The Evolution of Private Jet Travel

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The history of starting the trip by private jet is interesting to look at. began only be provided for heads of state and the family of kings. then evolved rapidly in the last 50 years.

In 1960 the private jet owned by the superrich. later developed into a joint ownership in 1980 began to develop until now. Furthermore, with the increasing demand to travel by private jet for the business model even more varied types of services. and in the end cost down even more rapidly.

in the model flying in private services there are many alternatives ranging from on demand jet charter to jet card membership models. and companies that assist in these services varied, with some acting as marketing, there is a broker and there as the operator of the rented jet.

To use the services of a private jet plane when it's already very easy, supported by the network and online activities are very easy to do anytime and anywhere to get the price in accordance with the wishes.

So happy flying

PRIVATE JET CHARTER IN ASIA

One very important area that must have a private jet charter service is southeast asia.with economic growth more stable south east asia will soon become an established economic power, and one country that has great potential in terms of economic strength is Indonesia. Indonesia with economic growth above 5% per year and continues to increase is the fair market account.

Vast territory and many islands and the growth of high mobility viewed and worked on by javajet asia as a potential big market. Being based in Jakarta, they also manage the international charter of executive Aircraft from major operators.

fleet support to private business jet and helicopter charter services are fairly complete, with a range of seating capacities. Among our acres Aircraft Embraer Legacy 600, Embraer 135 Also known as Business Jet, Fokker 100 Executive Jets, a VIP-configured regional jet the which seats 35 passengers, the Embraer 120 turbo-propeller and Citation XLS light jet.

to reach the entire south east asia is not a problem for javajet asia. from thailand, hongkong, china, singapore or malaysia - they are ready to provide That the aircraft so it is ready and waiting for you there.

For Indonesian customers, WHO Want to charter a private Jets outside Indonesia, in co-operations with Their vast network across the globe, They Also source Suitable Aircraft cans for you.

Hainan Airlines Hong Kong Air Operator Certificate will receive the jet in July

Hainan Airlines Hong Kong Air Operator Certificate will receive the jet in July
By Yeo Ghim Lay


New Hainan Airlines Hong Kong-based private jet charter and management arm ofHong Kong to receive the jet from Air Operator Certificate in July, to try to a growingbusiness aviation market in Asia to capture.
It will receive the first aircraft - a Gulfstream G550 - May, Chief Operating OfficerJackie Wu added that the company identifies the first customers for the long-range,large cabin aircraft.
"We hope to have a fleet of two to four aircraft this year, they are all new Gulfstreamaircraft," he added.
Hong Kong Jet will have 12 aircraft by the end of 2012, said Wu. Some of theseaircraft will be managed.
The company will start operations with long-range aircraft to the needs of the region."In Asia, people are long-term aircraft to see so that we do as a plane of the G550, "said Wu. His first three levels, and possibly four, will G550s.
In March, signed by the parent company of Hong Kong, Hainan Airlines jet, a Memorandum of Understanding with Asian Gulfstream Aerospace in Hong Kong forfive G450s and G550s and Dassault Falcon 7X business jet for five.
The aircraft will go to Hong Kong and Deer Jet Jet, China-based business aviation group operating unit of China registered jet.
Hong Kong Jet Wu expects Deer Jet labor, but maintains they maintain theirindependence.

Jet4you signing with a two-tour operators in Europe

19-02-2011
After signing with a two-tour operators in Europe, Jet4you hopes to bring more than 100 000 passengers next summer on thedestination Agadir - Massira.

Agreement has been signed with Sunway Travel Ltd, to bring more than 15,000 passengers to the capital Souss Ireland, and the second with Germany's TUI, to allow more than 30,000 passengers from European cities to use the service to Agadir this summer.

Terms of the contract comes into force next April. Low Cost Morocco continued to increase after the launch of an additional frequency between Paris and Agadir, previously announced for the transport of 55,000 passengers.

New and fenomenal from Jet4you

Jet4You since its fully owned by TUI AG in 2008 showed an increase in the popularity of users who access via the Internet.
in the picture below google trands keywards jet4you much higher number of searchesof the private jet or private Jets

jet4you marocco company continuesto grow by serving flights from maroco andthroughout europe
It offers its services through its Web site, telephone, a customer service center, and anetwork of travel agencies. Jet4You was Founded in 2006 and is based inCasablanca, Morocco.

