SmartJets says long-range aircraft are leading a hot used-jet market
SmartJets expects a strong finish to 2026, pointing to Amstat data showing preowned business jet transactions up 7% year over year in the first half.
Read the brief →Today
The Dispatch
A short briefing every morning: what’s new in the world of private jets, plus an aircraft, a priced route, a fact and a story from the archive.
2026-10-02
NBAA asks FAA for 90-day pause on Citation single-pilot exemption cuts
NBAA and Citation Jet Pilots asked the FAA on Sept. 30 to delay by at least 90 days its move to rescind single-pilot training exemptions for some Cessna Citation aircraft.
Read the brief →Report puts private jet tax breaks under the microscope
Fortune covered a new critique of U.S. private jet tax breaks, including an estimate that a $40 million jet could generate up to $14.8 million in first-year federal tax savings under 100% bonus depreciation.
Read the brief →Textron tests Emergency Autoland on the Citation CJ4 Gen3
Textron Aviation said on Sept. 25 that its flight-test pilots intentionally triggered Garmin Emergency Autoland on a Citation CJ4 Gen3 test aircraft as the light jet moves toward FAA certification.
Read the brief →Jet of the day: Dassault Aviation Falcon 6X
The Falcon 6X entered service in late 2023 as Dassault's first large twin, with the widest and tallest cabin of any purpose-built business jet until the 10X arrives. Its 5,500 nm range, PW812D engines and third-generation digital flight controls make it a direct competitor to the G500 and Global 5500, and deliveries reached about 25 by the end of 2025. Range 5,500 nm, 12 seats, about $54,000,000 new and roughly $4,700 an hour in fuel and maintenance.
Full profile →Fact of the day
Drake's Boeing 767 'Air Drake' was reported to have been provided by cargo airline Cargojet in exchange for promotional appearances; it seats about 45. (Simple Flying; Cargojet announcement 2019)
More numbers →Route of the day: Delhi → London
3,618 nautical miles, about 8h 45m in a large jet, roughly $117,496–$182,139 one-way for four — about $37,454 a seat.
Price this route →From the archive, 1962: Hawker Siddeley HS.125 first flight
Britain's de Havilland DH.125, first flown on 13 August 1962, became one of the longest-lived business jets in history. Renamed the HS.125 and later the Hawker 800 and 900 series under British Aerospace, Raytheon and Hawker Beechcraft, the mid-size design stayed in production for over 50 years with roughly 1,700 built before the line closed in 2013. Today the type still flies in large numbers, with the US Air Force operating it as the C-29 and many airframes now in their fourth decade.
The full timeline →Spotlight: Tom Cruise’s Gulfstream IV
A licensed pilot since 1994, Cruise is widely reported to own a Gulfstream IV and a 1946 P-51 Mustang, the latter appearing in Top Gun: Maverick with Cruise at the controls. Reports of a Challenger 350 and a HondaJet in his hangar are less firmly confirmed.
The story →Hangar talk: “London City Airport bans most private jets.”
MISLEADING — Not a ban — a technical bar. London City's approach is flown at 5.5 degrees, nearly double the standard 3 degrees, and its runway is under 5,000 ft. Any aircraft using it must hold a specific 'steep approach' certification, and the operator must be approved. Many business jets have it (CJ family, PC-24, Falcon 7X/8X, Legacy 500, G650, Challenger 350, Falcon 6X and more). Many don't. And there are noise limits, a Sunday morning closure and a curfew that bite regardless.
The evidence →