Hourly operating costs of 45 jets compared Hourly operating costs of 45 jets compared

At AOPA’s request, aircraft purchase advisor Conklin & de Decker has estimated hourly operating costs for 45 jets likely to be at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Las Vegas. These are variable costs and include fuel, maintenance (parts and labor), engine reserves, auxiliary power units if applicable, and miscellaneous expenses to include crew travel, catering and cabin supplies, landing and parking fees—all boiled down to a single number.

David Wyndham, president and co-owner of Conklin & de Decker, made these comparisons.

As a quick summary, the least expensive to operate is a Cirrus Vision SF50 jet at $661.53 per hour. The most expensive, as you might expect, is a private airliner. The Airbus ACJ320 ultra-long-range, large-cabin business jet comes in at $7,964.69 per hour, while the Boeing BBJ 2 ultra-long-range, large-cabin business aircraft comes in at $7,674.95. A BBJ 3 is less expensive at $7,396.29.

The Eclipse comes in at $888.59, while a Gulfstream G650 is $4,843.16 per hour. Looking at additional manufacturers, an Embraer Lineage 1000E costs $5,827.32 per hour, while a Cessna Citation Mustang is $1,015.37. A Cessna Citation X+ is $4,098.69, while the new Cessna Latitude is $2,935.67. The Nextant 400XTi comes in at $1,623.06, and the SyberJet SJ30 at $1,607.77. A Dassault Falcon 8X costs $3,803.75 per hour while a Learjet 75 is $2,172.31, and a Bombardier Challenger 850 is $3,544.71. The Cessna Citation CJ4 is $1,970.13 per hour. Embraer’s Phenom 300 costs $1,757.53 per hour.

The company estimates that the HondaJet costs $1,134.90 per hour to operate.