is often the one you take. We therefore ask for offers on the BBJ and the ACJ319 together, and the Airbus private jets page describes the Airbus side in more detail.

Airports: where a 737-size jet can land

How much a Boeing charter costs

The hourly rate in the model tables is EUR 18,000 for each version, for the whole aircraft with crew and fuel, whatever the number of passengers. The block below shows the floor rates of business jet classes for comparison: a heavy jet starts at EUR 8,300 and an ultra long range jet at EUR 12,000 per hour.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

On a short leg the total is far above rate times flight time. London Farnborough - Nice in a BBJ takes 1:45 h and costs from EUR 48,000, because positioning, the operator's minimum charge and handling for a 77 t aircraft form a large fixed part. On a long leg this part weighs less: Munich - Dubai (6:01 h) costs from EUR 120,000.

European legs

Gulf, Indian Ocean and North America

What goes into a quote:

• flight time at the hourly rate
• positioning, which is large when the free aircraft is based in the Gulf or outside Europe
• crew hotel, allowances and, on the longest legs, an augmented crew
• landing, parking and handling for an airliner-size aircraft
• passenger taxes in France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands
• winter de-icing, which for a 737 wing adds a noticeable sum

Prices in the tables are one way, before passenger taxes. With 19 people on board the share per person is far lower than the total suggests, and the group does not have to split across two business jets.

Flying a BBJ for less

• Ask for an aircraft based in Europe: positioning from the Gulf can cost as much as a short leg itself
• Give a window of dates, so we can match a BBJ that ends another trip near your airport
• Compare a crew night stop with two empty positioning flights for a trip of several days
• For up to 12 people, compare the price with a Global or a Falcon of the long-range classes

Empty Legs

Empty Legs on a BBJ are rare, and on a BBJ2 or BBJ3 hardly ever offered, because so few aircraft fly in charter. The ones that appear are mostly positioning flights between Europe and the Middle East or returns to base after a summer trip to Nice or the islands. Such a leg can cost 40-65 % less than a normal charter, but the operator sets the date and route and may cancel it if the aircraft is sold for a full trip.

European rules that matter for a BBJ

• An aircraft with more than 19 passenger seats must carry cabin crew under EU rules, so mixed layouts always fly with attendants
• An operator from outside the EU, including the UK, cannot normally fly a passenger leg within one EU country, such as Madrid - Tenerife
• Nice and Geneva are slot-coordinated, and on summer weekends or winter Saturdays stands for a 35.80 m wingspan run short
• In Mykonos private aircraft may stay on the ground only about 40 minutes in summer, so a BBJ drops the group and repositions

Booking a Boeing Business Jet

For a quote we need:

• route, date and preferred time
• number of passengers and whether anyone needs a private suite
• a list of baggage and equipment, since holds and fuel tanks share the space
• pets, with breed and weight

We check which operators hold the aircraft and the approval for your route, then send the cabin plan, the number of auxiliary tanks and the base of each aircraft. You sign a contract that states the price, the payment terms and the cancellation rules of the operator.

Chartering a BBJ through a broker

A BBJ request usually ends with two or three real options, often in different countries, with different cabins and different numbers of tanks. We compare them side by side with an ACJ319 and a large business jet, so you see what the extra floor space costs.

European Private Jets has worked in business aviation for 14 years, with 11 people in offices in Cyprus, Nice, Hamburg and Geneva and access to about 6,500 aircraft through operators. Requests are accepted 24/7 on +357 96407410 and at private@jets.flights.

Our team

Charlotte McKinney

Commercial Director

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Henry Richter

Head of Aviation Department and Data Protection Officer

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Emma Miller

Director of Development

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Liam Bishop

Senior Aviation Consultant

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Oliver Davis

Aviation Consultant

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Anna Laurent

Aviation Consultant

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Questions about Boeing jet charter

• • How much does it cost to charter a Boeing Business Jet?

  • The hourly rate is EUR 18,000 for the whole aircraft with crew. London Farnborough - Nice in a BBJ costs from EUR 48,000 and London - New York from EUR 140,000 one way.

• • Why does a short flight in a BBJ cost so much more than the hourly rate?

  • Positioning, the operator's minimum charge and handling for an airliner-size aircraft form a fixed part of the price. On a leg of 1:31 h, such as Milan - Palma, that part makes up most of the EUR 44,000.

• • What is the difference between the BBJ, BBJ2 and BBJ3?

  • All three share a cabin 2.20 m high and 3.54 m wide. The cabin is 24.13 m long in the BBJ, 29.97 m in the BBJ2 and 32.66 m in the BBJ3, and the holds grow with the length while the range falls.

• • How many passengers fit in a Boeing Business Jet?

  • VIP layouts with a private suite usually seat 16 to 19. Mixed layouts in the BBJ2 and BBJ3 add business-class rows and take several dozen people.

• • Can a BBJ fly from Europe to New York without a stop?

  • Yes. London - New York takes 7:09 h in a BBJ and Paris - New York 7:31 h in a BBJ3. The aircraft lands at JFK or Newark, since Teterboro takes aircraft up to about 45 t.

• • Boeing or Airbus: which is better?

  • The ACJ319 cabin is slightly wider and higher, the BBJ flies a little further. In practice the choice depends on which aircraft is free near your departure and which cabin layout it has, so we quote both.

• • Can a BBJ land at Cannes or London City?

  • No. Cannes-Mandelieu accepts aircraft up to 35 t and London City does not take any BBJ. The Riviera means Nice, and London means Farnborough for the BBJ and BBJ2 or Stansted for the BBJ3.

• • Are there Empty Legs on Boeing jets?

  • Rarely, because few aircraft fly in charter. When one appears, usually between Europe and the Gulf, it can cost 40-65 % less than a normal charter, with the date and route set by the operator.