Embraer Phenom 300. The small jet that stopped feeling small.
Six or seven people, a hold that takes skis and golf bags, and the speed of aircraft two classes above it. The light jet most European charter clients end up flying, and the one they ask for again.
At a glance
What it carries
- PassengersUsually 6 or 7A club four and two or three seats aft, often including a belted lavatory seat. Six travel comfortably; seven is fine for an hour or two.
- RangeAbout 2,000 nautical milesEmbraer's figure for the 300E at long range cruise with five aboard and instrument reserves. Roughly four hours in still air.
- Cabin4 ft 11 in high, 5 ft 1 in wideYou sit rather than stand, but the cabin is wide for the class, with an airstair door and a proper lavatory with a door.
- BaggageAround 80 cubic feet, front and rearThe best in its class by a distance. Skis, boards, golf bags and hard cases for six people, which is exactly what smaller jets cannot do.
Manufacturer figures for the type. Individual aircraft vary in seating and in whether the aft seats are fitted, so we send you the layout of the one you are being offered.
Why this one
The aircraft that made light jets respectable
For twenty years the light jet was a compromise you accepted because the alternative was an airline. Cramped, slow, and with a hold that meant somebody's bag travelled by road. The Phenom 300 ended that. It cruises at around 460 knots, which is the speed of much larger aeroplanes, it has a hold that genuinely holds things, and the cabin was designed by people who had clearly sat in the back of the competition.
It has been the best selling light jet in the world for well over a decade, which matters to a charter client for a dull but important reason: there are a lot of them, they are spread across Europe, and one is usually within an hour's positioning flight of wherever you are. A Friday afternoon request for a Saturday morning departure is realistic on this type in a way it is not on most.
Aircraft are arranged with licensed commercial operators. The type is certified for a single pilot, but commercial charter is flown with two, which is how the operators we work with run it.
Good for
When it is the right answer
- Four to six people going somewhere in Europe for two to four hours, which is the majority of private flights from Britain
- Ski trips, because the hold takes the equipment and the aircraft gets into the Alpine valley airports
- Short notice, where availability decides the trip more than specification does
- Small airfields: it needs only a little over three thousand feet of runway, which opens up fields that larger jets cannot use
- Day returns, where the aircraft waits and you are home the same evening without a crew change
- Regional Britain and Ireland, where the flight is under an hour and a bigger aircraft is simply money spent on range you will not use
Honest comparison
The class below, this one, and the class above
| Very light jets | Phenom 300 | Citation XLS+ and midsize | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 4 to 5 | 6 to 7 | 8 to 9 |
| Typical range | 1,000 to 1,300 nm | About 2,000 nm | Around 1,700 to 2,000 nm with a full cabin |
| Cabin | Sit and stay seated | Sit, but wide, with a real lavatory | Nearly standing, with a dropped aisle |
| Luggage | Hand luggage and a soft bag each | Skis, golf and hard cases for six | The same again, with room to spare |
| Short runways | Excellent | Very good | Good, and better than most midsize jets |
| Best for | One or two people, an hour or so | Most European trips with four to six aboard | Groups of eight, or where standing matters |
Ranges are published figures in still air with a light load. A full cabin and a headwind take a real bite out of all of them. See light jets and midsize jets for the classes as a whole.
Range on the map
How far it goes without stopping
The ring is the published range drawn as a true circle on the globe, which is why it bends on a flat map. Change the departure to see the reach from anywhere.
Embraer Phenom 300 from Farnborough Airport (FAB). The solid ring is the published range, 2,000 nautical miles; the dashed ring is 85% of it, 1,700 nautical miles, the still-air planning figure we use to leave a sensible reserve. Winds, payload and reserves reduce real range, so every trip is checked on the day.
Said honestly
What you give up for the price
You do not stand up. The cabin is four feet eleven inches high, so you move about bent over, and on a four hour flight that is felt. If standing headroom matters to your passengers, the conversation should start at the Citation XLS+ or a super-midsize aircraft instead.
There is no cabin crew member. Catering is loaded cold and served by the passengers, and while good operators do this well, it is a tray rather than a meal. Nor is there a separate cabin zone, so a confidential conversation is a conversation the whole aeroplane hears.
Range is honest but not generous with a full cabin. London to the Canaries, to Greece or to Morocco with six aboard and bags may want a fuel stop depending on the wind. We check the actual trip on the actual date and tell you before you commit, rather than after.
Where it goes
Routes that suit it
Comfortable from London
Departure airports
Smaller fields it opens up
Both ends
A short flight makes the car matter more
On a ninety minute sector, twenty minutes lost on the ground is most of the advantage gone. We meet the aircraft, not the terminal, wherever the field permits it.
Request a quote
Tell us the trip and the date
Route, date, how many of you and what you are carrying. Skis and golf clubs are worth mentioning, because they decide the aircraft more often than the passenger count does. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About the Phenom 300
Can we stand up?
No. The cabin is four feet eleven inches high, so you move about stooped. It is wide for the class and the seats are good, but if standing matters, look at the Citation XLS+.
Will our skis fit?
Yes, and that is one of the main reasons to choose this aircraft over anything smaller. Tell us how many pairs and whether there are boards, and we confirm it with the operator.
What is the difference between a Phenom 300 and a 300E?
The 300E is the updated version, with a new interior, new avionics and a slightly better range figure. Both fly the same routes; the E is more comfortable inside.
Is one pilot enough?
The type is certified for single pilot operation, but commercial charter flights are flown with two pilots, and that is how the operators we work with run them.
Can it fly to the Mediterranean non-stop?
Nice, Cannes, Milan, the Balearics and the Cote d'Azur comfortably. The far end of the Mediterranean, the Canaries or North Africa with a full cabin may want a fuel stop, and we tell you before you book.
One contact, wherever you are