A head-to-head look at two of the most-chartered aircraft in the turboprop class.
BEECHCRAFT
The Beechcraft King Air 260 is the next-generation King Air 250 — modernised Collins Pro Line Fusion flight deck, refreshed cabin and the proven short-runway capability of the King Air family.
FULL BEECHCRAFT KING AIR 260 PAGE →BEECHCRAFT
The Beechcraft King Air 200 is the original executive turboprop — over 50 years in service and still one of the most-chartered regional aircraft. Seven seats, short-runway access and outstanding charter value.
FULL BEECHCRAFT KING AIR 200 PAGE →SPECIFICATIONS
| METRIC | King Air 260 | King Air 200 |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 8 | 7 |
| Range | 1,720 nm | 1,580 nm |
| Cruise speed | 310 kts | 292 kts |
| Cabin height | 4'9" | 4'9" |
| Cabin width | 4'6" | 4'6" |
| Baggage | 55 cu ft | 55 cu ft |
| Runway | 2,950 ft | 3,200 ft |
CHARTER PRICING
| Zurich → St Moritz (Samedan) | from CHF 3,900 |
| Miami → Key West | from $3,400 |
| London → Jersey | from £2,300 |
| Phoenix → Sedona | from $2,900 |
All-inclusive indicative one-way pricing. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes.
EXPERT VERDICT
The King Air 260 pulls ahead on range / non-stop reach, group capacity and 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 260
1,720 nm of range — the better choice for transcontinental and intercontinental missions.
Cabin comfort
Even
Matched specifications.
Group capacity
King Air 260
Seats up to 8 — the right pick when the manifest grows.
Airport access
King Air 260
Shorter 2,950 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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CHOOSE WITH CONFIDENCE
A tailored summary for the King Air 260 and King Air 200: the deciding reasons in this matchup, plus the buyer archetypes each aircraft serves best.
BEECHCRAFT
BEST FOR
Longer non-stop reach
When the mission is on the edge of the King Air 200's envelope, the 1,720 nm legs of the King Air 260 keep reserves intact.
Larger party charters
Up to 8 seats vs 7 on the King Air 200 — 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.
BEECHCRAFT
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
BEECHCRAFT
PROS
CONS
BEECHCRAFT
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 (2,950 ft) opens up the airfield.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 02
Shorter runway requirement (2,950 ft) opens up the airfield.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 03
Shorter runway requirement (2,950 ft) opens up the airfield.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 04
Shorter runway requirement (2,950 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 Beechcraft King Air 260 has a published range of 1,720 nm; the Beechcraft King Air 200 is rated at 1,580 nm. The longer-range aircraft opens up more non-stop city pairs without a tech stop.
Cruise speeds are 310 kts for the Beechcraft King Air 260 and 292 kts for the Beechcraft King Air 200. On a Zurich → St Moritz (Samedan)-style mission the faster aircraft typically saves 10–25 minutes block time.
The Beechcraft King Air 260 seats 8; the Beechcraft King Air 200 seats 7. Charter prices below assume a typical executive layout — high-density configurations are available on request.
Indicative one-way pricing on a benchmark mission: Beechcraft King Air 260 from from CHF 3,900, Beechcraft King Air 200 from from £2,300. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes — pricing varies with empty-leg availability, season and routing.
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.
MORE COMPARISONS
KING AIR 260 × KING AIR 200 CLUSTER
CHARTER EITHER AIRCRAFT
EDITORIAL GUIDES
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