Boeing Business Jet (BBJ)

The Boeing Business Jet, or BBJ, is a Boeing 737-700 airliner turned into a private aircraft. It combines the 737-700 fuselage with the wing, landing gear and strengthened centre section of the larger 737-800, so it can carry extra fuel tanks in the hold. The cabin is 24.13 m long, 3.54 m wide and 2.20 m high, with room for a lounge, a dining room and a bedroom with its own bathroom.

In charter the type makes sense for trips like these:

• A group of 15 to 19 people flying together, such as a board with advisers or a family with staff
• London Farnborough to New York in 7:09 h or Madrid to Miami in 9:04 h, with a real bed on the night sector
• Munich to Dubai in 6:01 h, with a table for meetings on the way

For four to eight passengers a long-range business jet costs clearly less per hour than a BBJ and uses more airports.

BBJ cabin: lounge, bedroom and seats for the group

Each aircraft left Boeing with an empty cabin and was fitted out to the owner's order, so no two look alike. Most follow a similar plan:

• With 2.20 m to the ceiling everyone walks upright, and 3.54 m of width leaves space for seats on both sides and a table with an aisle
• Compared with the Airbus ACJ319 the cabin is slightly narrower and lower, with a similar length
• Two pilots fly the aircraft, and the operator adds cabin attendants according to the number of passengers and the length of the flight
• Wi-Fi and a satellite phone depend on the aircraft

Baggage and auxiliary fuel tanks

The holds sit under the floor, as on every 737, and take about 18.1 m³ in a typical BBJ, roughly 30 large suitcases. They cannot be reached in flight, so hand luggage stays in the cabin wardrobes. The same space also takes the auxiliary fuel tanks: each extra tank adds range and takes away room for suitcases, so two aircraft of the type can differ in both.

• Fifteen people with skis or golf bags usually fit without trouble
• With a full cabin on the way to America the operator adds up passengers, baggage and fuel, so send a baggage list with the request
• Groups with much more luggage can look at the Boeing Business Jet 2 (BBJ2), whose holds are more than twice as large

Dogs and cats fly in the cabin with their owner, once the operator knows breed, weight and carrier size. Within the EU the animal needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel and an EU pet passport. Dogs going to the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway also need a tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before entry, and the UK accepts animals only via approved routes and airports.

Range, runways and airports

Two CFM56-7B27 engines power the jet. The route table uses a planning limit of 9,000 km for a VIP cabin with baggage: a BBJ reaches New York from every hub in the table, while Miami and Malé work best with a cabin that is not full.

Flying an airliner-sized private jet in Europe

Routes from European hubs

The table lists 31 one-way routes for the whole aircraft with crew, without airport fees and passenger taxes: short legs to the Riviera, the islands and the Alps, then the Mediterranean, the Gulf, North America and the Indian Ocean. Flight time follows the great circle with taxi, climb and approach added. New York is calculated to JFK and Miami to Miami International, and the Delhi distance includes a detour around closed airspace.

Up to 2 hours: a large cabin on a short leg

2 to 4 hours: Mediterranean, Canary Islands and the Gulf from Larnaca

Over 4 hours: Gulf, Atlantic and Indian Ocean sectors

• Every row is flown without a fuel stop. On the longest, Milan - Malé (9:46 h), Zurich - Seychelles (9:24 h) and Zurich - Miami (9:57 h), a full cabin, heavy baggage or a strong headwind can lead the operator to plan a technical stop
• East Asia, such as Tokyo or Singapore, needs a fuel stop with a VIP load
• Routes to the Gulf and India depend on which airspace is open, so the operator confirms the flight time in the quote

For a group under ten on a short leg a heavy business jet is far cheaper, and for up to 12 people on the long routes we also quote a Bombardier Global 7500, which flies them non-stop with a reserve.

The calculator gives an indicative price on the route you choose. The final figure comes from the operator, as positioning of the aircraft is a large part of it.

