The world of private jets, explained
How much does it cost to fly private?
Find out in ten seconds — for any two of 180 cities, every class of jet, per seat. Then keep going: who owns which jet, what’s inside, how fast, how far, and whether you could ever afford one. All free.
Editorial estimates from 2026 charter benchmarks. No sign-up, no sales call. Or skip the numbers and fly it, minute by minute →
✦ A Gulfstream G650ER burns roughly 470 US gallons of jet fuel per hour at cruise, about enough to fill 30 family cars every hour it is airborne.✦ Business aviation accounts for about 2 percent of aviation's emissions and roughly 0.04 percent of global man-made carbon emissions, according to its trade association.✦ Learjet founder Bill Lear also co-created the first practical car radio and invented the 8-track tape cartridge before building his first jet in 1963.✦ A Gulfstream G650ER carries about 48,200 pounds of fuel, more than 7,000 US gallons, which is more than the aircraft weighs empty of fuel and passengers.✦ In 2019 a Bombardier Global 7500 flew nonstop from Sydney to Detroit, 8,225 nautical miles, the longest flight ever by a purpose-built business jet.✦ The Bombardier Global 8000 is certified to cruise at Mach 0.94 and reached Mach 0.95 in testing, making it the fastest civil aircraft since Concorde retired in 2003.✦ 24,200 business jets in the world
Popular routes, priced
Any route →New York → Miami
$17,643 – $25,507 one-way
London → Nice
$13,200 – $18,900 one-way
New York → London
$88,858 – $139K one-way
Los Angeles → Las Vegas
$13,200 – $18,900 one-way
Dubai → London
$87,164 – $136K one-way
Hong Kong → Singapore
$23,709 – $34,528 one-way
Paris → Ibiza
$13,200 – $18,900 one-way
New York → Aspen
$39,224 – $57,116 one-way
~740 business jets are probably in the air right now (estimate)
New · Sky ViewLand at St Barts. Ride the Davos airlift. In 3D.
Legendary approach
St Barts: the drop over the hill
Clear a ridge with a roundabout on top, dive for a runway barely 2,100 feet long and stop before the beach — one of the most famous landings in the world.
Every January
Davos week: the great Alpine airlift
Every January the World Economic Forum turns Switzerland into one of the busiest business-aviation hubs on Earth. Follow a jet from New York to Zurich and on into the Alps — and watch everyone else converge.
Fly it in 3D
Your route, on a real globe
Pick two cities and a jet, then ride along from the cockpit, the window seat or a chase plane — on real satellite imagery.
Who flies what
Elon Musk’s G650ER, Drake’s 767, Taylor Swift’s Falcon, the Sultan of Brunei’s 747 — 55 of the world’s most talked-about aircraft, with reported prices and the stories behind them.
Explore famous jets →Play with it
Fly it
A simulated private flight, minute by minute, with the bill running.
Which private jet are you?
Eight questions, one aircraft, zero cost.
Build your private jet
Spec the cabin, pick the paint, see the real bill.
Could you afford it?
Your income and savings vs the private-jet ladder.
Rumours & legends
The gold 747, the $3,000 biscuits — checked.
Rankings
All rankings →
Most expensive
Boeing Business Jets BBJ 787-8
$250M
Longest range
Boeing Business Jets BBJ 787-8
9,945 nm
Fastest
Bombardier Global 8000
Mach 0.94
Cheapest new jet
Cirrus Aircraft Vision Jet SF50 G2+
$3.5M
8,200 nm
Longest range business jet
Gulfstream G800
Mach 0.94 (Mach 0.95 in testing)
Fastest business jet
Bombardier Global 8000
8,225 nm, Sydney to Detroit (2019)
Longest flight by a purpose-built business jet
Bombardier Global 7500
51,000 ft
Highest certified ceiling
Gulfstream G650ER, Global 7500/8000, Falcon 7X/8X, Citation X
Inside & explained
All stories →
Food at 45,000 Feet: How Private-Jet Catering Actually Works
Almost nobody cooks on a private jet. Meals are made on the ground, chilled, delivered about 90 minutes before departure and finished in a galley the size of a wardrobe. Who does the work, why food tastes different up there, and how one sandwich reached $177.
Drinks on Board: Wine, Champagne, Coffee and Water at Cabin Altitude
A pressurised cabin dulls sweetness, strips the fruit from light wines, flattens champagne faster and makes water boil below 100°C. What that means for the bar on a private jet, and the strict alcohol rules that apply to the crew.
Sleeping on a Private Jet: Real Beds, Thinner Air and the Pilots Who Take Turns
Most private jets make beds out of seats. The largest now have fixed bedrooms, cabins pressurised below 3,000 feet and lights that imitate sunrise. What actually helps passengers sleep, and where the pilots rest on a 15-hour flight.
The Galley: How a Private-Jet Kitchen Fits in a Cupboard
A business-jet galley has to fit a refrigerator, ovens and a coffee machine into the space of a wardrobe, survive crash loads and run on aircraft power. What is inside, what it weighs, and what a flight attendant can really cook.
Bathrooms and Showers in the Sky: From the Belted Seat to the Stand-up Shower
On the smallest jets the toilet hides under a seat cushion. On the largest there is a stand-up shower with its own water tank. How private-jet lavatories work, what they cost, and why a shower is still rare even on the most expensive aircraft.
Master Suites, Majlis and an Operating Table: The Most Unusual Rooms on VIP Jets
VIP airliners carry bedrooms, cinemas, gyms and, on Air Force One, a medical suite that can serve as an operating room. Some of the most famous rooms never existed at all. A guide to what is documented, what is only reported, and what was only ever a rendering.
Every private jet, every number
The database →
81
Aircraft profiled
292
Airports
180 / 16,110
Cities & routes
104 / 40
Glossary terms & FAQs