Beechcraft Beechcraft King Air 350i — Turboprop charter aircraftDaher Daher TBM 960 — Turboprop charter aircraft

King Air 350i vs TBM 960

A Beechcraft vs Daher showdown in the turboprop class. The Beechcraft King Air 350i carries 9 passengers with 1,806 nm of range; the Daher TBM 960 carries 5 with 1,730 nm. Cabin dimensions land at 4'9" × 4'6" versus 4'0" × 3'11", and runway numbers read 3,300 ft against 2,380 ft. Indicative charter pricing on a representative sector: from £2,900 on the Air 350i, from $4,800 on the TBM 960.

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Beechcraft King Air 350i

BEECHCRAFT

Beechcraft King Air 350i

The Beechcraft King Air 350i is the most-chartered twin turboprop in the world. Nine passengers, short-runway access and the proven economics of the King Air platform make it ideal for regional missions to airports jets simply cannot use.

FULL BEECHCRAFT KING AIR 350I PAGE →
Daher TBM 960

DAHER

Daher TBM 960

The Daher TBM 960 is the fastest single-engine turboprop in production — 330 kts cruise, fully-digital Garmin G3000 deck and Pratt & Whitney PT6E-66XT engine with autothrottle.

FULL DAHER TBM 960 PAGE →

SPECIFICATIONS

Side-by-side specifications

METRICKing Air 350iTBM 960
Passengers95
Range1,806 nm1,730 nm
Cruise speed312 kts330 kts
Cabin height4'9"4'0"
Cabin width4'6"3'11"
Baggage55 cu ft16 cu ft
Runway3,300 ft2,380 ft

Beechcraft King Air 350i — strengths

  • Short and unpaved runway access
  • Lowest seat-mile cost in segment
  • Proven 50-year platform

Daher TBM 960 — strengths

  • Fastest single-engine turboprop in service
  • Lowest hourly cost in pressurised aircraft class
  • Short-runway capable

CHARTER PRICING

Indicative pricing

BEECHCRAFT KING AIR 350I
London → Cardifffrom £2,900
Denver → Telluridefrom $5,700
DAHER TBM 960
Teterboro → Martha's Vineyardfrom $4,800
Munich → Innsbruckfrom €4,200

All-inclusive indicative one-way pricing. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes.

EXPERT VERDICT

The King Air 350i is the stronger all-rounder, but the TBM 960 still wins on the metrics that matter to specific buyers.

The King Air 350i pulls ahead on range / non-stop reach, cabin comfort and group capacity; the TBM 960 answers with airport access. Both sit in the turboprop class, so charter pricing is broadly aligned — let the use case (range, group size, airport pair) drive the final call.

Range / non-stop reach

King Air 350i

1,806 nm of range — the better choice for transcontinental and intercontinental missions.

Cabin comfort

King Air 350i

Taller and/or wider cabin (4'9" × 4'6") — better for long flights and stand-up movement.

Group capacity

King Air 350i

Seats up to 9 — the right pick when the manifest grows.

Airport access

TBM 960

Shorter 2,380 ft balanced-field requirement — opens up restricted alpine, island and city-adjacent airfields.

Speed & block time

Even

Comparable on this dimension.

Verdict based on published manufacturer specifications, charter market data and Limitless Sky brokerage experience.

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Charter the King Air 350i or the TBM 960.

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CHOOSE WITH CONFIDENCE

Top reasons to choose — and who each aircraft is best for

A tailored summary for the King Air 350i and TBM 960: the deciding reasons in this matchup, plus the buyer archetypes each aircraft serves best.

BEECHCRAFT

Top reasons to choose the King Air 350i

  • Bigger cabin envelope (4'9" tall × 4'6" wide) than the TBM 960 — meaningful difference on flights over three hours.
  • Seats up to 9 passengers vs 5 on the TBM 960 — better for full-group charters and family travel.
  • 55 cu ft of baggage volume — fits ski, golf and extended-stay luggage that crowds the TBM 960.
  • Short and unpaved runway access
  • Lowest seat-mile cost in segment

BEST FOR

  • Larger party charters

    Up to 9 seats vs 5 on the TBM 960 — the natural pick when the manifest grows last-minute.

  • Island & alpine access

    Short, unpaved or high-altitude strips that jets simply cannot use.

  • Sub-500 nm hops

    Operating cost per seat-mile beats every jet on quick regional legs.

  • Cargo-heavy missions

    Large cabin door and floor loading for ski, dive and field-kit travel.

DAHER

Top reasons to choose the TBM 960

  • Lands in 2,380 ft balanced field — accesses short, restricted and city-adjacent airports the King Air 350i cannot.
  • Fastest single-engine turboprop in service
  • Lowest hourly cost in pressurised aircraft class
  • Short-runway capable

BEST FOR

  • Short-field departures

    2,380 ft balanced field unlocks airports the King Air 350i cannot use, putting passengers closer to the door.

  • Island & alpine access

    Short, unpaved or high-altitude strips that jets simply cannot use.

  • Sub-500 nm hops

    Operating cost per seat-mile beats every jet on quick regional legs.

  • Cargo-heavy missions

    Large cabin door and floor loading for ski, dive and field-kit travel.

