Embraer Legacy 450 Charter

Embraer launched the Legacy 450 in 2015 as the smaller sibling to the Legacy 500 — a mid-light jet built on the same fuselage cross-section, the same fly-by-wire flight controls and the same Honeywell HTF7500E engines, with a 3-foot fuselage stretch difference. The 450 was the first mid-light jet with full fly-by-wire, a flat-floor stand-up cabin and a 6,000 ft cabin altitude at FL450 — features previously exclusive to the super-midsize class.

Around 90 examples were built before Embraer rebranded the type in 2018 as the Praetor 500, adding winglets, additional fuel and range. The Legacy 450 fleet remains active in charter, and provides charter clients with genuine mid-light performance and cabin comfort in a segment historically dominated by cabin-cramped older designs.

For charter the Legacy 450 is the aircraft that quietly upgraded the mid-light category. It flies transcontinental US at a mid-light hourly rate with a cabin experience that outclasses every peer built before it.

Cabin dimensions: 24 feet long, 6 feet 10 inches wide, 6 feet tall — flat floor, stand-up throughout, and materially wider than any competing mid-light. Standard layout is a seven-passenger club-four plus three-place divan; charter-common layout is nine-passenger double-club. Seats are full-recline, tracking and swivel with a build quality Embraer imported directly from the larger Legacy 500 and Praetor programmes.

Cabin altitude at FL450 is 6,000 ft — best in class. Ka-band Wi-Fi and Honeywell Ovation Select cabin management are standard on late-production aircraft. Baggage volume is 155 cubic feet — the largest of any mid-light and competitive with super-midsize aircraft.

The lavatory is fully enclosed with vanity and belted seat. The galley is forward-right with hot and cold storage. Cabin length allows two lie-flat berths across the aisle on longer sectors — a real feature at this size.

Twin Honeywell HTF7500E engines deliver 6,540 pounds of thrust each. Maximum operating Mach is 0.83; long-range cruise Mach 0.78. Certified ceiling is FL450. NBAA IFR range with four passengers is 2,904 nautical miles — enough for New York to Los Angeles, London to Dubai, or coast-to-coast US non-stop with reserves.

Balanced field length at MTOW is 3,907 ft — excellent, opening up London City (with steep-approach), Aspen, Sun Valley, Innsbruck and Chambéry. Landing distance is 2,090 ft. Steep-approach certification and short-field performance are class-leading.

Charter hourly rates run $6,000–$7,500 in North America; €6,500–€8,000 in Europe. Empty-leg availability is moderate. Indicative pricing: New York to Aspen from $22,000; London to Athens from £24,000; Miami to Boston from $28,000.

Against the Citation Latitude the 450 offers similar range and better cabin altitude at similar cost, with fly-by-wire. Against the Praetor 500 (its winglet-equipped successor) the 450 gives up range at 5–10 per cent lower cost. Against the Hawker 800XP the 450 wins on almost every axis.

The 450 is the value entry point to modern mid-light performance and comfort. When available it is often the best-value mid-light jet on the market.

Charter the Legacy 450 when you have four to seven passengers on a transcontinental mission, when short-field or steep-approach access matters, and when cabin comfort and low cabin altitude are decisive. It is the modern mid-light benchmark.

Step up to the Praetor 500 for additional range or the Praetor 600 for genuine transatlantic capability. Step down to a Citation XLS+ only if the price gap is significant. For most mid-light missions the 450 is the rational modern choice.