A guide to the major business jet manufacturers
Elevate Jets receives certification to manage and operate large aircraft such as the ACJ TwoTwenty.
A guide to the leading business aviation manufacturers, including Airbus Corporate Jets, Boeing Business Jets, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer Executive Jets, Gulfstream, HondaJet and Textron.
Airbus Corporate Jets
Better known for building large aircraft used by commercial airlines, Airbus SAS started producing corporate and VIP versions of its aircraft in 1997, with the formation of Airbus Executive and Private Aviation. As the largest subsidiary of EADS, the French company is still principally a manufacturer of commercial aircraft. Aside from the aircraft it produces for military and freight purposes, it deals only with large airliners, but all of these can be converted into corporate or VIP versions – even the double-decker A380, which can hold up to 555 passengers.
The company, headquartered in Toulouse, France, has carved a niche in producing ultra-long-range, large-cabin business jets often used by heads of state, governments and corporations, Its models are based on commercial airframes such as the ACJ319neo, ACJ320neo, ACJ330neo and ACJ350.
The ACJ TwoTwenty, launched in 2020, represents a new category of extra-large business jet, offering intercontinental range of 5,650nm with up to 12 hours of non-stop flying and spacious, customisable interiors, which it claims are three times the size of other large business jets.
All Airbus aircraft are built in Toulouse, but some (usually the A321s) are flown to Hamburg, Germany for finishing. More than 260 ACJ aircraft are in operation worldwide.
Boeing Business Jets’ 737 Max is capable of up to 12 hours non-stop flying.
Boeing Business Jets
Although Boeing is most famous for its iconic airliners, the company launched the Boeing Business Jet series in the late-1990s, taking the commercial airframe of the 737 and turning into the BBJ by way of a number of modifications and luxury refurbishments.
The BBJ 737 Max, the 747, 787, the BBJ 777X and the BBJ Select are the company’s business aviation offerings.
The 737 Max has a non-stop range of up to 6,600 nautical miles (12,220km) which equates to 12 hours flying. It can carry more than 19 passengers in various configurations of lounges, private rooms and walk-by aisles.
The 787 Dreamliner series offers a maximum range of 9,960nm and claims to be 10% more efficient than equivalent aircraft.
The Boeing Company itself was founded in Seattle in 1916 by William Boeing. Boeing continued to expand for many decades, before merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997 and moving the corporate headquarters to Chicago in 2001. All three version of BBJ remain popular types of aircraft amongst private jet owners and operators, and between 1996 and 2011, there were a total of 138 aircraft delivered to customers.
Bombardier’s flagship Global 8000 is touted as the world’s fastest business jet.
Bombardier
As part of Bombardier Inc – which Quebec-born Joseph-Armand Bombardier founded in 1937, whilst inventing the snowmobile at the same time – Bombardier Aerospace is the world’s third-largest aircraft manufacturer. The company’s involvement with aircraft started with its acquisition of Canadair in 1986. After restoring Canadair to profitability, Bombardier performed the same feat with the Belfast-based Short Brothers aircraft manufacturing company, and then the Learjet Company of Wichita, Kansas.
Bombardier makes a wide range of jets to suit different purposes. Its fleet begins with the Challenger 3500, Challenger 650, Global 5000, Global 6000, Global 7000.
The Global 8000 is its flagship model, “the world’s fastest civilian aircraft since Concorde”, capable of a maximum speed of Mach 0.94 with a range of 8,000 nautical miles.
Dassault’s Falcon 6X is one of its leading business jets.
Dassault
Based in Paris, Dassault Aviation made its name producing fighter jets for the military. In 1954, the company produced a sketch of a sleek business jet carrying two jet engines under the wing. Known as The Méditerranée, the idea never progressed.
In 1963 the prototype for the Mystère 20 emerged, looking not too dissimilar to the Méditerranée design. The Mystère 20 gained its certificate of airworthiness in 1965 and a total of 500 were produced, with four per month going to Pan Am. But after the American airline began to go off the idea of marketing an aircraft bearing a French name, it was eventually changed to the Falcon 20 the following year. More Falcons followed throughout the next decade and in 1976, the faster longer-ranged Falcon 50 made its first flight.
