Hawker 400XP Charter

The Hawker 400XP has one of the most convoluted lineage stories in business aviation. It began life in 1978 as the Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond — Japan's first purpose-built business jet, developed with a US assembly line in Texas. Beechcraft acquired the type in 1985, redesignated it the Beechjet 400 and rebranded a stretched, upgraded version the Beechjet 400A. When Raytheon consolidated its Hawker and Beechcraft holdings, the aircraft became the Hawker 400XP in 2003 with new interiors, avionics and winglets. More than 800 airframes of all variants were built between 1978 and 2011.

The 400XP is the definitive American light jet of its era. It shares almost nothing structurally with the British Hawker 800 series that shares its name — the fuselage is unmistakably the original MU-300, square-cross-sectioned and flat-floored. What made the aircraft commercially durable was that square cabin: seven seats in a genuine double-club arrangement, an aisle you can walk through without ducking (barely), and a stand-up-if-you-crouch height that felt generous compared to the tube-shaped Learjets it competed against.

Today the 400XP is out of production but heavily represented in US Part 135 fleets, where roughly 300 airframes remain in active charter service. It is one of the most-flown light jets in North America and among the cheapest true-jet charter options in the market. European availability is thinner but present through a handful of German, French and Italian operators.

The 400XP cabin is defined by its square cross-section. At 4 feet 9 inches tall and 4 feet 11 inches wide, it is not stand-up, but the flat floor and near-square geometry create a genuinely spacious feel — meaningfully more open than any Learjet 30-series or the CJ family. Cabin length is 15 feet 6 inches, configured as seven seats in a true double-club-plus-side-facing arrangement or eight seats in a high-density corporate layout.

The seats themselves vary by cabin refit — many airframes have been re-upholstered in the past decade with modern leather, LED lighting and updated sidewalls. Ex-fractional 400XPs (Flight Options, Flexjet fractional programme) typically carry the most polished interiors. Baseline factory interiors from the 2005-2011 build era feel dated by modern VLJ standards but functionally adequate.

The 400XP carries a fully enclosed aft lavatory with vanity and sink — a genuine convenience on the longer sectors the aircraft is capable of. Forward, a proper galley cabinet supports hot beverage service and full cold catering. Baggage capacity totals 53 cubic feet in a heated aft compartment plus 24 cubic feet in an internal nose locker — enough for eight overnight bags and two golf bags on the same trip.

Avionics on most 400XPs remain the original Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 or Pro Line 21 installation, ADS-B Out compliant since 2020 with varying degrees of ADS-B In upgrade. Wi-Fi is typically Gogo ATG-4 where fitted; Ka-band installations are rare on this airframe due to airframe geometry constraints.

Two Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5 turbofans producing 2,900 lbf each give the 400XP a maximum cruise of 464 knots true (Mach 0.78) and a normal cruise of Mach 0.72–0.74. That is faster than every current VLJ and comparable to the Phenom 300 in high-speed cruise. Certified ceiling is FL450, above weather and most traffic.

NBAA IFR range with four passengers is 1,500 nautical miles, and honest range with seven passengers is closer to 1,300 nm. Practical missions: London to Athens (tight), Paris to Marrakech, Zurich to Lisbon, Miami to Havana, Teterboro to Chicago, Dallas to Los Angeles (four pax), LA to Boise.

Runway performance is respectable but not outstanding: take-off field length is 3,950 ft at maximum weight, landing distance is 3,200 ft. That excludes Lugano, Sion and London City (steep approach required and generally not authorised), but opens Nice, Ibiza, Aspen, Sun Valley, Nantucket, Palma and all the major charter destinations.

Fuel burn is the 400XP's real weakness: approximately 200 US gallons per hour in cruise, roughly 20 percent higher than a Phenom 300 delivering essentially the same range and cabin. Direct operating cost sits around $1,600–$2,000 per flight hour, which puts the aircraft at cost parity with newer light jets despite lower capital charges.