PROS & CONS

Honest assessment

BEECHCRAFT

Beechcraft King Air 350i

PROS

  • +Short and unpaved runway access
  • +Lowest seat-mile cost in segment
  • +Proven 50-year platform
  • +Carries up to 9 passengers vs 5 on the TBM 960 — better for larger groups.
  • +Taller cabin (4'9") than the TBM 960 — easier to move around on long flights.
  • +Wider cabin (4'6") makes a meaningful difference at the shoulders vs the TBM 960.

CONS

  • Needs more runway than the TBM 960 (3,300 ft vs 2,380 ft) — fewer short-field options.

DAHER

Daher TBM 960

PROS

  • +Fastest single-engine turboprop in service
  • +Lowest hourly cost in pressurised aircraft class
  • +Short-runway capable
  • +Shorter runway requirement (2,380 ft) unlocks airfields the King Air 350i cannot use.

CONS

  • Maximum 5-seat layout is tight if you regularly travel with more than 5 — the King Air 350i adds 4 seats.
  • Lower ceiling than the King Air 350i (4'0" vs 4'9") — stand-up movement is restricted.
  • Tighter baggage capacity than the King Air 350i (16 cu ft vs 55 cu ft).

REAL-WORLD MISSIONS

Which aircraft for which mission

Four scenarios our charter desk sees regularly — and which of these two we would actually quote.

SCENARIO 01

Ski-week shuttle into a short alpine strip

OUR PICKTBM 960

Shorter runway requirement (2,380 ft) opens up the airfield.

SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →

SCENARIO 02

Coastal island hop with bicycles and dive gear

OUR PICKTBM 960

Shorter runway requirement (2,380 ft) opens up the airfield.

SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →

SCENARIO 03

Regional medevac repositioning with stretcher kit

OUR PICKTBM 960

Shorter runway requirement (2,380 ft) opens up the airfield.

SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →

SCENARIO 04

Field-visit tour across three regional airports in one day

OUR PICKTBM 960

Shorter runway requirement (2,380 ft) opens up the airfield.

SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →

ROUTE RECOMMENDATIONS

Best pick per route

ROUTEDISTANCERECOMMENDEDWHY
London → Le Touquet120 nmEitherBoth aircraft fly this comfortably non-stop — choose on cabin and price.
Zurich → St Moritz95 nmEitherBoth aircraft fly this comfortably non-stop — choose on cabin and price.
Aspen → Telluride115 nmEitherBoth aircraft fly this comfortably non-stop — choose on cabin and price.
Nantucket → Teterboro180 nmEitherBoth aircraft fly this comfortably non-stop — choose on cabin and price.

Distances are great-circle approximations; actual fuel planning accounts for winds, weather and reserves.

FAQ

King Air 350i vs TBM 960 — frequently asked

King Air 350i vs TBM 960: which has the longer range?OPEN

The Beechcraft King Air 350i has a published range of 1,806 nm; the Daher TBM 960 is rated at 1,730 nm. The longer-range aircraft opens up more non-stop city pairs without a tech stop.

Which is faster — King Air 350i or TBM 960?OPEN

Cruise speeds are 312 kts for the Beechcraft King Air 350i and 330 kts for the Daher TBM 960. On a London → Cardiff-style mission the faster aircraft typically saves 10–25 minutes block time.

How many passengers does each aircraft carry?OPEN

The Beechcraft King Air 350i seats 9; the Daher TBM 960 seats 5. Charter prices below assume a typical executive layout — high-density configurations are available on request.

What does it cost to charter the Beechcraft King Air 350i vs the Daher TBM 960?OPEN

Indicative one-way pricing on a benchmark mission: Beechcraft King Air 350i from from £2,900, Daher TBM 960 from from $4,800. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes — pricing varies with empty-leg availability, season and routing.

Which aircraft is better for transatlantic or long-range missions?OPEN

Both belong to the Turboprop category, but range, payload and runway performance differ. See the route-recommendations table on this page for our specific pick per corridor.

How much cabin space does the King Air 350i have vs the TBM 960?OPEN

Cabin comfort is the everyday difference passengers feel most. Both the Beechcraft King Air 350i and Daher TBM 960 sit in the Turboprop class, so cabin height, width and layout differ subtly — on flights over 3 hours those details matter more than raw range. Ask us for a side-by-side floorplan.

Which aircraft is safer — King Air 350i or TBM 960?OPEN

Both aircraft in this comparison are operated under ARG/US, Wyvern or IS-BAO safety programmes when chartered through Limitless Sky. Safety is driven by operator, crew currency and maintenance regime — not the airframe. We only book operators meeting our verified due-diligence checklist.

What's the total mission cost — not just the hourly rate?OPEN

Hourly pricing (from £2,900 for the King Air 350i, from $4,800 for the TBM 960) is only one input. Total mission cost includes positioning legs, overnight fees, landing/handling, catering, de-icing and FET where applicable. Our confirmed quote itemises every line so there are no surprises.

MORE COMPARISONS

Compare more turboprops

KING AIR 350I × TBM 960 CLUSTER

Continue researching King Air 350i or TBM 960

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