Bombardier private jets

Learjet, Challenger and Global: three families under one name

Bombardier is a Canadian manufacturer from Montreal. It took over Canadair, the maker of the first Challenger, and Learjet, and then developed the Global family on its own. The three lines differ in cabin size far more than the shared brand suggests, so the right family matters more than the badge.

Learjet: fast jets for short European trips

The Learjet suits a small group that wants to be at the meeting or on the slopes within an hour or two. Cruise speed is about 860 km/h in most types, close to what heavy jets fly. The price is a narrow cabin: in the Learjet 25, 31 and 35 there is 1.32 m to the ceiling, and the Learjet 35 has no enclosed toilet, so legs over three hours suit four people better than six.

What to know before choosing a Learjet:

• Most often offered in Europe: the Learjet 75 and 45XR with a flat floor, and the Learjet 60 and 60XR with a 1.75 m cabin, all with an enclosed toilet
• Rare: the Learjet 25, 31 and 35, old aircraft that fly mostly in North America or as air ambulances, and the Learjet 70, of which only 13 were built
• Noise: the Learjet 25 without a hushkit meets only the older Chapter 2 standard, and Switzerland does not accept such jets, so Geneva, Zurich, Sion and Samedan drop out
• Short runways: the Learjet 70 and 75 need less than the 1,539 m of Cannes-Mandelieu, so you land next to Cannes instead of in Nice

Against the closest rivals the Learjet 75 has the same 1.50 m cabin height as the Embraer Phenom 300 and a similar cruise speed. The Phenom 300 is still built, so when no Learjet is free near your airport we quote it or a Cessna Citation of the same size.

Challenger: super midsize, wide cabin and group jets

The Challenger name covers three aircraft that share little except the badge. Seat count is similar on paper, but cabin width, runway needs and the hourly rate differ, so the request should say how many people fly and how far.

Challenger 300 and 350: super midsize for two to five hours

Both have a cabin 1.83 m high and 2.19 m wide with a flat floor, eight to ten seats, an enclosed toilet and a 3 m³ hold that passengers can reach in flight. The 350 is the later version with a little more range; the 300 is no longer built and often costs slightly less per hour. With a take-off run of about 1,500 m both use Cannes-Mandelieu and Sion, and the 350 has a steep-approach option for London City if the aircraft and the operator hold the approval.

The closest rival is the Gulfstream G280, with a cabin of similar height, a longer range and London City approval. Many European operators fly the Challenger 350, so one is usually easy to find near the departure airport.

Challenger 600 to 650: the wide heavy cabin

The 600, 601, 604, 605 and 650 share one fuselage with a cabin about 1.85 m high and close to 2.5 m wide, wider than in most heavy jets. A three-seat sofa along one wall turns into a bed, and charter aircraft usually have nine or ten seats. European operators fly mostly the 604, 605 and Challenger 650; the 600 and 601 are rare. The 604 and 605 are approved for the 5.5 degree approach to London City, with a trained crew and reduced take-off weight on the 1,508 m runway.

A Dassault Falcon 2000LX has a cabin 1.88 m high and 2.34 m wide and similar range. A Gulfstream G450 has a longer cabin in three zones, but a higher hourly rate. For eight people on a four-hour leg the Challenger 604 or 605 is often the cheapest of the three.

Challenger 800 and 850: a regional jet for groups

These are business versions of the CRJ200 airliner. The cabin is 14.78 m long, with 14 to 16 seats in three zones and two toilets, so a group of twelve or more travels together on one aircraft. The take-off run of about 1,920 m keeps the type at larger airports such as Nice, Geneva or Palma.

Global: long range and night flights

The Global Express started the family. The XRS added a 674 kg fuel tank to fly the same distance faster, so the table gives its range at Mach 0.85 and the Global Express range at the slower Mach 0.80. The Global 6000 is in essence an XRS with a later cockpit. The Global 5000 is the same aircraft shortened by a cabin section, with 12.41 m of cabin instead of 13.18 m. The Global 7500 and 8000 have a cabin of 16.59 m in four zones, and most aircraft have a bedroom at the rear.

From the Global Express to the Global 6000, charter aircraft usually seat 12 to 14 in three zones, and on a night flight up to seven people can sleep flat, depending on the layout; the 7500 has up to eight sleeping places. The 5.52 m³ hold can be reached in flight. All Globals weigh over 35 t at take-off, so Cannes-Mandelieu is closed to them and the Riviera means Nice.

The Global 8000 keeps the cabin of the 7500 with more range and a lower cabin altitude, but very few aircraft fly in charter, so we quote a Global 7500 alongside. Among rivals, the Gulfstream G650 has a wider and slightly taller cabin, and the Dassault Falcon 7X and 8X are lighter trijets that can use airports closed to a Global.

Which Bombardier for which trip

Group size and leg length narrow the choice quickly:

How much a Bombardier charter costs

Every price on this page is for the whole aircraft with crew and fuel, not per seat. The hourly rates in the model tables run from EUR 2,600 for the Learjet 25 to EUR 15,300 for the Global 8000. The block below shows the floor rates by class.