What a BBJ charter costs

The rate starts at EUR 18,000 per flight hour for the whole aircraft, with crew and fuel, whatever the number of passengers. On a short leg the total is well above the rate times flight time, because positioning, the operator's minimum charge and handling for a 77 t aircraft form a large fixed part: Milan - Palma costs EUR 44,000 for 1:31 h, and London Farnborough - Nice EUR 48,000 for 1:45 h.

On longer legs this fixed part is spread over more hours. Madrid - Tenerife (2:42 h) starts at EUR 66,000 and Munich - Dubai (6:01 h) at EUR 120,000. London Farnborough - New York costs from EUR 140,000 and Zurich - Miami from EUR 195,000 one way, as long sectors also carry crew rest, overflight charges and, on the longest days, extra crew.

Split across the group, London Farnborough - New York works out like this:

Ways to pay less

Empty Legs on this type

Empty Legs on a BBJ are rare, as few aircraft fly in charter. Those 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 be 30-60% below a normal charter, as an example rather than a promise; date and route are fixed, and the operator can cancel it if the aircraft gets a full charter.

Send the route and a window of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights or through the Empty Legs page, and we include other large aircraft in the search.

BBJ, ACJ319, BBJ2 or Global 7500

The closest rival is the Airbus ACJ319. The BBJ2 on the 737-800 gives a longer cabin, and a smaller group on a long trip manages with Bombardier's largest business jet.

How to book

For a quote we need:

• route, date and preferred departure time, in both directions
• number of passengers and the group's baggage, including sports equipment
• for a night flight, whether a bedroom is needed, as it decides which aircraft we offer
• pets travelling with you, with breed and weight

Questions about the BBJ

• • How much does a BBJ cost from London to New York?

  • From EUR 140,000 one way for the whole aircraft, about 7:09 h from Farnborough to JFK, or about EUR 7,800 each with 18 passengers. Airport fees, UK Air Passenger Duty and usually positioning come on top.

• • What makes up the price?

  • Flight time at the hourly rate, positioning, crew hotels and allowances, airport and handling fees by weight, passenger taxes of the departure country, catering and de-icing. Each part is listed in the quote.

• • Why does a short BBJ flight cost so much?

  • Positioning, the minimum charge and handling for a 77 t aircraft form a fixed part of every trip: London Farnborough - Nice takes 1:45 h and costs from EUR 48,000.

• • How can I fly cheaper?

  • Keep the date flexible so we can use an aircraft already near your airport, compare a crew stay with two empty flights and, for fewer than 12 people, consider a long-range business jet.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the BBJ?

  • Rarely, mostly positioning flights between Europe and the Gulf. Date and route are fixed and the leg can be cancelled, so we also watch other large aircraft for you.

• • How many people does a BBJ take?

  • In the typical VIP layout 18 or 19, with a bedroom and lounge. Some aircraft have more seats in the rear and take more than 19 people, with a smaller private suite or none.

• • Is there a shower on board?

  • In some aircraft the bathroom next to the bedroom has a shower, and there is a separate guest toilet. The cabin plan of the offered aircraft comes with the quote.

• • Can it fly non-stop to Miami or the Maldives?

  • Zurich - Miami is 7,845 km and 9:57 h, Milan - Malé 7,688 km and 9:46 h. An aircraft with all auxiliary tanks flies these non-stop when the cabin is not full; with 19 passengers and heavy baggage the operator may plan a fuel stop.

• • Can the group bring skis, golf bags and a dog?

  • Yes. The holds of a typical BBJ take about 18.1 m³, enough for 15 people with sports equipment. A dog or cat flies in the cabin with its owner after the operator agrees; the USA and the UK have their own entry rules for animals, which we check before booking.

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

  • No. It is too heavy for Teterboro (about 45 t) and Cannes-Mandelieu (35 t), and London City's 1,508 m runway is too short. The jet lands at JFK or Newark, in Nice and at Farnborough instead.