Beechcraft King Air 200

The Beechcraft King Air 200 is a twin turboprop with a T-tail and a pressurised cabin, built in several generations: 200, B200, B200GT, King Air 250 and the King Air 260 in production. Many European operators fly it as an air taxi or air ambulance; the Norwegian air ambulance service, for example, ordered ten King Air 250. We are a broker and ask for offers from operators with a free aircraft near your departure.

Cabin: club seats, a toilet at the rear and no galley

According to Textron Aviation the King Air 260 cabin is 5.08 m long, 1.45 m high and 1.37 m wide, and the B200 and 250 share the fuselage. The cross-section is almost square, so there is room at the walls, but you walk with your head bowed. The usual executive layout of a King Air 200 has four club seats with tables and two forward-facing seats behind them; in newer interiors the seats slide, swivel and recline.

Baggage, skis and the weight limit

The compartment closes off the King Air 200 cabin at the rear, so it is heated and you can reach it in flight. Long items go in through the cabin door, so we give the operator their size in advance.

• Six people: a medium suitcase and a bag each
• Four people: room for skis or golf bags next to the cases
• Every extra passenger and suitcase means less fuel, so with six on board the range is about 1,180 km

Versions, performance and short runways

In charter you meet several generations:

• 200 with PT6A-41 engines
• B200 with PT6A-42 engines and higher cabin pressure, a differential of up to 6.5 psi
• B200GT with PT6A-52 engines, which perform better at altitude
• King Air 250 with composite propellers and a shorter take-off
• King Air 260 with the same engines, autothrottle, digital pressurisation control and a new weather radar

Textron gives the runway figures at the maximum weight of 5,670 kg and at sea level. On commercial flights the operator adds margins, but a King Air 200 still uses airfields where many jets fly with restrictions or not at all.

What matters on European routes

UK domestic legs such as London - Edinburgh need a UK operator, while any EU operator may fly Madrid - Ibiza. Nice and Geneva are slot-coordinated, so on summer weekends and winter Saturdays book early.

King Air 200 routes from European hubs

Thirty-two one-way legs from all thirteen hubs, from Zurich - Lugano at 164 km to London Farnborough - Palma at 1,332 km, every one without a fuel stop. Times are for a newer aircraft such as the King Air 250, so an older B200 takes a little longer. Prices are for the whole aircraft with crew, without airport fees and passenger taxes.

Up to two hours: where a turboprop costs least

Two to four hours: non-stop with four or five on board

• Lugano, Jersey, Figari and Ibiza from Madrid: a light jet saves at most about 20 minutes, and the turboprop costs less
• Vienna - Split, Geneva - Olbia and Paris - Saint-Tropez: typical King Air 200 legs, also with six people and moderate baggage
• Zurich - Palma (2:29 h) and London Farnborough - Saint-Tropez (2:36 h): non-stop with four or five on board
• London Farnborough - Palma (3:10 h): only with three or four passengers, otherwise the operator plans a fuel stop
• Lisbon and Greece from central Europe: a light jet is more than an hour quicker; the Canary Islands need a larger jet

The calculator shows an indicative price for the King Air 200 or a turboprop of the same class on your own route, including smaller airfields.

What a King Air 200 charter costs

The indicative rate is EUR 2,300 per flight hour for the whole aircraft with crew and fuel. A short leg costs more than the rate multiplied by the flight time: Zurich - Lugano takes 0:50 h and starts at EUR 6,500, because positioning from the operator's base and a minimum charge per flight are built in.

With distance the hour gets cheaper. Madrid - Ibiza (1:25 h) costs from EUR 8,000, Geneva - Olbia (1:48 h) from EUR 9,000, and Zurich - Palma (2:29 h) from EUR 10,500. As the price is for the aircraft, six passengers pay the least per person.

The quote covers the whole aircraft; split between the passengers, Madrid - Ibiza comes to:

Ways to pay less for the same trip

For two or three passengers with little baggage on a leg under an hour, a single-engine turboprop can cost less than a King Air 200. Shared flights are rare on this type, so we do not promise them.

Empty Legs on the King Air 200

With so many aircraft in Europe, empty King Air 200 legs come up from time to time, often after air taxi or medical flights and in summer between the Alps, the Riviera and the islands. They can be 30-60% cheaper than a full charter; these are examples, not a guarantee.

Similar aircraft clients compare

Clients usually weigh the King Air 200 against the longer King Air, a single-engine Pilatus, a faster twin turboprop and a light jet.

What we need to find an aircraft

Give us the route, date and departure time, the number of passengers and the baggage, especially skis, bicycles and pets. If the King Air 200 should depart from a smaller airfield, say so, and we check fuel and handling there.

Questions about the Beechcraft King Air 200

• • How much does a King Air 200 flight cost?

  • London Farnborough to Jersey (1:00 h) starts at EUR 7,000, Vienna to Split at EUR 8,500 and Munich to Dubrovnik at EUR 9,500, for the whole aircraft one way according to the table. The rate starts at EUR 2,300 per flight hour; airport fees and passenger taxes are added.

• • What is in the price and what comes on top?

  • Aircraft, crew and fuel, with positioning and the minimum charge built in. Airport and handling fees, passenger taxes, catering, winter de-icing and crew hotels on a return after several days come on top, all listed in the quote.

• • How can I make the trip cheaper?

  • Return the same day where the duty time allows, accept an older B200 on short legs, depart from where an operator keeps its aircraft and give a time window. Ask about Empty Legs as well.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the King Air 200?

  • Yes, from time to time, because many operators fly the type. They can be 30-60% cheaper, with a fixed date and route and the risk of cancellation if the aircraft gets a full charter.

• • How many people can fly in a King Air 200?

  • The cabin usually has six to eight seats. Four to six people travel comfortably with baggage, but with six on board the range drops to about 1,180 km.

• • Is there a toilet?

  • Usually yes, at the rear of the cabin, behind a door or only a curtain. In a King Air 200 converted for other work it may be missing, so we confirm it with the operator before booking.

• • Can we fly non-stop from London to Palma?

  • Yes, with three or four passengers and bags: London Farnborough to Palma takes 3:10 h and costs from EUR 12,000. With six people the operator usually plans a fuel stop, because the aircraft cannot then take full fuel.

• • Will skis and golf bags fit, and can the dog come?

  • With four people, usually yes, in the compartment at the rear; with a full cabin give the number and length of the items. A dog flies in the cabin once the operator agrees and its EU pet documents are in order.

• • How short a runway can it use?

  • Textron gives 643 m for take-off and 867 m for landing for the King Air 260 at maximum weight and sea level. The operator adds margins, but La Môle, Lugano and Samedan are all in the King Air 200 table.