Super Midsize: Cessna Citation Sovereign

The Cessna Citation Sovereign (316.517.6056, www.cessna.com) "does a lot of things really well," says Robb Report Private Aviation Advisory Board member Kevin O’Leary. "It’s got a lot of range, a nice cabin, and carries plenty of baggage." The Sovereign, however, is perhaps best known for its remarkable short-field performance. "It can operate from a 3,600-foot runway," says O’Leary. "That’s unheard of for an airplane that size." This capability will prove convenient when landing at locations like the Toronto City Airport, which offers no runways longer than 4,000 feet.

Even with its short-field performance, the jet still makes light work of transatlantic flights and trips from California to Hawaii. O’Leary says that the Sovereign fits into an intermediate niche, as it is slightly larger than a midsize jet but less expensive than other jets in the super-midsize category. The Sovereign typically seats nine and sells for about $17.6 million.

—Mary Grady

PRIVATE JET PREDICTIONS FOR 2011 -Private jet booking platform PrivateFly.com looks forward to a year of exciting change in the industry-

By David Castillo

[openPR press release] — At the start of 2011 the private jet industry looks set to continue its cautious post-recession recovery flight path. Here, private jet booking service, PrivateFly.com, has compiled a list of predictions for the industry in the coming year.

PrivateFly’s CEO and founder, Adam Twidell, comments: “2011 promises to be an exciting year ahead. Despite the economic downturn, the last twelve months presented many opportunities for the private jet industry, not least through increased levels of short-term enquiries and bookings due to airline failures during snowfalls, ash clouds and industrial action.

“I am now looking forward to seeing what the New Year has in store for the sector, and believe we will witness many advancements and changes. Here are just some of the things I predict will happen.”

1. Increased cost-consciousness. A key industry trend emerging from the recession is a marked increase in cost-consciousness from private jet customers – which will continue in 2011 as a permanent priority. Both business and leisure users are shopping around more for the best deal, which is driving increased transparency from operators and brokers.
2. Embracing new technology. The private jet industry is finally moving online in an accelerated fashion and 2011 should see the emergence of additional online search and booking functionality. Private jet customers are increasingly demanding the ability to search for prices online, even if many will prefer a personal VIP phone service to confirm the booking. Similarly, increased usage of smart phones and tablets will see further mobile apps emerging for private jet users on the move.
3. Aircraft trends. Certain aircraft types look set to soar in 2011 as customers become more specific in their needs, choosing the right size of aircraft for their trip – at the right price point. For example, the new Embraer Phenom 300 will be a major player in the small and medium-sized jet categories, embracing the gap between the two. Much as Embraer’s Legacy did for the medium to large categories five years ago.
4. Empty legs. These one-way repositioning flights will attract more attention than ever before, as private charter operators find new methods of promoting their available inventory, and the industry continues to coordinate demand and supply. Premium leisure customers with a flexible itinerary will play a key role here, travelling one way by private jet and the other by scheduled airline.
5. Industry consolidation. The industry will continue to tighten as further buyouts and mergers are announced such as smaller operators joining forces; independent FBOs being bought out by the bigger players; more airlines forming alliances with private jet suppliers for VIP transfers; and online networks such as our own bringing a fragmented industry together.
6. Increased travel industry integration. Private jet charter will increasingly be seen by the travel industry as a viable travel option for both business and premium leisure travellers. With improved online functionality and transparency, TMCs and concierge agents can now confidently provide their customers with rapid response quotes and online booking for private jet travel. This will be a major opportunity for new sector growth.
7. Rise of the charter segment. Ad-hoc charter will continue to grow as a sub-sector of the industry as existing private jet users migrate from other options. Increased transparency of pricing and improved VIP service levels from charter brokers has increased charter’s appeal to those trading down from the upfront financial commitment of fractional/full ownership or card schemes.
8. Emerging markets. China will be the key one to watch, with regulations relaxing such as flight plan lead times; expansion of airports and infrastructure; and growth in aircraft manufacturing. In India the high proportion of high net worth individuals will continue to drive demand for changes to their bureaucratic aviation authority.

Adam Twidell continued: “Every cloud has a silver lining and the recession has been a major catalyst for innovation in the private jet industry, which previously had largely remained unchanged for 10 years. The economic conditions remain challenging, but there is much to look forward to in 2011.”

