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.
Embraer handed over 41 executive jets in the third quarter of 2026, part of a 66-aircraft company total that it called its best third-quarter delivery result. Year-to-date business jet deliveries reached 115, tracking toward a 160-to-170 aircraft forecast.
Read the brief →California-based FlyEpic says it has completed more than 550 flights since launching service, with access to 1,762 airports across 11 Western U.S. states. Its fractional program starts at 25 annual flight hours.
Read the brief →Broker SmartJets says demand for long-range preowned aircraft remains strong, helped by long factory backlogs and 100% bonus depreciation in the U.S. It cited Amstat data showing preowned business jet transactions up 7% year over year in the first half of 2026.
Read the brief →The Phenom 300E is the current version of the world's best-selling light jet, a title the Phenom 300 family has held for more than a decade with over 800 delivered. Since 2020 it has offered Mach 0.80 speed, a 2,010 nm range, a Bossa Nova interior and a runway overrun awareness system, while remaining single-pilot certified. Range 2,010 nm, 6 seats, about $11,200,000 new and roughly $1,800 an hour in fuel and maintenance.
Full profile →NetJets operates more than 800 jets and takes around 100 new deliveries a year, a bigger fleet than most of the world's airlines. (NetJets / Private Jet Card Comparisons fleet tracking, 2025)
More numbers →5,860 nautical miles, about 13h 31m in a large jet, roughly $176,425–$275,542 one-way for four — about $56,496 a seat.
Price this route →Boeing and General Electric launched the BBJ, a 737-700 fuselage on the stronger 737-800 wing with extra belly tanks, and delivered the first in 1999. Airbus answered with the ACJ, a corporate A319. Suddenly a jet could carry a bedroom, shower and conference table across an ocean, and Gulf royals, heads of state and a few celebrities lined up. More than 250 BBJ-family aircraft have since been delivered, and the 737 MAX-based BBJ 737-7 and 737-8 continue the line into the 2030s.
The full timeline →For years the only private individual with a 747-400, Alwaleed bought the ex-Air China jumbo in 2003 and fitted it with a 14-seat dining room, prayer room and a throne-like armchair. He famously ordered an Airbus A380 'Flying Palace' in 2007 but sold the order before delivery. The 747 was reported in 2023 to have flown footballer Neymar to Riyadh for Al Hilal.
The story →MOSTLY TRUE — Business jets are certified to cruise at 45,000–51,000 ft, well above the 35,000–41,000 ft airliner highways and above most cloud tops. That does cut out a lot of bumpy air. But it doesn't cut out all of it: clear-air turbulence, jet streams and the tops of big thunderstorms all live up there too, and every flight has to climb through and descend into whatever weather is below.
The evidence →