The Workhorses Nobody Notices: Which Private Jets Actually Fly the Most

The richest person in your town might own a brand-new Gulfstream G700. But the jet that's been on your ramp three times this week? That's probably a Challenger 350.

Most FBOs design operations around the flashiest jets, not the busiest ones. You build premium hangar spots for the G650 that visits monthly. Meanwhile, the Citation Latitude cycling through 3x/week gets pushed to overflow parking.

That's backwards—and it's costing you revenue.

Using ADS-B flight tracking data, FAA records, and fleet utilization reports, we analyzed which private jet models actually fly the most. Then we looked at how this impacts FBO operations, throughput, and revenue. The results might change how you think about hangar assignments.

The Top 5 Busiest Jets (By the Numbers)

According to 2024 WingX data, five aircraft types dominated North American private jet activity—accounting for roughly 30% of all business jet departures:

Notice anything? Not a single ultra-long-range jet made the top five. No G650s, no Global 7500s—just midsize and super-midsize workhorses.

Which Jets Fly the Most Hours Per Aircraft?

Total flights are one thing. But which jets are being flown most intensively per tail number?

Charter and fractional operators—NetJets, Flexjet, Wheels Up—run their fleets hard. Some midsize jets in fractional programs log 500-600+ hours per year, meaning each aircraft flies nearly every day.

The utilization breakdown for 2023:

Compare that to a privately owned ultra-long-range jet, which might only log 200-300 hours per year. The difference? Fractional jets fly multiple short trips per day. Privately owned jets make a couple of long trips per month. Understanding which aircraft fly most frequently helps FBOs plan operations. Learn about optimizing ramp revenue for high-volume operations. Calculate your potential ROI on capacity improvements.

Why These Jets Are the Industry's "Daily Drivers"

Five characteristics separate the workhorses from the hangar queens:

1. Mission Flexibility

The Challenger 350 has a 3,100+ nm range. The Citation Latitude can fly coast-to-coast at 2,700 nm. The Phenom 300 handles 2,000 nm comfortably.

That's the sweet spot: long enough for transcontinental trips, short enough for 300 nm hops. A G650 is overkill for a quick regional flight. A very light jet can't handle a 5-hour leg. These midsize jets can do both.

2. Operating Efficiency

High-utilization jets are cost-efficient to fly. The Phenom 300 offers single-pilot certification and excellent fuel economy while cruising near 450 knots. The Citation Excel/XLS delivers "cost-efficiency and comfort" in one package—exactly what charter operators need.

When you're flying 400-600 hours per year, operating cost per hour matters. A lot.

3. Reliability and Uptime

Workhorses must handle high flight cycles without breaking down. The Citation family has a reputation for ruggedness and global maintenance support. Bombardier's Challenger 300 series "has consistently been the best-selling super-midsize jet" for a reason: it works, day after day.

Cessna holds 35% of the active U.S. business jet market. That's not by accident—it's dispatch reliability at scale.

4. Runway Performance

Many top-utilization jets can operate from shorter runways. The Citation XLS+ can depart from ~3,560-foot strips, opening up access to smaller regional airports. The Phenom 300 and Citation CJ series can do the same.

This flexibility creates more route options, reduces ground time, and keeps jets flying—instead of sitting on the ramp waiting for slots at congested hubs.

5. Cabin Comfort (The Goldilocks Factor)

The Challenger 350 and Citation Latitude offer stand-up cabins and amenities that rival large jets—but at a lower price point. The Phenom 300 and Citation CJ/XLS series provide solid cabin comfort in smaller packages.

They're popular and practical. That combination drives constant demand from fractional owners and charter clients.

The Fractional Fleet Effect

One pattern jumps out from the data: charter and fractional operators dominate usage of the busiest aircraft models.

• Bombardier Challenger 300/350: NetJets operates 88 Challenger 350/3500s. Flexjet was the launch customer for the 300. Other charter operators (VistaJet, Airshare, flyExclusive) also field Challenger 300 series jets.

• Embraer Phenom 300: The world's best-selling light jet for 13 years running. NetJets operates 148 Phenom 300s in the US and Europe. Wheels Up added 17 Phenom 300s in 2024 alone.

• Cessna Citation Latitude: NetJets has 231 Latitudes in their fleet—which largely explains why the Latitude rocketed into the #4 spot with 162,000 flights in 2024 (up 20% year-over-year).

