Summary
- Operating a pre-owned Learjet 75 for 200 hours/year costs $908,992, averaging $10.62 per mile.
- Doubling owner flights to 400 hours/year increases operating budget to $1,422,597 or $8.31 per mile.
- Including 450 owner hours plus additional 200-hour charter results in a $2,357,294 annual budget.
The Bombardier Learjet 75 is a mid-size jet that can seat two crew and eight passengers. It was first produced in 2013 and ended production in 2022 with 142 models being made. Its cost in 2015 was $13.8 million, but now you can buy a pre-owned Learjet 75 for an average price of $8 million. How much would it cost to operate it? Let’s take a look in more detail.
Owner flights: 200 hours
First, we’ll look at 200 hours of owner flying. According to Liberty Jet, the annual budget required for a Learjet 75 would be $908,992. If we take a maximum speed of 456 knots or 525 miles per hour, considering slower speeds at climb, cruise and descent we can average a speed of 488 miles per hour. Therefore, the cost per mile would be $10.62.
Photo: Photofex_AUT | Shutterstock
Owner flights: 400 hours
If we look at an average of 400 owner hours, the annual budget for the Learjet 75 is $1,422,597 million. The fixed costs per year can then be drawn out over more flight hours and using the same average speed it equates to a cost per mile of $8.31. The annual budget does not include the initial cost of the aircraft, just general operating costs.
Sample annual operating budget:
Cost |
Flying 200 hours/year |
Flying 400 hours/year |
---|---|---|
Direct Operating Costs (DOC) |
||
Fuel Cost @ $7.23/gal (current) |
$287,754 |
$575,508 |
Maintenance |
$64,155 |
$128,310 |
Engine Overhaul |
$116,695 |
$233,391 |
Misc Crew/Landing/Handling |
$40,000 |
$80,000 |
Miscellaneous Variable |
$5,000 |
$10,000 |
Total Direct Operating Costs (DOC) |
$513,604 |
$1,027,209 |
Fixed Costs |
||
Crew |
$243,982 |
$243,982 |
Crew Training |
$39,956 |
$39,956 |
Hangar |
$33,196 |
$33,196 |
Insurance |
$20,216 |
$20,216 |
Jet Management |
$48,000 |
$48,000 |
Miscellaneous Fixed |
$10,037 |
$10,037 |
Total Fixed Costs |
$395,388 |
$395,388 |
Total Annual Budget |
$908,992 |
$1,422,597 |
Photo: Austin Deppe | Shutterstock
Fixed and variable costs
An annual budget for an aircraft’s operating costs includes both fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs include things like the pilots’ salary, hangar space, hull and liability insurance and miscellaneous costs. Variable costs include fuel, engine reserves, maintenance and miscellaneous items such as landing fees. We can look at this further by breaking down the variables, into an hourly cost. Here is an example for the LearJet 75 based on 300 hours per year.
ANNUAL FIXED COSTS
- Crew:$408,000
- Hangar:$48,600
- Hull Insurance:$11,063
- Liability Insurance:$35,000
- Miscellaneous:$8,300
- Annual Amount:$510,963
VARIABLE HOURLY COSTS
- Fuel Consumption (gallons per hour):199
- Fuel Cost (at $5.00 per gallon):$1,250
- Maintenance:$1,190
- Engine Reserves:$770
- Miscellaneous:$230
- Total Cost / Per Hour:$3,439.72
ANNUAL SUMMARY
- *Typical Purchase Price of Learjet 75: $7,375,000*
- Total Fixed Costs:$510,963
- Total Variable Costs:$1,031,916
- Total Cost of Operation: $1,542,879
Photo: Nelic | Shutterstock
Owner flights 450 hours
Based on 450 owner hours and a fuel cost of $6.00 per gallon, the Learjet 75 has variable costs of $1,571,850 and fixed costs of $546,044 requiring a total annual budget of $2,117,894. This can then be broken down into an hourly cost of $4,706.43 to operate the Learjet 75.
Added charter
Furthermore, we could consider chartering out the aircraft, to offset some of the costs. So with an additional 200-hour charter, we have an annual budget of $2,357,294. This is made up of $1,571,850 in variable costs and $785,440 in fixed costs. This can be broken down into cost per hour of $5,238.43.
Learjet 75 |
Flying 450 hours per year |
Flying 450 hours per year plus 200 charter hours |
---|---|---|
Annual owner hours |
450 |
450 |
Annual charter hours |
0 |
200 |
Fuel cost |
$6.00 |
$6.00 |
Total fixed cost |
$546,044.00 |
$785,444.00 |
Total variable cost |
$1,571,850.00 |
$1,571,850.00 |
Annual budget |
$2,117,894.00 |
$2,357,294.00 |
Totally hourly cost |
$4,706.43 |
$5,238.43 |
Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock
About the LearJet 75
Produced by Bombardier, the Learjet 75 is the last Learjet that was produced. It had more fuel-efficient engines, winglets and new avionics. There were delays with FAA certification and some canceled their aircraft orders, which led to deliveries of the aircraft being below Bombardier’s expectations. It was built to compete with the Cessna Citation Jet and the Embraer Phenom 300.
The Learjet 75 has one-and-a-half cabin zones, that seat eight passengers in a double club configuration. There is a lavatory onboard and a small refreshment center. The aircraft has a range of 1850 nautical miles and can fly up to 51,000 feet. It is powered by Honeywell TFE 731-40BR engines and has the Garmin G5000 avionics suite. A pre-owned LearJet 75 can cost anywhere between $5, 250,000 and $9,500,000 million, depending on the model, year and modifications.
Aircraft specifications: Learjet 75
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 8 passengers
- Length: 58 ft 0 in (17.7 m)
- Wingspan: 50 ft 11 in (15.5 m)
- Height: 14.13 ft (4.31 m)
- Wing area: 311.6 sq ft (28.95 m2)
- Empty weight: 13,890 lb (6,300 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 21,500 lb (9,752 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Honeywell TFE731-40BR Turbine, 3,850 lbf (17.1 kN) thrust each
Performance
- Cruise speed: 465 kn (535 mph, 861 km/h) high speed cruise
- Range: 2,040 nmi (2,350 mi, 3,780 km)
- Service ceiling: 51,000 ft (16,000 m)
- Wing loading: 69.00 lb/sq ft (336.9 kg/m2)
Avionics