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

The total for a trip is more than rate times flight time. Paris Le Bourget - Sion in a Challenger 604 takes 1:04 h and costs from EUR 17,000, while the hourly rate is EUR 8,300. On a short leg the operator's minimum charge, the flight of the empty aircraft to your airport and back, and the fixed costs of each departure weigh heavily. On longer legs the share of these costs falls: Vienna - Dubai (5:36 h) in the same type costs from EUR 53,000.

What goes into a quote:

• flight time at the hourly rate of the model
• positioning, if the nearest free aircraft stands in another city
• crew hotel and allowances when the jet waits for the return
• landing, parking and handling, higher at Nice, Geneva or Le Bourget in season
• passenger taxes set by the departure country: France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands charge them, and some use a higher rate for business jets
• catering, satellite internet and winter de-icing

Learjet and Challenger 300/350 across Europe

Challenger heavy jets: Europe, the Levant and the Gulf

Global: intercontinental legs without a stop

The tables show one-way prices from the hourly rate, positioning and typical costs, before passenger taxes. The real offer depends on where the free aircraft stands, the date and the airport fees.

How to fly a Bombardier for less

• Return on the same day: the crew waits and flies you back, with no hotel and no second positioning
• For a stay of several days, compare a crew night stop with two empty legs, as the cheaper option changes with the route
• Take an older version of the same size: a Challenger 300 instead of a 350, or a 604 instead of a 650, has the same cabin cross-section and often a lower rate
• Do not take a larger jet than the trip needs: for four people on a two-hour leg a Learjet 75 costs far less than a Challenger 350
• Give a window of dates and times, so we can choose an aircraft that ends another trip near your airport

Empty Legs: the cheapest way onto a large cabin

Challenger 350, 604, 605 and 650 and Global 6000 aircraft are common with European operators, so Empty Legs on them come up regularly: returns to London, Geneva or Munich after island weekends in summer, flights back from Sion or Chambéry after ski Saturdays, and repositioning between Europe and the Gulf. 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.

Airports and European rules

Booking a Bombardier jet

For a quote we need:

• route, date and preferred departure time
• number of passengers and baggage, especially skis and golf bags
• pets, with breed and weight
• wishes for beds, a flight attendant or satellite internet, which vary by aircraft

We ask operators with an Air Operator Certificate for free aircraft, check the year of build, the cabin and the airport limits, and usually send three to five offers. You sign a contract that states the price, the payment terms and the cancellation rules of the operator.

Bombardier charter through a broker

Bombardier aircraft fly with dozens of operators across Europe, and the same type can differ a lot in year, cabin and price. We compare several offers for each request and say plainly when a younger Challenger, a Gulfstream or a Dassault Falcon fits the trip better.

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 Bombardier charter

• • How much does it cost to charter a Bombardier jet?

  • Hourly rates in the tables run from EUR 2,600 for the Learjet 25 to EUR 15,300 for the Global 8000, for the whole aircraft with crew. Zurich - Cannes in a Learjet 75 costs from EUR 11,000, and London - New York in a Global 6000 from EUR 87,000.

• • Why does a one-hour flight cost more than the hourly rate?

  • The price includes the operator's minimum charge, the empty flight to your airport and back and the fixed costs of each departure. Paris Le Bourget - Sion in a Challenger 604 takes 1:04 h and costs from EUR 17,000.

• • Which Bombardier jet suits a family of four?

  • For legs up to three hours a Learjet 45XR, 60 or 75 is enough and costs the least. For longer trips with large suitcases a Challenger 300 or 350 gives a 1.83 m cabin and a hold reachable in flight.

• • What is the difference between the Challenger 350 and the Challenger 650?

  • The 350 is a super midsize jet with a cabin 2.19 m wide for eight to ten. The 650 is a heavy jet with a cabin about 2.4 m wide, a sofa bed and enough range for the Gulf from most European hubs.

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

  • Yes, every Global type does it from London, Paris or Nice. London - New York in a Global 6000 takes about 7:00 h; the Challenger 650 can make it too, with a fuel stop added when winter headwinds are strong.

• • Can I still charter a Learjet?

  • Yes. Bombardier has closed the Learjet programme, but many aircraft still fly with operators and get technical support. The Learjet 45XR, 60, 60XR and 75 are the types most often offered in Europe.

• • Which Bombardier jets can land at London City?

  • The Challenger 604 and 605, and the Challenger 350 with the steep-approach option, if the aircraft, the crew and the operator hold the approval. Other types use Farnborough, Luton or Biggin Hill.

• • Can a Global land in Cannes?

  • No. Cannes-Mandelieu accepts aircraft up to 35 t, and every Global is heavier. It lands in Nice, under 30 km from Cannes.

• • Are Empty Legs available on Bombardier jets?

  • Yes, mostly on the Challenger 350, the 604 to 650 and the Global 6000, which many European operators fly. The date and route are set by the operator, and the price can be 40-65 % below a normal charter.

• • How many passengers fit in the largest Bombardier jet?

  • The Global 7500 and 8000 and the Challenger 800 and 850 are certified for up to 19 passengers. In charter the Global 7500 and 8000 usually have 14 to 19 seats in four zones, the Challenger 800 and 850 14 to 16.

• • How do I pay for a charter?

  • You receive a contract with the price, the payment terms and the operator's cancellation rules. Payment is by bank transfer or card, and the terms are agreed before the flight is confirmed.