Five Cheapest Private Jets to Operate

Naturally, the most affordable jets to fly will be among the smallest. All five on this list range from very light to light jets, each of which can be flown by a single pilot. The numbers below, provided by Aircraft Cost Calculator, are based on worldwide averages under the assumption that each aircraft is being flown 200,000 miles a year, operating with a single pilot making $74,100 annually, with the cost of fuel at $5 per gallon. Obviously, those numbers won’t hold true for everybody. The purpose of this blog is simply to be used as a reference when comparing your most affordable options.

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Eclipse EA500/EA550 | $441,043.47 – $446,927.17

Passengers – 5
Cruise Speed – 359 knots

FIXED ANNUAL

Crew – $74,100.00
Hangar – $14,135.00
Insurance – $21,200.00
Training – $13,162.50

DIRECT HOURLY

Fuel – $340.00 (68 gal/hr at $5/gal)
Maintenance – $331.49
Total Per Hour – $671.49

Total Fixed Annual – $122,597.50
Total Direct Annual – $324,329.67

Total Annual Cost – $446,927.17

 

HondaJet HA-420 | $469,335.52

Passengers – 5
Cruise Speed – 420 knots

FIXED ANNUAL

Crew – $74,100.00
Hangar – $22,035.00
Insurance – $18,766.00
Training – $13,845.00

DIRECT HOURLY

Fuel – $540.00 (108 gal/hr at $5/gal)
Maintenance – $282.68
Total Per Hour – $822.68

Total Fixed Annual – $128,746.00
Total Direct Annual – $340,589.52

Total Annual Cost – $469,335.52

For an in-depth review of the HondaJet from a HondaJet pilot, check out René Banglesdorf’s interview with Dave Moore, where they talk performance, range, ideal missions, and much more!

Citation Mustang | $522,789.84

Passengers – 5
Cruise Speed – 331 knots

FIXED ANNUAL

Crew – $74,100.00
Hangar – $23,302.50
Insurance – $13,377.00
Training – $13,162.50

DIRECT HOURLY

Fuel – $405.00 (81 gal/hr at $5/gal)
Maintenance – $356.16
Total Per Hour – $761.16

Total Fixed Annual – $123,942.00
Total Direct Annual – $398,847.84

Total Annual Cost – $522,789.84

 

Embraer Phenom 100 | $527,581.80

Passengers – 5
Cruise Speed – 361 knots

FIXED ANNUAL

Crew – $74,100.00
Hangar – $22,522.50
Insurance – $15,912.00
Training – $13,162.50

DIRECT HOURLY

Fuel – $495.00 (99 gal/hr at $5/gal)
Maintenance – $342.26
Total – $837.26

Total Fixed Annual – $125,697.00
Total Direct Annual – $401,884.80

Total Annual Cost – $527,581.80

 

Citation M2 | $576,394.26

Passengers – 6
Cruise Speed – 393 knots

FIXED ANNUAL

Crew – $74,100.00
Hangar – $26,715.00
Insurance – $17,140.50
Training – $12,870.00

DIRECT HOURLY

Fuel – 605.00 (121 gal/hr at $5/gal)
Maintenance – $405.36
Total Per Hour – $1,010.36

Total Fixed Annual – $130,825.00
Total Direct Annual – $445,568.76

Total Annual Cost – $576,394.26

 

The following aircraft barely missed the cut for the top five most affordable jets to fly (total annual cost included):

Citation CJ1/CJ1+ | $604,343.88 – $608,952.66
Citation CJ2/CJ2+ | $606,362.52 – $638,942.60
Premier 1A | $615,121.10
Citation CJ3/CJ3+ | $675,148.56 – $680,367.84
Citation Bravo | $688,981.20

 

For more detailed information on these and other single-pilot aircraft, check out our Buyers’ Guide for Single-Pilot Planes.

Now that you’ve read up on the most affordable single-pilot planes to operate, want to know more about the fastest single-pilot jets in the world? Check out our blog on the topic.