Leasing a Light Jet: Phenom 300, Citation CJ4 and When a Small Jet Is the Right Lease
Updated: 6 days ago
Most business trips are shorter than people expect. Four or five passengers, one to three hours, a regional airport at each end: that is the mission a light jet was designed for. Leasing one gives a company or family the flexibility of its own aircraft without buying it, and without paying to move a larger jet's empty seats around.
This guide is for someone deciding whether a light jet is the right lease, which types to compare, and what changes if an owner pilot wants to fly it. For the wider choice between leasing and buying, see our lease or buy a private jet guide.
When a light jet is the right size
A light jet usually makes sense when most of your flying looks like this:
Four to six passengers on most legs.
Trips of one to three hours, for example within Europe, the Gulf, southern Africa or within a large country.
Regional airports with shorter runways, where a larger jet is restricted or cannot go.
Frequent same day returns, where a small, efficient aircraft keeps the hourly cost down.
It is the wrong size if you regularly carry eight or more people with luggage, need to stand up in the cabin on long legs, or fly beyond about four hours non stop. In that case a super midsize jet such as the Challenger 350 is the better lease, and for long range work see our G650 and Global lease guide.
The types most lessees compare
Embraer Phenom 300E
The best selling light jet for many years. It seats up to nine passengers depending on layout, with a maximum range of about 2,000 nautical miles, a large baggage hold and a cabin that feels bigger than its class. Our Phenom 300 review covers the cabin and performance in more detail.
Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen2
The largest of the Citation CJ family. It has a published range of about 2,165 nautical miles with NBAA reserves and a slightly faster cruise than the Phenom. Citation support networks are wide, which helps in less common regions.
Pilatus PC-24
Built to use short and even unpaved runways, which opens airstrips most jets cannot use. It suits lodges, mines, islands and remote estates. Demand is strong and used examples are scarce, so lease options are limited.
Other types, such as the Citation CJ3 and the HondaJet, are smaller and cheaper to run and suit shorter trips with fewer passengers.
Flying it yourself or leasing with crew
Light jets are among the few jets certified for single pilot operation, which is why owner pilots are drawn to them. A lease can work in two ways.
With crew
The aircraft is operated for you by a certified operator with its own pilots, maintenance and insurance. This is the simplest route for a company, and it lets the aircraft earn charter revenue when you are not using it, if the lessor allows it. Our private jet lease with crew guide explains how that structure works.
Dry, flown by you
A dry lease to an owner pilot is possible, but the lessor and the insurer will set conditions. Expect:
A type rating on the aircraft, plus the recurrent training the type requires.
Minimum total and jet experience set by the insurer, and often a period flying with a mentor pilot.
Proof of how and where the aircraft will be maintained.
Clear rules on private use only, since flying paying passengers needs an operator's certificate.
Many lessors will not dry lease a jet to an individual pilot at all, and those that do price the insurance risk into the terms. Commercial operators and most insurers also prefer two pilots for charter work, even on single pilot types. For how dry leases are structured and what they cost, see our dry lease a private jet guide.
What drives the cost
Every quote is specific to the aircraft and terms, but the same factors move the price:
Age and condition. Newer aircraft with recent inspections cost more to lease but less to run.
Engine programme. An aircraft enrolled on an hourly engine programme protects the lessee from large engine events.
Minimum hours. A guaranteed number of hours per month or year lowers the hourly rate.
Term. Longer terms usually earn better rates.
Base. An aircraft that must be moved to your region, or hangared at an expensive airport, costs more.
Charter release. If the lessor can charter the aircraft when you are not flying, the lease can be cheaper.
Questions to answer before asking for quotes
How many hours a year will you fly, and how are they spread across the year?
What is your typical passenger count and trip length?
Where will the aircraft be based, and which airports do you use most?
Do you want crew included, or will you fly it yourself?
Do you need the aircraft exclusively, or can it be chartered to others when idle?
Ask Jetvice about a light jet lease
Jetvice sources light jets for lease with or without crew, and can also help if buying turns out to be the better answer. See our aircraft leasing page for the lease types we arrange, and our aircraft for sale and lease listings.
Email info@jetvice.net with:
Preferred types, or your mission if you are open to suggestions.
Expected hours per year and lease term.
Base airport and main destinations.
Crewed or dry, and your pilot experience if you plan to fly it.
Your preferred start date.
Comments