Ownership 3.qxp_Finance 19/07/2022 08:16 Page 1
OWNERSHIP
Private Jets: What’s the Most Important Feature? What would you say sways the balance when it comes to choosing a private jet? Do range, speed, cabin, or operating costs matter more? René Armas Maes provides a model for buyers to select the best jet for the mission, based on all the best features…
W
hen utilizing business jets, passengers tend to rank aircraft features and attributes differently. This means that the manufacturers need to consider regional perceptions and differences in the aircraft they build. As an example, cabin size is a key feature for many Business Aviation users in the Middle East and Russia, while in Latin America cabin size doesn’t feature in the top three features, whereas cost does. Generally speaking, though, several surveys on the subject agree that worldwide, aircraft range, speed, cabin features and amenities are considered to be important, as is operating costs, and more. We’ll review several key features of business jets to help buyers establish which is the most important to them…
Range
Existing aircraft owners and first-time buyers alike will often consider range to be a leading feature in the aircraft they operate/plan to buy. Although an aircraft’s 42 ❘ Vol 26 Issue 8 2022 ❘ AVBUYER MAGAZINE
range is often at the front of a buyer’s mind when they’re benchmarking possible jets for their mission need, while it’s important, range cannot be considered as a separate metric in the decision-making process. Range should be considered alongside a number of other metrics when buyers are comparing multiple business aircraft. For example, an Ultra-Long-Range jet, such as a Bombardier Global 6000, can fly 6,000 nautical miles but its Direct Operating Cost (DOC) is 1.9 times higher than a Super Mid-size jet capable of flying 4,000 nautical miles. The question buyers should ask is whether they really need to buy a 6,000nm-range jet if less than 20% of their travel requirements demand such range. Where a shorter range aircraft is adequate for 80% of the mission need, it’s more likely to make better financial sense to build a fuel stop into the 20% of trips requiring greater range, use ad-hoc charter services, or buy a block of charter hours with a jet card to achieve those longer range missions. www.AVBUYER.com