-Ends-

About PrivateFly:

PrivateFly is an online booking network that makes it quicker, easier and more cost effective to arrange private jet charter.

With over 2700 operators registered worldwide, PrivateFly is the only online aggregator for private jet charter in Europe.

PrivateFly combines online efficiency and transparency with offline expertise to offer a full-service VIP charter service to direct customers and partners. The bespoke software has been created in-house specifically to meet the needs of charter customers and operators.

In February 2010 PrivateFly launched the world’s first iPhone application to provide instant private jet pricing on a mobile phone.

PrivateFly was recently announced as one of the Smarta 100 companies 2010, by a judging panel including Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meaden and other leading entrepreneurs, such as Bebo founder Michael Birch. The company also won the innovation category of the Best Business Awards in February 2010.

Founded in 2007, PrivateFly is based in St Albans, Hertfordshire and in 2010 secured first round investment funding to expand the business within the UK and selected international markets.

Famous Private Jets Charter Companies 1

Heritage	The name Hawker is synonymous with aviation. Only seven years after the Wright Brothers made the world's first flight in a powered aircraft, Australian Harry Hawker learned to fly. He went on to set important records, pioneer aircraft designs and flying techniques and established Hawker Siddeley - one of the most famous and respected marques in aviation. Today, the Hawker name lives on in Hawker Pacific, a company originalzly established in Australia in 1927.
Reputation	Hawker Pacific is a leader in aviation sales and product support, both civil and military. It takes the complexity out of owning, operating, servicing, leasing and modifying aircraft by offering a total solutions package. Our client list includes heads of state, defence forces, emergency services, specialist agencies, major corporations and private customers.
Capability	Hawker Pacific's facilities and systems are accredited by aviation authorities around the world, including:

Cessna Restarts Sovereign Line

Cessna last week restarted the Citation Sovereign line, bringing back to life the last of the production lines that were shuttered early last summer. The company recalled 60 workers last week, with plans to recall 120 more over the next two weeks. The workers initially will undergo training before rejoining the line. “All of our assembly lines are back up and running,” a Cessna spokesman said, but added, “albeit, at greatly reduced rates.”
Cessna originally had planned to deliver 535 jets in 2009, but the free-falling general aviation market pushed that number down to 275. Cessna expects to build even fewer jets this year, but further layoffs are not expected.

Cessna had laid off more than 8,000 workers – or about half of its work force – last year. The company’s actions were designed to prepare Cessna for the much lower production rates going forward, the Cessna spokesman said. “We think that’s where we are now,” he said, “We think the company’s sized for planned production in 2010.” Cessna parent Textron is expected to further define Cessna’s production plans when it releases its fourth quarter results and 2010 guidance on Jan. 28.

In addition to restarting Sovereign production, Cessna is increasing the build rate of the new eight-passenger, $8.75 million Citation CJ4, which had attracted 70 orders the day it was announced and more than 150 orders by the time the first production model rolled out Nov. 16. While the first production CJ4 proceeds to completion, three flight test aircraft are in the process of earning certification so that customer deliveries will be on schedule in 2010.

Photo credit: Cessna
By Kerry Lynch

Charter a Boeing Business Jet

 

The Boeing Business Jet is valued for its range capability and cabin size and this model enhances both attributes of the private BBJ family. It can travel non-stop between business centers such as New York and Cairo, Paris and Beijing, or Los Angeles and London. The Boeing Business Jet has marvelous interior and hudge capability: 21 to 140 passengers.
The most popular destinations of the flights of our Boeing Business Jets are LAG, LAS, Las Vegas, LAX, LGA, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, NY, NYC, San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, BUR, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, EWR Newark, Honolulu, Houston, LA, La Guardia, San Jose, Santa Monica, Seattle, SF, SMO, HPN Westchester Co, ISP Long Island Mac Arthur, JFK, John F Kennedy, TEB, Teterboro, VNY, Washington.

