A head-to-head look at two of the most-chartered aircraft in the midsize jet class.
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 →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 →SPECIFICATIONS
| METRIC | Legacy 500 | Hawker 800XP |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 8–12 | 8 |
| Range | 3,125 nm | 2,540 nm |
| Cruise speed | Mach 0.82 | Mach 0.80 |
| Cabin height | 6'0" | 5'9" |
| Cabin width | 6'10" | 6'0" |
| Baggage | 155 cu ft | 50 cu ft |
| Runway | 4,084 ft | 5,032 ft |
CHARTER PRICING
| London → Dubai | from £42,000 |
| Miami → New York | from $24,500 |
| London → Marrakech | from £21,000 |
| Teterboro → Chicago | from $14,500 |
All-inclusive indicative one-way pricing. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes.
EXPERT VERDICT
The Legacy 500 pulls ahead on 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.
PROS & CONS
EMBRAER
PROS
CONS
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT
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: Dubai → Maldives sits in the Legacy 500'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 Embraer Legacy 500 has a published range of 3,125 nm; the Hawker 800XP is rated at 2,540 nm. The longer-range aircraft opens up more non-stop city pairs without a tech stop.
Cruise speeds are Mach 0.82 for the Embraer Legacy 500 and Mach 0.80 for the Hawker 800XP. On a London → Dubai-style mission the faster aircraft typically saves 10–25 minutes block time.
The Embraer Legacy 500 seats 8–12; the Hawker 800XP seats 8. Charter prices below assume a typical executive layout — high-density configurations are available on request.
Indicative one-way pricing on a benchmark mission: Embraer Legacy 500 from from £42,000, Hawker 800XP from from £21,000. 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.
MORE COMPARISONS
LEGACY 500 × HAWKER 800XP CLUSTER
CHARTER EITHER AIRCRAFT
WHERE THESE AIRCRAFT FLY
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