The Phenomenally Successful Phenom 300
Just over a decade ago, Brazilian company Embraer entered the private jet market with phenomenal success. Since then, the company has made equally significant inroads as a designer and manufacturer of business jets.
The Phenom 300 light jet is currently Embraer’s big success story. It has been highly successful since its launch in 2009 and now proves very popular with PrivateFly’s clients. Embraer’s order book is flooded and the 300 is notably popular in the US, where more than half of the fleet are registered.
It’s likely to become the bestseller in its category. Here are the reasons why…
Embraer Phenom 300: Summary
Here’s how the Embraer Phenom 300 compares to its closest competitor, the Cessna CJ4:
| Embraer Phenom 300 | Cessna Citation CJ4 |
| Price: around $ 8,000,000 | Price: around $9,000,000 |
| Cost per hour: $3,600 | Cost per hour: $3,555 |
| Seats: 6 (max 8 ) | Seats: 7 (max 9) |
| Cabin size: 60 in (H) * 62 in (W) * 17 ft 2 in (L)1.50m (H) * 1.55m (W) * 5.23m (L) | Cabin size: 57 in (H) * 58 in (W) * 17 ft 4 in (L)1.45 m (H) * 1.47 m (W) * 5.28 m (L) |
| Baggage capacity: up to 85 ft3 | Baggage capacity: 77 ft3 |
| Speed: 453 ktas (839 km/h) | Speed: 451 ktas (835 km/h) |
| Range: 1,971nm (3,650 km) | Range: 1,920 nm (3,556 km) |
| Runway requirements (takeoff):3,138 ft (956 m) MTOW | Runway requirements (takeoff):3,190 ft (972 m) MTOW |
| Maximum usable fuel: 5,353 lb (2,428 kg) | Maximum usable fuel: 5,828 lb (2,644 kg) |
| Max operating altitude: 45,000 ft (13 716 m) | Maximum operating altitude: 45,000 ft (13 716m) |
See also: Embraer Phenom 300 versus Cessna Citation XL
What’s behind its success?
The Embraer Phenom 300 is fast, fuel efficient and reliable. It has the price tag of a light jet and yet in many ways rivals a medium jet.
Along with a roomy interior (with the feel of a midsize cabin), it offers excellent runway performance.
The Phenom 300 has received strong endorsement as it offers comfort (plus a large baggage hold), including a wide air-stair door and a wide oval cabin cross-section, efficiency, range, and a quiet interior.
It is also relatively easy to maintain, which makes it popular with aircraft operators.
Technical performance
To be more technical, the Phenom 300 has a 28,000 cycle/35,000 hour economic life that is more in line with jetliner design standard than the 15,000 to 20,000 hour design life of a typical light jet.
A number of aircraft operators have commented that they chose the Phenom 300 over the CJ4 (one of its closest rivals) because of cabin size, superior fuel efficiency and higher ramp presence, along with longer service life, lower maintenance costs and its jetliner heritage.
The Phenom 300 boasts outstanding performance departing or arriving at difficult mountainous airports. Colorado’s Aspen airport for instance, has long been one of the trickiest airports to negotiate.
In addition as most light jets don’t have the range to reach the East Coast from Denver, they are even less likely to meet Colorado’s challenges. The Phenom 300 can fly from Aspen with four passengers nonstop to New York City (and even from San Diego, CA to Manchester, NH – a flight performed by Dean Kamen, founder and CEO of Deka Research and Development in New Hampshire’s largest city).
Where is the Embraer Phenom most popular?
There are currently around 117 Embraer Phenom 300 aircraft globally – but of course with the aircraft’s popularity soaring, numbers are increasing all the time. Currently the global fleet is distributed as follows:
- More than 50% in USA
- 20% in Brazil
- 18% in Europe
- The remainder in the Middle East, Morocco and Indonesia.
Summary: Why PrivateFly’s customers choose the Embraer Phenom 300
- Brand new aircraft
- Roomy cabin, comparable to a midsize jet – but without the price tag
- Huge baggage capacity
Read more in our Aircraft Spotlight: Embraer 300.
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