There are many expensive items that the elite and the richest people can purchase, but one of the most extravagant items is the private jet, which is said to have a price that could go for as low as $3 million and as high as $90 million.
Private jets were once light passenger planes that were used in the 1930s by politicians and businessmen that wanted to go to meetings faster without the need to book a plane ticket and wait for a public passenger plane to land and board people. However, by the 1970s, manufacturers of these light passenger planes saw an opportunity to sell smaller aircraft that were specifically made for private business travel.
As the years went by, many manufacturers that have once exclusively made passenger planes and military aircraft have begun producing private jets as well because of the demand. To know more about these manufacturers, here is a list of the best companies that build luxury private jets.
Dassault Aviation
Dassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1929 in Paris, France. The founder of Dassault, Marcel Bloch (who later changed his name to Marcel Dassault), created the company with the original name “Société des Avions Marcel Bloch” or “MB.” Dassault initially built two-seater fighter planes for the French army, like the Dassault Mirage and the Mystere-Falcon, but they eventually branched out to create business jets in the 1960s.
One of the company’s first efforts in the business jet scene is the Falcon 20, which was launched in 1963 and was able to accommodate 8 to 10 passengers. Dassault then followed it up with the Falcon 50, a super-midsize business jet that was launched in 1976 that has similar capacity to the Falcon 20 but has a new design that improves its wings. As of 2021, Dassault is still one of the most popular private jet manufacturers, and here are some of their most notable modern private jets:
- Falcon 7X – a large-cabin business jet that was introduced at the 2001 Paris Air Show, although it only flew for the first time in 2005 and entered service in 2007. In 2001, Dassault launched the Falcon 7X with an introductory price of $35 million, but the price increased to $2 million in 2005.
- Falcon 10X – a long-range business jet that was introduced on May 6, 2021, as a new flagship model for the company. It has an introductory price of $75, and it is planned to be in service in 2025.
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is a general aviation company that was founded in 1932 in Wichita, a city in the US state of Kansas. The founders of the company are Walter Beech, Walter’s wife Olive Ann Beech, and Ted A. Wells, who also served as Beechcraft’s lead designer. Beechcraft initially made turboprop planes and piston aircraft. One of their most popular non-private jet aircraft is the Beechcraft Bonanza, a six-seater, single-engine plane that has been in production since 1947.
The Beechcraft business was then acquired by the Raytheon Company in the late 1970s, who merged the business with Hawker, a private jet company, to form Raytheon Aircraft. The merger between the two companies then formed Hawker Beechcraft in 2006, which was defunct in 2013 when the “Beechcraft Corporation” name was revived by the Textron Group. Today, Beechcraft is still standing strong as one of the leaders of private jet manufacturing. Here are the well-known private jet models made by Beechcraft:
- King Air 350i – introduced in 1990 as the “Super Air King 350” and served as a replacement for the Super King Air 300. The improved and more luxurious version of the 350, the 350i, was announced in 2008 with plusher seats and noise reduction features.
- Hawker 400 – launched by Beechcraft (when it was still merged with Hawker) in 1978 and was a light business jet that was designed and built by Mitsubishi in Japan. The Hawker 400 is produced mainly as a private jet for businessmen and was in production until 2009.
Embraer
Embraer is a Brazilian aerospace manufacturer that was founded by entrepreneur Ozires Silva in 1969 in the large city of São José dos Campos in São Paulo, Brazil. Embraer first made military planes for the Brazilian government, with some of the most notable being the C-390 Millennium transport aircraft and the EMB 312 Tucano trainer jet.
In 2002, Embraer launched its first private jet, the Legacy 600, which was derived from the ERJ 145 family of commercial jet planes. From then on, Embraer continued to introduce world-class business jets that are purchased and utilized by the wealthiest people in the world. Below are two of Embraer’s most popular private jets:
- EMB-500 Phenom 100 – a very light business jet that was introduced in 2007. A bigger version of the Phenom 100 called Phenom 300 was introduced in 2009 and has 600 units as of 2021.
- Praetor 500 – also known as the Legacy 450, the Praetor 500 was introduced in 2014 and is a mid-size business jet and can accommodate up to 9 passengers.
Cessna
Cessna is an American aircraft manufacturing company that was founded in 1927 in Wichita, Kansas. The business was created by Clyde Cessna, an aircraft designer, and Victor Roos, an entrepreneur. Originally called the Cessna-Roos Aircraft Company, the company first focused on the creation of the Model DC-6, a four-seat tourer that was used by the United States Army Air Corps during the 1920s. Unfortunately, the company closed in 1932 due to the effects of the Great Depression.
However, the company was revived by Cessna’s nephews, Dwight and Dwane Wallace, in 1934. Under the leadership of the Wallace Brothers, the Cessna company quickly became a powerhouse in the aviation industry. In 2014, the Textron Group bought Cessna, which transformed the company into a brand that specializes in manufacturing business jets. Here are two of the best private jets in Cessna’s lineup:
- Citation Sovereign – announced during the 1998 NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) convention, the Citation Sovereign is a business jet that was first flown in 2002 and began to be in service in 2004. The Citation Sovereign remained in production until 2021 in order to reduce the market overlap between the Sovereign and Cessna’s Citation Latitude and Longitude business jets.
- Citation Longitude – a business jet that was introduced in 2019 as an upgraded version of the Citation Latitude, which was introduced in 2014. As of 2021, the equipped price of the Citation Longitude is $29.8 million.
These are four of the best companies that make luxury private jets for businessmen, politicians, and celebrities. While they may not be affordable for many people in the world, we could just admire and be in awe at the beauty and amazing features of the private jets that these manufacturers make.