Over 260 BBJs have been delivered since the start of production
The Boeing Business Jet is a multi-million dollar business jet that was developed from Boeing’s commercial jetliners. The aircraft are modified to meet the clients’ needs and due to the sheer size of the aircraft, they are popular as government and heads of state aircraft as well as the corporate jet market.
In this culled piece, Simple Flying explores the speed of the Boeing Business Jet family to find out which is the fastest?
A little background on the original aircraft
The first Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) was designed in 1996 and first flew in September 1998. It was known as the BBJ1 and was based on the Boeing 737-700. The BBJ1 had stronger wings and had the landing gear of the 737-800. There were nine under-belly auxiliary fuel tanks which added to the aircraft’s range of 6,000 nautical miles or 11,000 kilometres.
The BBJ2 was introduced in October 1996 and was based on the Boeing 737-800. It was a stretched version of the BBJ1 and had 25 percent more cabin space and twice the amount of baggage space but had less range. It had auxiliary fuel tanks in the cargo hold and winglets were added. It was first delivered in February 2001.
The BBJ3 was developed from the Boeing 737-900ER and was longer than the BBJ2 but had a shorter range than the previous BBJ2.
Over 20 years, 143 BBJs entered service:
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BBJ1 – 113 delivered
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BBJ2 – 23 delivered
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BBJ3 – 7 delivered
The BBJ expansion
Boeing decided to expand the brand with new configurations based on the commercial aircraft, the 737 MAX, the 777 and 777X as well as the 787 Dreamliner and 747-800 intercontinental. These became the BBJ 737 MAX, the BBJ 777, the BBJ 777X, the BBJ 787 and the BBJ 747-800 respectively. The 747 was the largest ever business jet produced.
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BBJ 777 – 17 delivered
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BBJ 747 – 17 delivered
Airbus quickly followed and started their own brand, the Airbus Corporate Jet, so both manufacturers could offer a product in competition with the Gulfstream G550 and G650, the Embraer Lineage and the Bombardier Global Express.
The MAX family
In 2014, Boeing launched the BBJ 737 MAX family and deliveries started in 2018. This replaced the original BBJ 737 family. The aircraft had 15% less fuel burn and a lower cabin altitude for passenger comfort. Its range was over 6,000 nautical miles and it had new engines and improved aerodynamics and auxiliary fuel tanks. The aircraft proved to be popular as the operating costs were less than the average private jet at between $5,200 and $5,600 per hour on average. It also required less maintenance under the low utilisation maintenance programme, with major checks every four years.
Today’s BBJs
The narrow-bodied models of the Boeing Business Jet that are still in production are:
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BBJ 737-7 or BBJ MAX 7 – Price $101.5 million
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BBJ 737-8 or BBJ MAX 8 – Price $110.5 million
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BBJ 737-9 or BBJ MAX 9 – Price $118.5 million
The wide-bodied models of the Boeing Business Jet that are still in production are:
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BBJ 787-8
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BBJ 787-9
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BBJ 777-8
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BBJ 777-9
The BBJ 787 is based on the 787 Dreamliner and during 2022, 18 were ordered and 16 delivered. The BBJ 777X is a variant of the commercial 777X aircraft and was launched in 2018. It has yet to be certified but will be one of the largest business jets in the world.
The fastest private jet based on a commercial airliner and in service today is the Boeing 747 with a speed of Mach 0.92 or 706 miles per hour. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the fastest twin-engine wide-bodied jet with a speed of Mach 0.9 or 690 miles per hour. The BBJ 737 MAX can reach speeds of 540 miles per hour. The BBJ 777X has a maximum speed of 0.90 Mach.
The fastest private jets
In comparison, the Dassault Falcon 8X has a speed of Mach 0.90 or 690 miles per hour. The Bombardier Global 7500 can fly at 0.925 Mach or 710 miles per hour and is the longest-range purpose-built private jet. Its successor the Global 8000 is expected to surpass this as during tests, it exceeded the speed of sound and reached a Mach of 0.945. It makes it the fastest civilian aircraft since Concorde. The Gulfstream variants can all reach Mach 0.925 and the smaller Cessna Citation has always been known to be fast at 0.935 or 717 miles per hour.
In conclusion, the Boeing Business Jets are not the fastest private jets in the industry but can certainly compete with them considering the size of the aircraft. The BBJ is a purpose-built business jet often used for government and VIP transport and has space for boardrooms and private offices. The BBJ 737 for example, can seat between 25 and 48 passengers depending on the configuration.
Private jets like the Falcon, Global and Gulfstream on average seat between 12 and 19 persons. The BBJ and the ultra-long-range private aircraft cater to a slightly different market.
