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.
IADA says used business aircraft deal volume is up more than 20% from a year ago, even as late-model inventory remains scarce. Its dealers closed 746 deals in Q2 2026, compared with 616 in the same quarter last year.
Read the brief →The Praetor 600 evolved from the Legacy 500 with added fuel, winglets and uprated HTF7500E engines, giving it a 4,018 nm range that is the longest in the super-midsize class and enough for London to New York. Full fly-by-wire, a 5,800 ft cabin altitude and a flat-floor cabin have made it a strong seller, with Flexjet as a major fleet operator. Range 4,018 nm, 8 seats, about $24,000,000 new and roughly $3,300 an hour in fuel and maintenance.
Full profile →London City Airport requires a 5.5-degree approach, nearly twice the standard 3 degrees, and only specially approved jets such as the Falcon 7X, 8X and Citation family may land there. (London City Airport operating requirements; Dassault approvals)
More numbers →3,928 nautical miles, about 9h 24m in a large jet, roughly $125,662–$195,081 one-way for four — about $40,093 a seat.
Price this route →On 4 September 1957 the Lockheed JetStar lifted off from Edwards Air Force Base, becoming the first purpose-built business jet to reach production. Originally designed for a US Air Force utility-transport requirement, it grew into a four-engined ten-seater that served presidents, the USAF and buyers such as Elvis Presley, whose 'Hound Dog II' JetStar sits at Graceland. Around 200 were built.
The full timeline →After years of mocking executives for their corporate jets, Buffett bought a used Falcon 20 for $850,000 in 1986 and named it 'The Indefensible' (Charlie Munger had proposed 'The Aberration'). He later traded up and renamed the jet 'The Indispensable', then bought the whole of NetJets in 1998 for $725 million.
The story →MISLEADING — By total volume, no: private aviation produced roughly 15–20 million tonnes of CO2 in 2023, around 2% of commercial aviation's emissions and well under 4% of all civil aviation's on the highest estimates. By emissions per passenger, yes: a private flight can emit five to fourteen times more per person than an airline seat on the same route, and the roughly 250,000 people who fly private have a per-capita footprint almost nobody else matches. Both halves are true; the rumour picks the wrong one.
The evidence →