
Lewis Hamilton’s Bombardier Challenger 605
Hamilton's cherry-red Challenger, registered with his initials, became a paddock icon before he sold it in 2019, citing a wish to cut his carbon footprint; reports put the sale price at just under $9 million. The jet had earlier featured in the 2017 Paradise Papers over a VAT arrangement on its import.
What it costs to keep flying
If flown 300 hours a year, our model puts the annual bill at:
- Crew, hangar, insurance, training
- $1,100K
- Fuel & maintenance (300 h)
- $1,170K
- Depreciation
- $789K
- Cost of capital (5%)
- $625K
Estimate. Bespoke interiors, extra crew and hangar in premium locations push it higher.
The aircraft
- Type
- Bombardier Challenger 605
- Class
- Large Jet
- Range
- 4,000 nm
- Max cruise
- 470 kts (Mach 0.82)
- Passengers
- 10–12
- Cabin
- 28.3 × 8.2 × 6.1 ft
- New price
- —
- Fuel burn
- 340 gal/h
Sources: simpleflying.com · slashgear.com
Related

Cristiano Ronaldo
Gulfstream G650 · $73M reported
Ronaldo unveiled a Gulfstream G650 in late 2024, reported at around $73 million, after selling the Gulfstream G200 he had flown since 2015. The airframe carries his CR7 branding and a silhouette of his trademark celebration, and it commutes between Riyadh, Lisbon and Madrid.

Lionel Messi
Gulfstream V · $15M reported
Messi's 2004-built Gulfstream V has his number 10 on the tail and the names of his family members painted on the airstairs. French media reported the jet flew 52 times in three months of 2022, a figure that made him a recurring subject of European emissions coverage.

Michael Jordan
Gulfstream G650ER · $70M reported
Jordan's registration reads like a resume: 23 for his jersey, 6 for his championships, MJ for his initials. The tail number moved from his elephant-print Gulfstream G550 to a new G650ER in late 2024, with the paint referencing the 1988 Air Jordan 3 sneaker.