Private Jet Charter Prices – 8 factors to determine charter cost

Prices given by private jet charter companies vary widely, we must understand about the components that determine the price they gave.
By understanding the pricing component of private jet charter services, then we will not be fooled by the cheap prices determined by the agents. we certainly do not want to suddenly have a very large additional cost or no we can not arrive on time at the meeting place for transport not properly prepared.
To determine the cost of private aircraft charter determined by several factors.
The following factors are quite important factors determining the standard calculation of private jet charter prices per hour :      
  

1.      Charter companies management, maintenance and acquisition costs

2.      Aircraft age (Original manufacture date, Number of cycles on the engines, Interior refurbishment, and Number of hours the aircraft is available for charter in a particular year )

3.      Safety status - All aircraft are verified by independent auditors such as ARG/US, Wyvern or Q-Star.

4.      Aircraft type - determined by ( Helicopters, Turbo Props, Light Jets, Mid-Sized Jets , Heavy Jets, and Airliners )

5.      Time and Length of trip (Same day round trip – occasional, Weekend trip - typically require overnight costs, and Several days)

6.      Repositioning - Occurs when: (Aircraft is chartered from an airport it is not based, Not all airports are bases to aircrafts, and Aircraft availability shortage at desired airport )

7.      Concierge Services requested (In-Flight catering, Luxury car rental or limousine service, Hotel accommodation, and Tickets to requested events)

8.     Other Fees ( fuel surcharge, Landing fees, FBO Service fees, and Carbon offsets )

Typical private jet charter prices  /hr:

·        Helicopters charter prices - 1000/hr up to 5000/hr

·        Turbo Props charter prices - 1550/hr up to 2500

·        Light Jets charter prices - 2250/hr up to 3450/hr

·        Mid-Sized Jets charter prices - 3450/hr up to 5000/hr

·        Heavy Jets charter prices - 5000/hr up to 9000/hr

·        Airliners charter prices - 6500/hr and up

First Supersonic Private Jet - Aerion Supersonic Jet

This is the Aerion Supersonic Business Jet, the first private plane that will fly at 1.6 Mach. The first unit has just been purchased by Sheikh Rashid, the ruler of Dubai. This bird will be able to fly the Ellisons, Jobs and Gores of this world from Paris to New York in just over 4 hours, so even while it has a $80,000,000 price tag, there will be no demand problems for it. The aircraft specs are amazing:

Aerion Supersonic Jet

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Thanks to its design, the Aerion Supersonic Business Jet will be able to cruise at 1.15 Mach over land without producing any boom on the ground. The plane can also keep a 0.98 Mach speed offering a similar cost-per-mile than competing subsonic private jets and complying with US regulations. Over water, however, you will be free to speed it up and sustain 1.5 Mach with ease. To give you an idea, at this speed the Aerion can cross the Atlantic in two hours (it has a 4,600 miles range over 45,400 pounds of fuel) thanks to its Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 engines.
Unlike the Concorde, which could only fly to certain airports through the world because of its operative requirements, this supersonic jet is designed to comply with environmental, sound and airport regulations everywhere. For example, the Aerion can land in just 3,460 feet, which makes it usable in most airports and a prime candidate to be Larry Ellison's next private plane.
Design-wise, the Aerion looks even better than the fastest turboprop private plane. At least, it looks stunning except for the color. But hey, for $80,000,000 I'm sure they will be able to deliver it in secret-plane black with alien markings.
The Aerion Supersonic Business Jet will be delivered in 2014, so you only need to decide if you want to spend $250,000 now for one of the forty "early delivery positions" or wait a couple more years to get it on a Black Friday, just like the rest of us. [Aerion]

Should Private Jet Fliers Have to Suffer Security Checks?

Private jet companies and their lobbyists are fuming over new rules that could subject some of their well-heeled passengers to security reviews. But don’t worry, private jet-setters still wouldn’t have to go through a metal detector or suffer the indignity of a buzz wand if the rules go through.
Associated Press


Is this the fate of Richistan passport holders, too?

The Department of Homeland Security has proposed background checks on pilots and checking passenger names against terrorist watch lists. Operators of international private-plane flights to and from the U.S. would be required to electronically provide full advance lists of passengers and crew an hour before departure. There also would be some limits on what people can take on board.

The new rules would cover planes weighing more than 12,500 pounds, which would include most jets.

The measures are aimed at addressing what some see as a gaping hole in national security–private planes don’t have anywhere near the same security standards as commercial planes.

“Increasingly, we have to look at general aviation as a threat vector, not because of a specific threat, but simply because the difference between security in commercial aviation and security in general aviation has grown and that difference creates a vulnerability,” Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff said last fall.

