A head-to-head look at two of the most-chartered aircraft in the light jet class.
CIRRUS
The Cirrus Vision Jet SF50 is the world's only single-engine personal jet, with a unique CAPS whole-airframe parachute system. Five passengers, panoramic windows and a pressurised cabin make it ideal for short owner-pilot or charter missions.
FULL CIRRUS VISION JET SF50 PAGE →HAWKER BEECHCRAFT
The Hawker 400XP (originally Beechjet 400A) offers one of the widest, squarest cabins in the light-jet segment — seven seats in a true double-club arrangement and a flat floor. A staple of the US Part 135 light-jet fleet.
FULL HAWKER 400XP PAGE →SPECIFICATIONS
| METRIC | Vision Jet SF50 | Hawker 400XP |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 5 | 7 |
| Range | 1,275 nm | 1,500 nm |
| Cruise speed | Mach 0.53 | Mach 0.78 |
| Cabin height | 4'1" | 4'9" |
| Cabin width | 5'1" | 4'11" |
| Baggage | 30 cu ft | 53 cu ft |
| Runway | 2,036 ft | 3,950 ft |
CHARTER PRICING
| London → Manchester | from £2,800 |
| Phoenix → Las Vegas | from $3,500 |
| Los Angeles → Las Vegas | from $7,400 |
| Paris → Nice | from €8,900 |
All-inclusive indicative one-way pricing. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes.
EXPERT VERDICT
The Vision Jet SF50 pulls ahead on airport access; the Hawker 400XP answers with range / non-stop reach, cabin comfort, group capacity and speed & block time. Both sit in the light 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
Hawker 400XP
1,500 nm of range — the better choice for transcontinental and intercontinental missions.
Cabin comfort
Hawker 400XP
Taller and/or wider cabin (4'9" × 4'11") — better for long flights and stand-up movement.
Group capacity
Hawker 400XP
Seats up to 7 — the right pick when the manifest grows.
Airport access
Vision Jet SF50
Shorter 2,036 ft balanced-field requirement — opens up restricted alpine, island and city-adjacent airfields.
Speed & block time
Hawker 400XP
Cruise of Mach 0.78 — 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 Vision Jet SF50 and Hawker 400XP: the deciding reasons in this matchup, plus the buyer archetypes each aircraft serves best.
CIRRUS
BEST FOR
Short-field departures
2,036 ft balanced field unlocks airports the Hawker 400XP cannot use, putting passengers closer to the door.
Two-hour business hops
Lowest jet-class operating cost for 1–2 hour European or US regional legs.
Short-runway escapes
Unlocks airfields like London City alternatives, Lugano and Aspen.
4–6 passenger weekends
Right-sized for a couple plus friends or a small family weekend break.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT
BEST FOR
Longer non-stop reach
When the mission is on the edge of the Vision Jet SF50's envelope, the 1,500 nm legs of the Hawker 400XP keep reserves intact.
Larger party charters
Up to 7 seats vs 5 on the Vision Jet SF50 — the natural pick when the manifest grows last-minute.
Two-hour business hops
Lowest jet-class operating cost for 1–2 hour European or US regional legs.
Short-runway escapes
Unlocks airfields like London City alternatives, Lugano and Aspen.
PROS & CONS
CIRRUS
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
Curated example: London → Edinburgh sits in the Vision Jet SF50's sweet spot.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 02
Shorter runway requirement (2,036 ft) opens up the airfield.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 03
Curated example: London → Edinburgh sits in the Vision Jet SF50's sweet spot.
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →SCENARIO 04
Larger cabin seats the full group (7).
SEE FULL AIRCRAFT →ROUTE RECOMMENDATIONS
| ROUTE | DISTANCE | RECOMMENDED | WHY |
|---|---|---|---|
| London → Paris | 190 nm | Hawker 400XP | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
| Geneva → Ibiza | 560 nm | Hawker 400XP | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
| Teterboro → Miami | 950 nm | Hawker 400XP | Both reach it, but the longer-legged option keeps more fuel reserves for weather and routing changes. |
| London → Athens | 1,500 nm | Either | Both would require a tech stop on this routing — talk to us about positioning. |
Distances are great-circle approximations; actual fuel planning accounts for winds, weather and reserves.
FAQ
The Cirrus Vision Jet SF50 has a published range of 1,275 nm; the Hawker 400XP is rated at 1,500 nm. The longer-range aircraft opens up more non-stop city pairs without a tech stop.
Cruise speeds are Mach 0.53 for the Cirrus Vision Jet SF50 and Mach 0.78 for the Hawker 400XP. On a London → Manchester-style mission the faster aircraft typically saves 10–25 minutes block time.
The Cirrus Vision Jet SF50 seats 5; the Hawker 400XP 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: Cirrus Vision Jet SF50 from from £2,800, Hawker 400XP from from $7,400. Confirmed quote in 10 minutes — pricing varies with empty-leg availability, season and routing.
Both belong to the Light 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
VISION JET SF50 × HAWKER 400XP CLUSTER
CHARTER EITHER AIRCRAFT
WHERE THESE AIRCRAFT FLY
EDITORIAL GUIDES
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