Now, Dassault produces the Falcon 2000LXS, Falcon 900LX, Falcon 6X, Falcon 7X and the flagship long-range Falcon 8X.
More than 2,100 Falcon jets have been delivered to about 90 countries.
Embraer’s Phenom 300E is one of the world’s best-selling light jets.
Embraer Executive Jets
Founded in 1969, Brazilian-based Embraer entered the aerospace market making reliable turboprops. Producing a number of military aircraft throughout the 1970s, a regional airliner in 1985 and Piper aircraft from 1974, privatisation eventually saw Embraer sold to avoid bankruptcy in 1994. In the new millennium, the company turned heads when announced that it would start build its first business jet with the introduction of the Legacy programme.
Available as a shuttle version with 16-37 seats and an executive version with 10-16 seats, the Legacy 600 flew for the first time in 2001. The company now produces jets spanning the light, midsize and super-midsize categories. Its principal aircraft are the Phenom 100EX very light jet, the Phenom 300E light jet, and the Praetor 500 and Praetor 600 midsize and super-midsize jets, respectively. They are known for their advanced avionics, fuel efficiency, comfort and performance. The Phenom 300E has been one of the best-selling light jets in the world for more than a decade.
Embraer has delivered more than 1,800 jets to over 70 countries.
The Gulfstream G800 has a range of 8,200 nautical miles (15,186km), the longest of any business jet.
Gulfstream
The Georgia, US-based company has built its reputation almost entirely from building long-range, large-cabin business jets. Having always specialised exclusively in corporate aircraft, Gulfstream Aerospace grew out of Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co., a manufacturer of military aircraft.
The DNA of the company can be traced back to the late 1950s when Grumman produced a business turbo-prop by the name of Gulfstream I. Relocating from New York State to the city of Savannah, Georgia, it was not until the 1970s that Grumman changed its name to Gulfstream American after merging with American Aviation Corp.
Gulfstream was bought by General Dynamics in the late 1990s and built the first ultra-long range business jet, the GV. The company soon hit its stride, producing the super-midsize G280 before moving up to the G500 and G600 mid-to-large cabin series of jets and the ultra-long-range, large-cabin G700.
As of 2025, the company’s flagship model is the G800 with a range of 8,200 nautical miles (15,186km), the longest of any business jet. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, the G800 can achieve a top speed of 0.935 Maximum Mach.
HondaJet’s Elite II builds on the legacy of the original HondaJet
HondaJet
In 1997, Michimasa Fujino tore a page out of a calendar on the wall and sketched the first “over-the-wing engine mount” concept. It launched the HondaJet research project and an experimental first flight took place in Greensboro, North Carolina in 2003. Three years later, the Honda corporation established a wholly owned subsidiary, the Honda Aircraft Company, to make and market the HondaJet. In 2010, the first HondaJet built to FAA standards took flight and it was type certified in 2015.
The company’s flagship is now the HondaJet Elite II, a very light jet with a range of 1,547nm and a top speed of 422kts.
The HondaJet Echelon is a larger light jet capable of transcontinental flight across the United States with a range of 2,625nm (4,862km) carrying one crew and four passengers.
Cessna’s Citation Longitude is its flagship business jet.
Textron
Based in Wichita, Kansas, USA, Textron is the parent company of popular business aviation brands Cessna and Beechcraft. Cessna was founded by Clyde Cessna, the farmer who was the first man to build and fly an aircraft from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Having built aircraft since 1927, Cessna’s smaller piston-powered aircraft are what have helped the company to build its name, but its extremely popular ranges of Citation and Mustang business jets have helped to define its personality.
The super-midsize Citation Longitude is the company flagship with a range of 3,500 nautical miles. It can carry up to 12 passengers and has a maximum cruise speed of 483 knots.
The Citation Latitude, introduced in 2015, is its mid-size offering with the Ascend plugging the super light jet market. The Cessna Citation M2 Gen3, CJ3 Gen3 and CJ4 Gen3 are its next generation of light jets, all fitted with Garmin Autoland technology.
Beechcraft has a legacy dating back to 1932 of producing aircraft for business, utility and special mission operations. Its best known aircraft for business aviation are the King Air and the Baron.
The King Air family, especially the 260 and 360, are twin turboprops which blend comfort, efficiency and range for missions which require smaller airfields for six to nine passengers.