Yet the National Business Aviation Association–the lobbying group for the private jet industry–says the rules are “overly broad,” expensive and cumbersome. It also says that checking passenger names against the terrorist list could be an intrusion of privacy and that the information won’t be secure.

“I don’t think there’s a clear, demonstrated ability to secure this data,” Douglas Carr, vice president of the NBAA, told the New York Times.

Companies that use jets add that if flight information leaks out, their secret business plans and the stealthy movement of their executives could get out.

The real issue here is time and privacy. People take private jets for two reasons: to save time and the hassle of airport screening and delays, and to be able to travel, at any time, without the public knowing where they are going.

These rules would impinge on both. But would they ruin the industry or (far worse) make the experience of flying private class as bad as flying commercial? Hardly.

I would file this one under “small price to pay.” The wealthy and corporate fliers can accept a quick background check and limits on what they can take aboard for the sake of national security. Besides, many companies and private fliers have staff that could handle the checks and clearances quickly.

At a time of shared sacrifice, it seems to me that submitting to a quick computer check and cargo check is a reasonable request.

Then again, I don’t own a jet. What do you think readers?

By Robert Frank

CHEAP PRIVATE JET FLIGHTS

Top 7 Steps to Negotiate the Best Quote for a Private Jet Charter
By Neal Rodriguez


You want to shop around for your next private jet charter flight to see if you could get a better rate. You go to a private jet charter broker's website; you enter your itinerary; you get the $16,000 automated quote for a New York to Miami flight for which you paid $14,000 with another broker last month. You know you probably blew twice as much as that 2 grand markup at the Cesaer's Palace last month; but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas right? 'These guys are nuts,' you cry out hitting the back button on your browser.

Don't let the automated quoting systems on private jet charter websites limit your options. Always keep in mind that the quote you receive on automated systems are approximate and can be beat 90% of the time by the firm's aviation specialist to whom your quote is assigned.

1. Ensure that you enter your phone number and email address in the quote form and wait for an email or call from an aviation specialist to get the most competitive quote. Leave a comment indicating the best time and best method at which you could be reached. Follow up by contacting your carrier's info@yourcarrier.com email address within 24 hours of submitting your quote, in case some external obstacle out of your carrier's control has prevented a specialist from contacting you.
2. Some automated quoting interfaces allow you to leave your contact information and search for a flight, without the need to submit it. When you don't submit your quote, the aviation specialist will only have your contact information, and he/she will be unable to start the search for your preferred aircraft 
   immediately. Remember, aviation specialists have to search for available aircraft by sorting and investigating their list of operators that manage private jets.
   
   Allow yourself and the broker as much time as possible to search for the aircraft, and price you prefer. Surf back to your carrier's website and submit your quote with your point of origin and destination, even if the quote is priced outside your budget. Then email your carrier at the info email address and ask if your trip can be accommodated on your budget; include your approximate budget in a range - e.g. $20K to $25K, preferred aircraft, departure and destination. This way, your carrier can start seeking the most competitive quote for your charter flight immediately. Your aviation specialist has more time to search for your preferred aircraft, and price.
   
   If you just leave your contact information without submitting your quote, and a specialist is unable to reach you for a day, that's a day of time that the specialist could have been searching for your preferred aircraft and price. Remember, planes are available for charter on a first come first serve basis. If you are quoted a short trip online on a Learjet 45 for $10K and your budget is for $8K, your Aviation Specialist may have another contact that could do the trip for $8K. Your specialist may receive a call from a client requesting that Learjet 45 on the day he/she could not contact you and secure it for the other passenger.
3. Let the broker know what you have budgeted for your trip. Your broker needs to know the budget to immediately rule out quotes that are out of your price range.
4. Let the broker know at which speed you have to get to your destination; private jet travel is scheduled to fly and land when you decide. The specialist should know what aircraft is required to fly to your destination on time.
5. Disclose the lowest quotes you received from other private jet charter companies. You may find that the last trip you were quoted had too high a markup for you to swallow. A professional aviation specialist will take a cut on his standard margin just to get your business. However, the specialist can only do that if he/she knows what you've been quoted elsewhere. Don't lie; aviation specialists have a good sense of the general price range of a trip. If you give them a price that is below that range they will know and stop wasting their time with you.
6. Let your broker know what peripheral services you require: catering, ground transportation, security. Ensure all amenities are included in the final quote, so the aviation specialist wont have an excuse to markup the quote after its written.
7. Secure your flight as soon as your Aviation Specialist finds the ideal aircraft and quote suited for your budget, for aircraft is available on a first come first serve basis.
   
