Seven to nine people, four or five hours in the air, a proper baggage hold and, on the newer aircraft, a cabin you can stand up in. For most trips beyond the obvious European hops, this is where the sensible answer begins.
At a glance
Category guidance. Figures are typical for the class rather than promises about a particular aircraft, and every quote names the actual aeroplane.
What it is for
A midsize jet is what you choose when the trip has grown past a light jet in one of three ways: there are more of you, there is more luggage, or there are more hours. Each of those on its own is enough reason, and in practice they tend to arrive together. A family of six to Sardinia with a fortnight of luggage is a midsize trip even though six people would technically fit in something smaller.
It is also the class where a flight stops being something to endure and starts being useful. A table you can work at, an enclosed lavatory, room to sleep on the way home. Aircraft are arranged with licensed commercial operators.
Examples
| Aircraft | Typical seats | Typical range | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna Citation XLS+ | 8 to 9 | About 2,100 nm | The most common midsize aircraft on European charter fleets, and good on shorter runways |
| Cessna Citation Latitude | 8 to 9 | About 2,500 to 2,700 nm | Flat floor and a stand-up cabin, and among the newer aircraft in the class |
| Hawker 900XP | 7 to 8 | About 2,800 nm | A wide cabin and a large hold. An older design, so check the interior when you choose |
| Bombardier Learjet 60XR | 7 to 8 | About 2,400 nm | Quick, with a narrower cabin than the Citations and Hawkers |
| Embraer Praetor 500 | 7 to 9 | About 3,300 nm | Stand-up flat-floor cabin and range that overlaps the class above |
Published range figures assume still air and a light load. A full cabin, a hot day or a winter headwind all shorten what an aircraft will do on the day, which is why we check your specific trip rather than the brochure.
Range on the map
Drawn from Farnborough as true circles on the globe. The solid ring is the top of the class's typical range and the dashed ring is what most of its aircraft can plan on. Change the departure to see the reach from anywhere.
Midsize jets from Farnborough Airport (FAB). The solid ring is the top of the class's published range, 3,000 nautical miles; the dashed ring is 85% of the bottom of it, 1,700 nautical miles, which most aircraft in the class can plan on non-stop. Winds, payload and reserves reduce real range, so every trip is checked on the day.
Where they go
Said honestly
The midsize class covers a very wide span of ages and designs, wider than any other category, so the aircraft matters more here than the label does.
Go a size down
Below a certain size and duration, the extra cabin is comfort you pay for and do not use.
Go a size up
The next step buys a genuine stand-up cabin and another hour or two of range.
The other categories
5 to 7 passengers
Two to three hours, and the smallest airfields.
8 to 10 passengers
Stand-up cabins and six or seven hours in the air.
10 to 16 passengers
Transatlantic, with cabin crew and separate cabin zones.
12 to 16 passengers
London to Asia non-stop, with beds.
Trip calculator
Type the two ends of the trip, and the number travelling if you know it. You will see the distance, a realistic time in the air, and which classes and aircraft can fly it without a stop, with this class marked.
Distances are great circle, the shortest line over the earth. Non-stop is judged against 85% of each aircraft's published still-air range, which leaves a sensible margin for reserves, wind and load. Times are a planning range for the time in the air, not a schedule. Aircraft are arranged with licensed commercial operators, and every quote is checked against the actual aircraft, the load and the forecast for your date.
Request a quote
Route, dates, how many of you and what you are carrying. We will send the aircraft that genuinely suit, and say which of them we would put you on. Nothing is booked or charged online.
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Questions people ask
In the newer flat-floor aircraft, most people can. In the older ones you will walk stooped. If it matters to you, say so and we will only offer aircraft where you can.
Usually not in this class. Catering is loaded before departure and served by the pilots. From super-midsize upwards cabin crew become common.
Most cannot, and the ones at the top of the class would be doing it with very little margin. For the Gulf, look at super-midsize or heavy jets.
It depends on the route, the dates and where a suitable aircraft happens to be. See what charter costs for how a quote is built, and send us the trip for a real figure.
Almost always in this class, which is one of the reasons people step up to it. Every option we send names the specific aeroplane, its age and its hold, so we confirm rather than assume.
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