Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond

The MU-300 Diamond was the first business jet of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Unlike the early Citations, it had a swept wing, which made it faster, and a flat cabin floor without a dropped aisle. About a hundred were built in the Diamond I, IA and II versions. Beechcraft then took over the design and developed it into the Beechjet 400, the line that later became the Hawker 400XP.

The cabin is 1.45 m high, 1.50 m wide and 4.72 m long, with four club seats, a side divan and a toilet at the rear. The MU-300 suits legs of up to about two hours, such as London to Geneva or Paris to Nice. The real difficulty is finding a free aircraft, as the type appears in European charter only now and then.

Cabin: the same cross-section as the Hawker 400XP

Beechcraft built the Beechjet 400 and later the Hawker 400XP on the Diamond fuselage, so the MU-300 cabin has the same dimensions. Adults walk bent over, but the floor is flat. The usual layout has four club seats facing each other and a side divan; the toilet is at the rear, with space for hand luggage next to it.

Baggage: rear hold and a cabin compartment

Bags travel in an external hold in the rear fuselage and in a smaller compartment by the toilet. Exact figures for the MU-300 itself are hard to find; on its successors with the same fuselage the total is about 1.6 m³.

What to expect:

• four passengers: medium suitcases;
• six passengers: soft bags preferred;
• skis and golf bags: give their size, so the operator can check that they fit the hold.

Speed, range and runways

Two Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4D engines give about 11 kN of thrust each, and the few Diamond IIs have the stronger JT15D-5. With a full cabin and a headwind the MU-300 flies less far than the manufacturer's figure, so the operator checks legs over about 1,500 km case by case.

According to AOPA Pilot magazine, short runways are not the type's strong point, and the magazine advises against basing it on runways shorter than about 1,500 m:

Flying an old jet in Europe

MU-300 Diamond flights from European hubs

The table shows 32 one-way flights from all thirteen hubs, ranging from Zurich - Sion (0:44 h) to Geneva - Malaga (2:23 h). Prices are for the whole aircraft with two pilots, without airport fees and passenger taxes; flight time is the great-circle distance plus taxi, climb and approach.

Up to two hours: the Diamond's natural range

Two hours and more: weight and wind decide

Up to about two hours the MU-300 flies the table routes non-stop with four passengers. Hamburg to Nice (2:03 h), Munich to Palma (2:10 h) and Geneva to Malaga (2:23 h) are close to the limit: with six on board, full bags and a headwind the operator may plan a fuel stop.

The calculator shows an indicative price for a light jet of this class on your route.

What an MU-300 Diamond charter costs

The rate starts at EUR 3,200 per flight hour for the whole aircraft, with two pilots and fuel. A short leg costs more than rate times flight time: London Farnborough to Paris Le Bourget takes 0:58 h and starts at EUR 7,000, as the operator's minimum charge and the empty flights to and from the base weigh the same on a short hop.

On longer legs the share of these fixed costs falls. An MU-300 from Paris to Nice (1:27 h) starts at EUR 8,500, and London to Nice (1:55 h) at EUR 10,000 one way.

The price covers the whole aircraft, so on London Farnborough - Nice the share per person falls with each passenger, before taxes and fees:

How to fly cheaper

• Ask for several light jets on the same route instead of waiting for a rare MU-300: a Hawker 400XP or Citation CJ2 based nearby often costs less in total.
• Return the same day where the crew's duty time allows, to avoid the crew hotel.
• Keep the departure time flexible, so the operator can link your flight with another trip.

Empty Legs on this type

Empty Legs on the MU-300 Diamond are very rare, simply because so few aircraft fly in Europe. Light jets of the Hawker 400 family and the Citation CJ series appear far more often, mostly in summer between business cities, the Riviera and the islands, at 30-60% below a regular charter. The date and route are fixed, and the leg can be cancelled if the aircraft gets a full charter.

Send your route and a window of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights or check the Empty Legs page; we search the whole class.

MU-300 Diamond or a younger light jet

In practice the choice is between younger aircraft of the same line and the Citation CJ2, all at a similar hourly rate.

How to request the aircraft

For a quote we need:

• route, date and departure time;
• number of passengers and baggage, including skis or golf bags;
• pets travelling with you;
• whether a Hawker 400XP or another light jet is acceptable.

We look for a free MU-300 Diamond with operators holding an AOC and add younger jets of the same size. We always try to offer both, but each case depends on the operator's schedule and contract. Within Schengen there is no passport control, yet the operator needs passport or ID details of every passenger; EU citizens flying to the UK need an ETA.

Questions about the MU-300 Diamond

• • How much does an MU-300 Diamond flight cost?

  • From EUR 3,200 per flight hour for the whole aircraft. In the table Madrid to Ibiza costs from EUR 7,500 and London Farnborough to Geneva from EUR 9,000 one way, before airport fees and passenger taxes.

• • What makes up the price?

  • Flight time with fuel, positioning from a base that is often far away, the crew's hotel on trips with an overnight stay, airport fees, passenger taxes, catering and winter de-icing.

• • How can I pay less?

  • Allow a Hawker 400XP, Nextant 400XT or Citation CJ2 at the same hourly rate: a jet based nearby saves positioning, which on a short leg often matters more than the rate.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the MU-300 Diamond?

  • Very rarely. Empty Legs on other light jets are more common and can be 30-60% cheaper, with a fixed date and route.

• • How many passengers fit?

  • The manufacturer planned six to eight seats. Four people travel most comfortably; with six the cabin is full and baggage has to be limited.

• • Is there a toilet on board?

  • Yes, at the rear of the cabin. How it is separated from the seats depends on the aircraft.

• • How far does the MU-300 fly without a stop?

  • About 2,070 km according to the manufacturer. From Geneva that covers Malaga in 2:23 h, while the Canary Islands need a fuel stop or another jet.

• • What links the MU-300 Diamond to the Hawker 400?

  • Beechcraft took over Mitsubishi's design and sold it as the Beechjet 400, then developed the Beechjet 400A and the Hawker 400XP on the same fuselage.

• • Can the MU-300 land at Sion, Lugano or Courchevel?

  • Sion yes, with a crew trained for the mountain approach. Lugano and Samedan are poor choices for this jet, and the Courchevel altiport is too short, so for the French ski resorts it lands at Chambéry or Geneva.