   Neal Rodriguez formulates and executes interactive strategy for Imperial Jets, a private jet charter brokerage firm based out of New York City with offices in Miami and London. Visit Imperial Jets to secure luxury charter travel on a light, mid, super-mid, or heavy sized private jet.
   

10 Best-Selling Private Jets

1. Citation XLS
Cessna Aircraft
Manufactured in Wichita


MSRP: $10.64 million
Current used value: $11.4 million
Fractional ownership: Netjets, CitationShares

Capacity: 2 crew, 12 passengers
Cabin dimensions: H: 68 in. x W: 66 in. x L: 24 ft.
Top speed: 506 mph
Range: 2,138 miles
2006 sale: 73

2. CJ3
Cessna Aircraft
Manufactured in Wichita


MSRP: $6.26 million
Current used value: $7.2 million
Fractional ownership: CitationShares

Capacity: 2 crew, 8 passengers
Cabin dimensions: 57 in. x 58 in. x 20 ft., 7 in.
Top speed: 480 mph
Range: 2,158 miles
2006 sales: 72

3. G550
Gulfstream Aerospace
Manufactured in Savannah, Ga.


MSRP: $46.67 million
Current used value: $55 million
Fractional ownership: Netjets

Capacity: 4 crew, 14 passengers
Cabin dimensions: 6 ft., 2 in. x 7 ft., 4 in. x 50 ft., 1 in.
Top speed: 562 mph
Range: 6,675 miles
2006 sales (including G500): 71

4. Citation Sovereign
Cessna Aircraft
Manufactured in Wichita


MSRP: $15.45 million
Current used value: $16.4 million
Fractional ownership: Netjets, CitationShares

Capacity: 2 crew, 12 passengers
Cabin dimensions: 68 in. x 66 in. x 30 ft., 9 in.
Top speed: 527 mph
Range: 3,276 miles
2006 sales: 57

5. Hawker 850XP
Raytheon Aircraft
Manufactured in Wichita


MSRP: $13.79 million
Current used value: $12.8 million
Fractional ownership: Netjets, Flight Options

Capacity: 2 crew, 15 passengers
Cabin dimensions: 5 ft., 9 in. x 6 ft. x 21 ft., 4 in.
Top speed: 516 mph
Range: 2,752 miles
2006 sales: 56

6. Challenger 300
Bombardier Business Aircraft
Manufactured in Montreal


MSRP: $19.21 million
Current used value: $23.5 million
Fractional ownership: Flexjet

Capacity: 2 crew, 11 passengers
Cabin dimensions: 6 ft., 1 in. x 5 ft., 1 in. x 28 ft., 6 in.
Top speed: 541 mph
Range: 3,567 miles
2006 sales: 55


7. Hawker 400XP
Raytheon Aircraft
Manufactured in Wichita


MSRP: $7.15 million
Current used value: $5.5 million
Fractional ownership: Netjets, Flight Options

Capacity: 2 crew, 9 passengers
Cabin dimensions: 4 ft, 9 in. x 4 ft., 11 in. x 15 ft., 6 in.
Top speed: 518 mph
Range: 1,008 miles
2006 sales: 53

8. CJ2+
Cessna Aircraft
Manufactured in Wichita


MSRP: $5.78 million
Current used value: $6.05 million
Fractional ownership: N/A

Capacity: 2 crew, 8 passengers
Cabin dimensions: 57 in. x 58 in. x 18 ft., 6 in.
Top speed: 481 mph
Range: 1,856 miles
2006 sales: 36

9. Learjet 45 (tie)
Bombardier Business Aircraft
Manufactured in Wichita


MSRP: $11.15 million
Current used value: $10.3 million
Fractional ownership: Flexjet

Capacity: 2 crew, 9 passengers
Cabin dimensions: 4 ft., 9 in. x 5 ft., 1 in. x 19 ft., 8 in.
Top speed: 535 mph
Range: 2,284 miles
2006 sales: 30

10. Falcon 2000EX (tie)
Dassault Aviation
Manufactured in Bordeaux, France


MSRP: $27.2 million
Current used value: $29.5 million
Fractional ownership: Netjets