Big fleet operators "drive the miles" on these aircraft. A fractional jet might fly 800 hours per year serving dozens of clients. An individually owned jet might fly 200 hours for one CEO.

Models widely adopted into fractional or charter service become the top flight-hour leaders. They're the "fleet trucks" of business aviation, doing the heavy lifting of day-to-day trips.

What This Means for Your FBO Operations

If you're optimizing your hangar for the occasional G650, you're leaving money on the table. The real revenue opportunity is in the high-frequency midsize jets that cycle through 2-3 times per week.

Hangar Design Reality Check

When we run hangar simulations at AirPlx, we see this pattern constantly: FBOs design premium hangar space for ultra-long-range jets that visit monthly, while the Challenger 350s and Citation Latitudes—visiting multiple times per week—get shuffled around the ramp.

A Challenger 350 averaging 3 visits per week generates 156 annual movements. A G650 visiting twice a month? 24 movements. That's a 6.5x difference in utilization.

If you're charging $200/night hangar, that Challenger slot is worth $31,200/year vs. $4,800 for the G650 slot. But most FBOs are built backwards—prioritizing the flagship jets because they "look" more valuable.

The Turnaround Time Problem

High-utilization aircraft create a different operational challenge: turnaround efficiency matters more than wingspan.

• A fractional Phenom 300 might land, refuel, and depart in 45 minutes
• That same aircraft could be back tomorrow for another quick turn
• Meanwhile, your ramp crew is spending 2 hours carefully positioning a G700 that won't return for three weeks

When you optimize ramp flow for quick-turn midsize jets instead of slow-moving flagships, throughput can increase substantially. Reorganizing layouts to prioritize high-frequency aircraft positioning reduces taxi time, minimizes ramp congestion, and allows your line crew to service more aircraft per shift.

Fuel Inventory and Staffing

The workhorses also drive different resource planning:

• Fuel volume: Those 210,000 annual Challenger 300/350 flights represent massive aggregate fuel demand from this single aircraft type. If your fuel farm is sized primarily for occasional large jets, you may be underestimating the consistent volume from high-frequency midsize workhorses.

• Staff scheduling: High-frequency aircraft need consistent service windows. A Citation Latitude returning every Monday and Thursday needs reliable line service availability. Ultra-long-range jets? They call ahead with a week's notice.

The Utilization Math

When we analyze FBO hangar assignments, the revenue equation becomes clear: utilization beats wingspan.

Consider a single hangar slot. You can assign it to either:

• A Challenger 350 customer visiting 3x/week (156 annual movements) at $200/night = $31,200/year
• A G650 customer visiting 2x/month (24 annual movements) at $200/night = $4,800/year

Same hangar slot. 6.5x revenue difference.

Yes, you could charge the G650 a premium for its 100ft wingspan vs. the Challenger's 64ft wingspan. But would you charge 6.5x more? Probably not. And even if you charged double ($400/night), the G650 slot would still only generate $9,600/year—less than a third of the high-frequency Challenger customer.

Your hangar footprint is fixed. The question becomes: are you filling it with aircraft that fly, or aircraft that sit?

Three Actionable Changes

Based on this utilization data, three changes to consider:

1. Audit your hangar assignments: Calculate actual movements per slot, not just aircraft size. Reassign premium hangar space to high-frequency customers, even if they're flying midsize jets.

2. Optimize ramp flow for quick turns: Position high-utilization aircraft (Challengers, Latitudes, Phenom 300s) in easy-access spots. Put the occasional G700 visits in spots that require more maneuvering—they have time for it.

3. Adjust your pricing strategy: Consider movement-based pricing alongside size-based pricing. A Challenger 350 visiting 3x/week should pay more than a G650 visiting 1x/month—because it costs you more in handling, creates more wear, and demands better positioning.

The jets you'll see most often aren't the ones on magazine covers. They're the Challenger 350 landing for the third time this week. The Latitude that's been in and out all month. The Phenom 300 that just requested fuel for its second leg of the day.

Those are the aircraft quietly generating revenue while the flagship G700 stays polished in the hangar—not generating rent.

Sources and Citations

• Flight activity data: WingX Global Market Tracker and JetSpy 2023 U.S. Business Jet Activity Report
• Utilization statistics: JetSpy 2023 utilization report
• Fleet data: SherpaReport Private Jet Usage Analysis