A Pilatus vs Daher showdown in the turboprop class. The Pilatus PC-12 NGX carries 6–9 passengers with 1,803 nm of range; the Daher TBM 960 carries 5 with 1,730 nm. Cabin dimensions land at 4'10" × 5'0" versus 4'0" × 3'11", and runway numbers read 2,485 ft against 2,380 ft.
PILATUS
The Pilatus PC-12 NGX is the latest evolution of the world's best-selling single-engine turboprop — Pratt & Whitney PT6E engine with autothrottle, larger windows and a digital BMW Designworks cabin.
FULL PILATUS PC-12 NGX PAGE →DAHER
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
| METRIC | PC-12 NGX | TBM 960 |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 6–9 | 5 |
| Range | 1,803 nm | 1,730 nm |
| Cruise speed | 290 kts | 330 kts |
| Cabin height | 4'10" | 4'0" |
| Cabin width | 5'0" | 3'11" |
| Baggage | 40 cu ft | 16 cu ft |
| Runway | 2,485 ft | 2,380 ft |
CHARTER PRICING
| Aspen → Telluride | Estimate on request |
| London → Le Touquet | Estimate on request |
| Teterboro → Martha's Vineyard | Estimate on request |
| Munich → Innsbruck | Estimate on request |
One-way estimates from our pricing engine (standard season), estimated, confirmed quote within 1–2 hours.
EXPERT VERDICT
The PC-12 NGX 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
PC-12 NGX
1,803 nm of range — the better choice for transcontinental and intercontinental missions.
Cabin comfort
PC-12 NGX
Taller and/or wider cabin (4'10" × 5'0") — better for long flights and stand-up movement.
Group capacity
PC-12 NGX
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.
REQUEST A CHARTER QUOTE
Tell us your route — our desk returns estimated prices on both aircraft straight away and confirmed options within 1–2 hours, so you can compare like-for-like on your exact mission.
CHOOSE WITH CONFIDENCE
A tailored summary for the PC-12 NGX and TBM 960: the deciding reasons in this matchup, plus the buyer archetypes each aircraft serves best.
PILATUS
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
BEST FOR
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.
Medevac & utility
Stretcher and rapid-reconfig layouts for time-critical lifts.
PROS & CONS
PILATUS
PROS
CONS
DAHER
PROS
CONS
REAL-WORLD MISSIONS
Four scenarios our charter desk sees regularly — and which of these two we would actually quote.
SCENARIO 01
Shorter runway requirement (2,380 ft) opens up the airfield.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 02
Shorter runway requirement (2,380 ft) opens up the airfield.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 03
Shorter runway requirement (2,380 ft) opens up the airfield.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 04
Shorter runway requirement (2,380 ft) opens up the airfield.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →ROUTE RECOMMENDATIONS
| ROUTE | DISTANCE | RECOMMENDED | WHY |
|---|---|---|---|
| London → Le Touquet | 120 nm | Either | Both aircraft fly this comfortably non-stop — choose on cabin and price. |
| Zurich → St Moritz | 95 nm | Either | Both aircraft fly this comfortably non-stop — choose on cabin and price. |
| Aspen → Telluride | 115 nm | Either | Both aircraft fly this comfortably non-stop — choose on cabin and price. |
| Nantucket → Teterboro | 180 nm | Either | Both 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
The Pilatus PC-12 NGX has a published range of 1,803 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.
Cruise speeds are 290 kts for the Pilatus PC-12 NGX and 330 kts for the Daher TBM 960. The difference in block time grows with trip length; on a Geneva → St Moritz (Samedan) trip it is usually minutes rather than hours.
The Pilatus PC-12 NGX seats 6–9; the Daher TBM 960 seats 5. Charter prices below assume a typical executive layout — high-density configurations are available on request.
From our pricing engine's class rates: the Pilatus PC-12 NGX on request (no class rate in our pricing engine), and the Daher TBM 960 on request (no class rate in our pricing engine). These are estimates; the confirmed quote within 1–2 hours depends on positioning, season and airport fees.
The Pilatus PC-12 NGX cabin is 4'10" high and 5'0" wide; the Daher TBM 960 is 4'0" high and 3'11" wide. Baggage: 40 cu ft vs 16 cu ft.
For trips within the Daher TBM 960's published 1,730 nm, either aircraft can fly non-stop and the choice comes down to cabin (4'10" vs 4'0" cabin height), seats (6–9 vs 5) and price. Beyond that, the Pilatus PC-12 NGX (1,803 nm) flies non-stop where the Daher TBM 960 may need a fuel stop. Real-world range drops with passengers, bags, winds and winter reserves, so we confirm it per trip.
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.
Cabin comfort is the everyday difference passengers feel most. Both the Pilatus PC-12 NGX 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.
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.
The hourly class rate 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
PC-12 NGX × TBM 960 CLUSTER
CHARTER EITHER AIRCRAFT
WHERE THESE AIRCRAFT FLY
EDITORIAL GUIDES
CHARTER THESE AIRCRAFT FOR YOUR TRIP
POPULAR COMPARISONS
Tell us your route and party size — we'll recommend the right aircraft and send a confirmed options within 1–2 hours.
REQUEST A QUOTE