A Hawker Beechcraft vs Embraer showdown in the midsize jet class. The Hawker 800XP carries 8 passengers with 2,540 nm of range; the Embraer Legacy 500 carries 8–12 with 3,125 nm. Cabin dimensions land at 5'9" × 6'0" versus 6'0" × 6'10", and runway numbers read 5,032 ft against 4,084 ft. Indicative charter pricing on a representative sector: from £12,600 on the Hawker 800XP, from £25,200 on the Legacy 500.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT
The Hawker 800XP remains one of the most-chartered midsize jets in the world. Its eight-seat double-club cabin, robust airframe and proven Honeywell engines make it exceptional value for European business missions and transcontinental US travel.
FULL HAWKER 800XP PAGE →EMBRAER
The Embraer Legacy 500 was the first midsize jet with full fly-by-wire flight controls, delivering ride quality previously reserved for the largest business jets. A genuine six-foot cabin, 6,000-foot cabin altitude and 3,125 nm range make it exceptional for transatlantic and Middle-East missions.
FULL EMBRAER LEGACY 500 PAGE →SPECIFICATIONS
| METRIC | Hawker 800XP | Legacy 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 8 | 8–12 |
| Range | 2,540 nm | 3,125 nm |
| Cruise speed | Mach 0.80 | Mach 0.82 |
| Cabin height | 5'9" | 6'0" |
| Cabin width | 6'0" | 6'10" |
| Baggage | 50 cu ft | 155 cu ft |
| Runway | 5,032 ft | 4,084 ft |
CHARTER PRICING
| London → Marrakech | from £12,600 |
| Teterboro → Chicago | from $8,700 |
| London → Dubai | from £25,200 |
| Miami → New York | from $14,700 |
All-inclusive indicative one-way pricing. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes.
EXPERT VERDICT
the Legacy 500 answers with range / non-stop reach, cabin comfort, group capacity, airport access and speed & block time. Both sit in the midsize 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
Legacy 500
3,125 nm of range — the better choice for transcontinental and intercontinental missions.
Cabin comfort
Legacy 500
Taller and/or wider cabin (6'0" × 6'10") — better for long flights and stand-up movement.
Group capacity
Legacy 500
Seats up to 12 — the right pick when the manifest grows.
Airport access
Legacy 500
Shorter 4,084 ft balanced-field requirement — opens up restricted alpine, island and city-adjacent airfields.
Speed & block time
Legacy 500
Cruise of Mach 0.82 — shaves meaningful minutes off every long leg.
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 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 800XP and Legacy 500: the deciding reasons in this matchup, plus the buyer archetypes each aircraft serves best.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT
BEST FOR
Stand-up cross-Europe travel
Flat-floor cabin for 3–4 hour legs with full bar and lavatory.
8-seat board offsites
Comfortable double-club layout for executive teams.
US transcontinental
Non-stop east-coast to west-coast missions with full payload.
Sport & ski groups
Cabin volume for extended-stay baggage without payload sacrifice.
EMBRAER
BEST FOR
Longer non-stop reach
When the mission is on the edge of the Hawker 800XP's envelope, the 3,125 nm legs of the Legacy 500 keep reserves intact.
Larger party charters
Up to 12 seats vs 8 on the Hawker 800XP — the natural pick when the manifest grows last-minute.
Short-field departures
4,084 ft balanced field unlocks airports the Hawker 800XP cannot use, putting passengers closer to the door.
Stand-up cross-Europe travel
Flat-floor cabin for 3–4 hour legs with full bar and lavatory.
PROS & CONS
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT
PROS
CONS
EMBRAER
PROS
CONS
REAL-WORLD MISSIONS
Four scenarios our charter desk sees regularly — and which of these two we would actually quote.
SCENARIO 01
Larger cabin seats the full group (8–12).
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 02
Larger cabin seats the full group (8–12).
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 03
Curated example: London → Athens sits in the Hawker 800XP's sweet spot.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 04
Larger cabin seats the full group (8–12).
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →ROUTE RECOMMENDATIONS
| ROUTE | DISTANCE | RECOMMENDED | WHY |
|---|---|---|---|
| London → Moscow | 1,500 nm | Legacy 500 | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
| Geneva → Marrakech | 1,250 nm | Legacy 500 | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
| Teterboro → Aspen | 1,580 nm | Legacy 500 | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
| Paris → Cairo | 1,800 nm | Legacy 500 | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
Distances are great-circle approximations; actual fuel planning accounts for winds, weather and reserves.
FAQ
The Hawker 800XP has a published range of 2,540 nm; the Embraer Legacy 500 is rated at 3,125 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 800XP and Mach 0.82 for the Embraer Legacy 500. On a London → Marrakech-style mission the faster aircraft typically saves 10–25 minutes block time.
The Hawker 800XP seats 8; the Embraer Legacy 500 seats 8–12. Charter prices below assume a typical executive layout — high-density configurations are available on request.
Indicative one-way pricing on a benchmark mission: Hawker 800XP from from £12,600, Embraer Legacy 500 from from £25,200. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes — pricing varies with empty-leg availability, season and routing.
Both belong to the Midsize Jet 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 Hawker 800XP and Embraer Legacy 500 sit in the Midsize Jet 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.
Hourly pricing (from £12,600 for the Hawker 800XP, from £25,200 for the Legacy 500) 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
HAWKER 800XP × LEGACY 500 CLUSTER
CHARTER EITHER AIRCRAFT
WHERE THESE AIRCRAFT FLY
EDITORIAL GUIDES
Tell us your route and party size — we'll recommend the right aircraft and send a confirmed quote in 10 minutes.
REQUEST A QUOTE