Bombardier Challenger 800

The Bombardier Challenger 800 is the CRJ200 regional jet rebuilt as a business aircraft. The 26.77 m airframe comes straight from the airliner, and the cabin is almost 15 m long, about 6 m more than in a Challenger 605. In executive layout the Challenger 800 usually seats 14 to 16 people in several zones; the rules limit it to 19 passengers.

The name covers aircraft built as the Challenger SE and the Challenger 800 before Bombardier renamed the model Challenger 850. The jet suits a group of twelve or more on routes of up to four hours, such as Frankfurt - Chambéry for a ski week or Hamburg - Palma in summer.

Cabin: an airliner fuselage with a business interior

The cabin measures 14.78 m in length, 2.50 m in width and 1.86 m in height. Instead of four seats abreast, as in the airline version, an executive Challenger 800 has two or three zones: a club group or a conference table at the front, sofas further back and, in some aircraft, a bedroom at the rear. Interiors differ a great deal, as different firms fitted them to each owner's order. A few aircraft keep a denser corporate shuttle layout, which is rare in VIP charter.

Baggage: about 5.7 m³ behind the cabin

The Challenger 800 hold behind the cabin takes about 5.7 m³, which operators count as roughly 25 standard suitcases. That is enough for a group of fourteen on a week away, and with eight on board there is room for skis and golf bags as well. Access in flight depends on the interior, so keep what you need in the cabin.

Engines, range and airports

Two General Electric CF34-3A1 or CF34-3B1 engines give 8,729 lb of thrust each. The maximum cruise speed is 850 km/h (459 kt), economy cruise 785 km/h. For the executive Challenger 800 a range of 5,435 km is quoted, and clearly less for the denser corporate layout. As Bombardier no longer publishes these data, for a long route we rely on the operator's figures for the actual aircraft.

At full weight the Challenger 800 needs about 1,920 m of runway, more than a Challenger 605 (1,780 m), so it uses larger airports:

• Riviera: Nice instead of Cannes-Mandelieu, whose 1,539 m runway is too short
• Ticino and Engadine: Milan or Zurich instead of Lugano and Samedan
• Sion (2,000 m, mountain approach): only after a weight calculation for the day and with a crew trained for the approach
• French ski resorts: Chambéry or Geneva; the 537 m sloped altiport at Courchevel is too short for this type and needs a special qualification

Flying the type in Europe

Sample flights from European hubs

The table shows routes a group would fly with a Challenger 800: ski weeks in the Alps, Balearic and Greek islands, Portugal, Morocco, the Canaries and Tel Aviv. Prices are one way for the whole aircraft with crew, without airport fees and passenger taxes. Flight time is the great-circle distance plus taxi, climb and approach.

Up to 2 hours: ski valleys, the Riviera and the Balearics

2 to 4 hours: Greece, Portugal and Morocco

Over 4 hours: Canaries, Morocco and Cyprus

• Every route in the table is flown non-stop; Larnaca - Paris (2,987 km) is the longest
• Tel Aviv depends on open airspace, so the operator confirms the flight time in the quote
• For the Gulf or New York, a long-range heavy jet suits better than the Challenger 800

Enter departure, destination and the number of passengers, and the calculator shows an indicative price for a jet of this class and for smaller ones that suit the distance.

How much does it cost to charter a Challenger 800

The Challenger 800 rate starts at EUR 8,300 per flight hour for the whole aircraft with crew and fuel, and the price is the same for eight passengers or sixteen. On short legs the total is well above rate times flight time: Frankfurt - Chambéry takes 1:10 h and costs from EUR 16,500, London - Geneva (1:27 h) from EUR 19,000, because positioning and the fixed costs of a departure weigh heavily on one hour of flying.

On longer legs the fixed costs weigh less per hour: Munich - Palma (2:01 h) is from EUR 24,000, Vienna - Lisbon (3:23 h) from EUR 35,000 and Geneva - Tenerife (4:02 h) from EUR 40,000.

With a large group the share per person drops fast, here on London - Geneva:

How a group pays less

• Fill the cabin: the price is for the aircraft, so sixteen people pay half as much each as eight
• Allow similar types: a Challenger 850 or a Legacy 600 for the same group is often based closer and cuts positioning
• Same-day return or two empty legs instead of a crew overnight, whichever the route makes cheaper

Empty Legs on this type

Empty Legs on the Challenger 800 itself are rare, as few aircraft fly in Europe. If your date is flexible, we also watch legs of the Challenger 850 and the Legacy 600, which take a similar group. Such legs can be 30-60% below the normal price, as examples, not a promise; the operator fixes date and route, and a leg can be withdrawn if the aircraft is sold for a full charter.

Send your route and date window to empty-legs@jets.flights or check the Empty Legs page.

Challenger 800 or another aircraft for a large group

Large groups compare it with other business versions of regional jets; smaller groups, with a classic heavy jet.

Booking a flight

Send us the route, date, number of passengers and the number of suitcases, skis and golf bags. For a large group we compare the Challenger 800 with other aircraft for twelve to sixteen people and quote the price with positioning. The operator needs each passenger's passport or ID even within Schengen, and EU citizens flying to the UK need an ETA. If an operator cancels, we always try to find another aircraft, but each case depends on the operator's contract.

Questions before booking

• • How much does a Challenger 800 flight cost?

  • From EUR 8,300 per flight hour. Munich - Nice costs from EUR 17,500, Hamburg - Palma from EUR 28,000 and Madrid - Tenerife from EUR 30,000, for the whole aircraft one way, without airport fees and passenger taxes.

• • What does the price include?

  • The aircraft, two pilots, fuel and positioning. Airport and handling fees, passenger taxes, catering, the flight attendant, winter de-icing and crew costs for a multi-day trip are listed separately in the quote.

• • How can a group fly cheaper?

  • Fill the cabin, as the price is per aircraft, keep the date flexible and allow a Challenger 850 or Legacy 600.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the Challenger 800?

  • Rarely, as only a few aircraft fly in Europe. Similar types appear more often, and such legs can be 30-60% cheaper, with a fixed date and route.

• • How many passengers does the Challenger 800 take?

  • The executive version usually has 14 to 16 seats, and the rules allow 19 at most. A full cabin is comfortable on legs of up to three hours; on a night flight fewer people can lie down.

• • How does it differ from the Challenger 850?

  • Fuselage, engines and performance are practically the same. The Challenger 850 is the later name, under which aircraft with newer interiors were sold. The quote states the year and cabin layout of the actual aircraft.

• • Will a large group's baggage fit?

  • Usually yes. The hold takes about 5.7 m³, roughly 25 suitcases. Tell us in advance about the group's skis and golf bags, so the operator can check size and weight.

• • Can my dog fly in the cabin?

  • Yes, if the operator agrees in advance; give breed, weight and carrier. Within the EU the animal needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an EU pet passport. For Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway and the UK dogs also need tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before entry, and the UK accepts animals only on approved routes and airports.