A Buyer's Guide to Finding the Best Midsize Private Jet

If you’ve been tasked with locating and purchasing a business jet for your company, and you’ve narrowed down the list of possibilities to midsize private jets, we have good news and bad news.

The bad news: The private jet industry is booming right now, and there’s lots of competition and low inventory of used jets.

The good news: A large number of midsize private jets were manufactured in recent years, so you’ll still have plenty of choices so that you can select the best private jet for your company.

Let’s explore what makes the best business jet and a few options you may want to consider. Then, discover where you can find a midsize private jet for sale through a dealer you can trust.

What Makes the Best Business Jet?
The term “the best” is a description of pure subjectivity. What makes a business jet the “best” for one company may make it less desirable for another.

Truthfully, the best business jet for you is one that meets all your business needs. So to determine which is the best, you’ll need to assemble a list of the features you need. You will want to consider:

• Flight length and duration. How far will you need to travel all at once?
• Passenger accommodations. How many passengers must fit aboard your private jet?
• What creature comforts are you seeking for the cabin? Do you need a private lavatory? Is a small galley adequate? Do you require in-flight entertainment options?
• Does your company pilot need specific avionics equipment or upgrades?
• How much money is within your budget to put toward aircraft ownership costs?
• And more

Compare the qualities of each midsize jet for sale with your company’s wish list. Remember that even used business jets can undergo cabin remodels and avionics suite upgrades. So if you find a midsize private jet that otherwise meets your criteria and has low engine hours and cycles, investing in some changes may be the best option for you and your company.

Which Midsize Jets for Sale Should I Consider?
Many midsize jets have a reputation for excellence and remain in demand, even years after their manufacturers stopped producing them.

• Cessna Citation Latitude
  First released in 2015, the Citation Latitude became one of Cessna’s best-selling jets and perhaps one of the most popular in the world. While production ceased in 2020, it’s still an impressive midsize jet.
  
  Its maximum range is 2,700 knots with a service ceiling of 45,000 feet. Capable of up to seven hours of travel at once, the Citation Latitude’s routes include Los Angeles to New York or Geneva to Dubai.
  
  This midsize private jet carries up to nine passengers and two crew members in a cabin that’s 6.4 feet wide, 21.75 feet long, and six feet tall. A baggage capacity of 100 cubic feet plus a closet holds all luggage and changes of clothing.
  
  In the all-glass cockpit, find the Garmin G5000 avionics system, synthetic vision system, and 3-D terrain rendering. Anticipate spending about $2 million per year on all costs of operation, if you fly about 300 hours per year. Learn more about the Cessna Citation Latitude. 
  
   
• Cessna Citation Sovereign
  Since its release in 2004, the Cessna Citation Sovereign has been in demand, thanks to its coast-to-coast, transcontinental range. Its maximum range is a whopping 3,010 knots, with a 47,000-foot service ceiling.
  
  The cabin is 5.5 feet wide, 25.3 feet long, and 5.7 feet high, but fits up to 12 passengers in its variety of layouts, including eight individual seats, two- or three-piece divans, and a single seat near the cabin door.

The Citation Sovereign is equipped with a closet near the galley, a closet inside the lavatory, and a heated baggage hold accessible from the exterior. The Airshow in-flight entertainment system and LED cabin lights make spending hours aboard the plane both productive and enjoyable.

In the cockpit, your pilot will enjoy a glass-panel Honeywell Primus E[pic avionics system and digital engine controls, automatic functions at start-up, and stall control technology. Jet owners should anticipate an annual operating cost between $1 million and $1.5 million. Read more about this Cessna mid-sized jet.

• Bombardier Challenger 300
  Bombardier released the Continental at the 1999 Paris Air Show, but renamed it the Challenger 300 in 2004 upon its official launch. This jet is capable of flying coast-to-coast across the U.S. in either direction and can even make transcontinental flights, making it a good substitute for a more expensive large jet.

Considered a super midsize jet, the Challenger 300 seats eight passengers and two crew members and flies a maximum range of 3,340 knots with a service ceiling of 45,000 feet. Its roomy cabin is nearly 29 feet long, more than six feet tall, and seven feet wide, the largest in its category. Its luggage closet is spacious enough for 66 carry-on sized suitcases.

In the cockpit, you’ll find a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Advanced glass-panel avionics system and Rockwell Collins’ Integrated Flight Information System. Some are equipped with the Rockwell Collins MultiScan Threat Detection System, too, or can be upgraded to include it.

The Challenger 300 has a 99.79 percent dispatch reliability rate and is a superstar when it comes to retaining value. Expect to spend between $1 million and $1.5 million on operating expenses each year. Learn why the Bombardier Challenger 300 is so special.

• Beechcraft Hawker 800XP
  A third-generation of its series, the Hawker 800XP was made in Britain from 1995 to 2005. Thanks to its small size, it’s capable of using short runways, while still flying between New York and Los Angeles or Singapore and Beijing with ease with up to six passengers (although it can carry up to eight passengers on shorter flights).
  
  The Hawker 800XP has a maximum range of 2,620 knots and a service ceiling of 41,000 feet. The cabin is 6 feet wide; 5 feet, 9 inches tall; and 21 feet, 4 inches long. Its interior baggage area holds up to 16 medium-sized suitcases.
  
  Inside the cockpit, find an original Honeywell SPZ-800 avionics suit, including GPS, Dual RCZ-850 integrated High Frequency communications, GPWS, dual autopilot, Primus 870 weather radar, and a TCAS II. Flight and systems information projects across five screens, with analog controls. Updated avionics from Honeywell are available for this jet.

Plan to allot between $1 million and $1.5 million in operating costs for this Beechcraft jet. Learn more about the Hawker 800XP.

Other Jets to Consider
If none of these jets catch your eye, you might consider a number of other mid-sized private jets for sale, such as:

• Bombardier Learjet 60
• Dassault Falcon 900
• Gulfstream G200
• Nextant 400XTi
• Embraer Legacy 650

Where Can I Find Business Jets for Sale?
The most reputable and reliable place to find listings of private jets for sale is Aircraft Exchange, the exclusive online marketplace of the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA). This search portal was created to provide buyers with an efficient way to find and purchase used private jets from the most ethical dealers and brokers in the world.

Only IADA Accredited Aircraft Dealers can list aircraft for sale on AircraftExchange. These dealers participate in rigorous education to remain current on topics within the private aviation industry and in acquiring and selling business jets.

Each aircraft for sale on the website undergoes a thorough vetting process, including an examination of serial numbers, tail numbers, and other identifying features to assess the validity of the listing. Each listing is full of relevant data, including airframe, total hours, cycles, maintenance tracking and program coverage, engines, APU, and more.

Begin shopping for midsize jets for sale on AircraftExchange.com, and contact a dealer to get started on the purchase process.