A Hawker Beechcraft vs Eclipse Aerospace showdown in the light jet class. The Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA carries 6 passengers with 1,500 nm of range; the Eclipse 550 carries 4 with 1,125 nm. Cabin dimensions land at 5'5" × 5'5" versus 4'2" × 4'8", and runway numbers read 3,792 ft against 2,342 ft. Indicative charter pricing on a representative sector: from $6,900 on the Premier IA, from $4,400 on the Eclipse 550.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT
The Beechcraft Premier IA is a single-pilot light jet with a composite fuselage that yields the widest cabin in the entry-level segment. Six seats and a cruise speed comparable to larger light jets.
FULL HAWKER / BEECHCRAFT PREMIER IA PAGE →ECLIPSE AEROSPACE
The Eclipse 550 is the definitive very light jet — a four-seat, twin-Pratt & Whitney PW610F powered aircraft with autothrottles, Avio IFMS avionics and by far the lowest fuel burn of any jet in charter service (roughly 59 US gal/hr). A niche but genuinely useful tool for short regional missions on tight budgets.
FULL ECLIPSE 550 PAGE →SPECIFICATIONS
| METRIC | Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA | Eclipse 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 6 | 4 |
| Range | 1,500 nm | 1,125 nm |
| Cruise speed | Mach 0.80 | Mach 0.64 |
| Cabin height | 5'5" | 4'2" |
| Cabin width | 5'5" | 4'8" |
| Baggage | 77 cu ft | 16 cu ft |
| Runway | 3,792 ft | 2,342 ft |
CHARTER PRICING
| Miami → Nassau | from $6,900 |
| Zurich → Munich | from CHF 6,400 |
| Chicago → Detroit | from $4,400 |
| Dallas → Austin | from $3,900 |
All-inclusive indicative one-way pricing. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes.
EXPERT VERDICT
The Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA pulls ahead on range / non-stop reach, cabin comfort, group capacity and speed & block time; the Eclipse 550 answers with airport access. Both sit in the light jet class, so charter pricing is broadly aligned — let the use case (range, group size, airport pair) drive the final call.
Range / non-stop reach
Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA
1,500 nm of range — the better choice for transcontinental and intercontinental missions.
Cabin comfort
Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA
Taller and/or wider cabin (5'5" × 5'5") — better for long flights and stand-up movement.
Group capacity
Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA
Seats up to 6 — the right pick when the manifest grows.
Airport access
Eclipse 550
Shorter 2,342 ft balanced-field requirement — opens up restricted alpine, island and city-adjacent airfields.
Speed & block time
Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA
Cruise of Mach 0.80 — shaves meaningful minutes off every long leg.
Verdict based on published manufacturer specifications, charter market data and Limitless Sky brokerage experience.
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Tell us your route — our desk returns a confirmed quote on both aircraft within 10 minutes, so you can compare like-for-like on your exact mission.
CHOOSE WITH CONFIDENCE
A tailored summary for the Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA and Eclipse 550: the deciding reasons in this matchup, plus the buyer archetypes each aircraft serves best.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT
BEST FOR
Longer non-stop reach
When the mission is on the edge of the Eclipse 550's envelope, the 1,500 nm legs of the Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA keep reserves intact.
Larger party charters
Up to 6 seats vs 4 on the Eclipse 550 — the natural pick when the manifest grows last-minute.
Two-hour business hops
Lowest jet-class operating cost for 1–2 hour European or US regional legs.
Short-runway escapes
Unlocks airfields like London City alternatives, Lugano and Aspen.
ECLIPSE AEROSPACE
BEST FOR
Short-field departures
2,342 ft balanced field unlocks airports the Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA cannot use, putting passengers closer to the door.
Two-hour business hops
Lowest jet-class operating cost for 1–2 hour European or US regional legs.
Short-runway escapes
Unlocks airfields like London City alternatives, Lugano and Aspen.
4–6 passenger weekends
Right-sized for a couple plus friends or a small family weekend break.
PROS & CONS
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT
PROS
CONS
ECLIPSE AEROSPACE
PROS
CONS
REAL-WORLD MISSIONS
Four scenarios our charter desk sees regularly — and which of these two we would actually quote.
SCENARIO 01
Curated example: New York → Boston sits in the Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA's sweet spot.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 02
Shorter runway requirement (2,342 ft) opens up the airfield.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 03
Curated example: New York → Boston sits in the Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA's sweet spot.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 04
Larger cabin seats the full group (6).
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →ROUTE RECOMMENDATIONS
| ROUTE | DISTANCE | RECOMMENDED | WHY |
|---|---|---|---|
| London → Paris | 190 nm | Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
| Geneva → Ibiza | 560 nm | Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
| Teterboro → Miami | 950 nm | Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
| London → Athens | 1,500 nm | Either | Both would require a tech stop on this routing — talk to us about positioning. |
Distances are great-circle approximations; actual fuel planning accounts for winds, weather and reserves.
FAQ
The Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA has a published range of 1,500 nm; the Eclipse 550 is rated at 1,125 nm. The longer-range aircraft opens up more non-stop city pairs without a tech stop.
Cruise speeds are Mach 0.80 for the Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA and Mach 0.64 for the Eclipse 550. On a Miami → Nassau-style mission the faster aircraft typically saves 10–25 minutes block time.
The Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA seats 6; the Eclipse 550 seats 4. Charter prices below assume a typical executive layout — high-density configurations are available on request.
Indicative one-way pricing on a benchmark mission: Hawker / Beechcraft Premier IA from from $6,900, Eclipse 550 from from $4,400. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes — pricing varies with empty-leg availability, season and routing.
Both belong to the Light Jet category, but range, payload and runway performance differ. See the route-recommendations table on this page for our specific pick per corridor.
MORE COMPARISONS
HAWKER / BEECHCRAFT PREMIER IA × ECLIPSE 550 CLUSTER
CHARTER EITHER AIRCRAFT
EDITORIAL GUIDES
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