The 400XP is at its most competitive on US regional and mid-range missions where its seven-seat capacity and square cabin outshine every other light jet, and where its higher fuel burn is offset by aggressive Part 135 pricing. Chicago to Naples FL, Teterboro to Nashville, LA to Cabo San Lucas, Boston to Palm Beach, Dallas to Vail, Denver to Aspen.

A second cluster of missions plays to the flat-floor cabin for group corporate travel: seven executives on a two-hour intra-region trip is where the aircraft was designed to shine, and where it still delivers meaningful value over a five-seat VLJ or a cramped Learjet.

In Europe, the 400XP is most useful on Mediterranean summer missions where its seven-seat capacity and adequate short-runway performance suit family or small-group travel: London to Nice, London to Ibiza, Munich to Olbia, Frankfurt to Palma, Zurich to Split, Geneva to Athens (with fuel stop).

The aircraft is genuinely poor for very short hops (higher fuel burn hurts, cabin capacity is wasted), for hot-and-high mountain fields (JT15D performance falls off sharply) and for clients who prioritise modern cabin aesthetics or Ka-band connectivity.

Charter rates for the Hawker 400XP typically fall between $3,400 and $4,400 per hour in North America and €3,600–€4,600 in Europe — competitive with new light jets on paper, and often 15–25 percent below asking rate on the spot market thanks to aggressive Part 135 operators moving legacy airframes. Indicative all-inclusive one-way pricing: London to Geneva from £9,400; London to Ibiza from £8,200; Teterboro to Boston from $9,800; LA to Las Vegas from $7,400; Miami to Palm Beach from $6,200.

Empty-leg pricing on the 400XP is arguably the most plentiful of any light jet — the US fleet base runs continuous relocation legs across the country, particularly along the East Coast, Sun Belt and Rocky Mountain corridors. Flexible clients regularly find one-way relocation at 40–55 percent of confirmed pricing.

Operating economics are the aircraft's weakness: JT15D fuel burn is high by modern standards and hot-section overhaul intervals are relatively short. Direct operating cost of $1,600–$2,000 per flight hour is what keeps the 400XP priced comparably to newer light jets despite its lower capital charges.

Against the Citation CJ3+, the 400XP gives up 30 knots of cruise speed and roughly 500 nm of range, and gives up FADEC engine control and modern avionics — but wins on cabin width, on baggage volume and on seven-vs-six seat capacity. On charter rate the two are typically within 10 percent; the CJ3+ is the more polished aircraft, the 400XP is the more spacious.

Against the Learjet 45XR, the 400XP has a wider cabin and better baggage but gives up meaningful speed (Mach 0.78 vs 0.81) and range (1,500 nm vs 2,000 nm). The 45XR is the better long-mission aircraft; the 400XP is the better cabin.

Against the Phenom 300E, the 400XP has similar cabin volume and range but is meaningfully slower, less modern and less refined in every dimension. The Phenom is a genuinely better aircraft in every way except acquisition cost and hourly charter rate on the used-airframe basis.

Against a Hawker 800XP midsize, the 400XP gives up two seats of capacity, stand-up cabin height and roughly 1,000 nm of range at roughly 20 percent lower hourly cost. For a party of five or fewer on a two-to-three-hour mission the 400XP is the more efficient choice.

The Hawker 400XP is the right aircraft for five to seven passengers on US regional and Mediterranean missions where the priority is cabin size and seven-seat capacity in a true jet, and where aggressive Part 135 pricing on used airframes delivers meaningfully lower total cost than a comparable Phenom 300 or CJ3+. Its natural clients are corporate flight departments moving small executive teams, family groups on Mediterranean or Caribbean leisure trips, and cost-sensitive charter clients who want more cabin than a five-seat VLJ.

It is not the right aircraft for clients who prioritise modern cabin design, Starlink-grade connectivity, hot-and-high mountain performance, or intercontinental range. The aircraft is a workhorse from a previous generation — capable, spacious and cheap on the day, but showing its age against modern purpose-built light jets.

Limitless Sky sources the Hawker 400XP through a large network of US Part 135 fleets and select European operators. Contact charter@thelimitlesssky.com with your intended sectors — the 400XP is one of the most flexible charter platforms in the market for seven-passenger groups on a light-jet budget.