Capacity: 2 crew, 8 passengers
Cabin dimensions: 6 ft., 2 in. x 7 ft., 8 in. x 26 ft., 4 in.
Top speed: 555 mph
Range: 4,371 miles
2006 sales: 30

Best-Selling Private Jets

As the rich get richer, private jet travel is bigger than ever. Which planes are most popular with today’s tycoons?
By Douglas MacMillan


Private jet sales are flying high. In 2006 a total of 885 business jets were shipped worldwide, up 18% over the year before, and 185% more than 10 years earlier. A steady stream of wealthy executives looking to avoid the hassles of commercial flight is driving sales in charter companies, fractional ownership programs, and of wholly owned planes. What’s more, most jets purchased in 2006 have seen an increase in market value, a rarity for the industry.

Cessna Aircraft, of Wichita, Kan., had the lion’s share of sales in 2006, delivering record numbers of its popular Citation XLS, Citation Sovereign, CJ2, and CJ3 models. Jets made by Gulfstream, Bombardier, Raytheon, and Dassault round out this slide show of the best-selling models of 2006.

Notes: All rankings based on sales for 2006. 2006 MSRP and current used value estimations are provided by industry price guide Vref. Sales data obtained from the General Aviation Manufacturers Assn.
Read the story

More Slide Shows

The World's Richest People

Priciest Private Jets
Lauren Sherman

What does a billionaire do when having a private jet becomes so affordable that mere millionaires can swing the cost?

He trades up--to a Boeing 747-8, say, or to a Airbus 380--costing $280 million and $300 million, respectively.

Back in 1996, when Boeing introduced the first "personal use" version of one of its commercial airliners, the $30 million Boeing Business Jet (a reconfigured 737) was treated as the last word in spaciousness and luxury. Now, compared with competing luxe lifts, a 737 looks like mashed potatoes.
In Pictures: Priciest Private Jets

Boeing's far larger 747-8 won't be ready for flight until 2010, and Airbus' 380 has been pushed back to the middle of the next decade. But these two giants should be worth billionaires' wait. Just outfitting their cavernous interiors with the little touches that make a plane a home--mahogany paneling, gold-plated fixtures and maybe a Jacuzzi or a screening room--could cost an owner $20 million.

Buyers kicking the tires of these behemoths probably own several other planes, says Steven Hill, president of Boeing Business Jet. Out of the four customers who have pre-purchased the 747-8, two were previous owners of smaller Boeing Business Jets, and their main motivation is to "get the latest and greatest," says Hill. "These people are fleet planning--they're planning their future."

Reported owners of Boeing aircrafts include Russian oil tycoon Roman Abromavich as well as Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) guys Larry Page and Serge Brin. Other private jet-owning billionaires include Sergio Mantegazza (Falcon 900), Philip Green and Lakshmi Mittal (who both own Gulfstream G550s).

But perhaps the most luxe jet out there is the Airbus 380. What do you get for $300 million? For starters, plenty of room.

Jennifer Clay, principal of J. Clay Consulting, a New York City firm that advises major players in the airline industry, says a big, yacht-like reconfiguration of what was once a 180-person commercial jet allows an owner do something he perhaps could not in smaller private plane: stand up.

Lack of headroom on smaller jets, says Clay, is a cause of concern for many owners.

Greg Thomas, CEO of Privatair, an aviation company controlled by billionaire Spiro Latsis' group Paneuropean Oil and Industrial Holdings, agrees that the reason for these planes' appeal has everything to do with their interior potential.

An owner willing to restrict use of his plane to his own travel (not allowing it to be rented out to third parties) can, according to regulation, outfit the cabin with amenities to suit his every whim.

"There are two different standards [for cabin design]," explains Thomas. "If you're flying it commercial, you have to apply all sorts of stringent safely standards. It really limits the type of materials and configuration you can have. If you have a private design, you can more or less do what you like on board."

Two thirds of Privatair's jet owners have decided to do just that.

"There are some extraordinary VIP interiors around," says Thomas, particularly those on aircraft belonging to Gulf States royalty. Monarchs, he notes, "really go to town on their airplanes." One royal family mounted a Webcam on its plane's exterior, the better to enjoy clouds and rainbows, whose images were projected onto an interior 8-by-4-foot screen.

With that kind of technology, who needs the window seat?
In Pictures: Priciest Private Jets