Aircraft
Hawker 800XP vs Phenom 300: Cabin, Cost, and Range
Hawker 800XP vs Phenom 300 on cabin, cost, and range
Book the Hawker 800XP if a stand-up cabin for six to eight people matters more than having a newer airframe. Choose the Phenom 300 if the group is smaller and modern avionics and efficiency matter more than headroom.
This is as much a comparison between generations as it is between classes. The Hawker 800XP is a 1990s midsize design built around cabin volume. The Phenom 300 is a 2009-and-newer light jet designed around efficiency and single-pilot operation. It has also been the best-selling light jet in the world for 14 consecutive years.
Charter brokers often pair the two because their hourly rates are close, even though the Hawker has a genuine stand-up cabin and the Phenom does not.
Hawker 800XP vs Phenom 300 at a Glance
| Criteria | Hawker 800XP | Phenom 300E |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Midsize | Light |
| Manufacturer | Hawker Beechcraft / Textron Aviation | Embraer |
| In production | No (1995-2006) | Yes (300E since 2020) |
| Cabin height | ~5 ft 9 in (stand-up) | 4 ft 11 in |
| Typical charter seats | 8 | 6-7 |
| Published range | 2,540 nm | 2,010 nm (NBAA IFR reserves) |
| Max cruise | ~447 ktas | 464 kt (Mach 0.80) |
| Max operating altitude | Not published | 45,000 ft |
| Typical charter rate | ~$3,300-3,900/hr | ~$3,200-4,000/hr |
| Verdict | More cabin, more seats, same money | Newer, more efficient, cheaper to operate |
For the full spec sheet and cost breakdown on either type, see our dedicated pages on the Hawker 800XP and the Embraer Phenom 300.
Why These Two Get Cross-Shopped
The Hawker 800XP and Phenom 300 sit in different weight classes, midsize against light, yet their charter rates overlap almost exactly, which is the entire reason brokers pitch them against each other. A midsize cabin for light-jet money is the Hawker’s whole sales pitch; the Phenom’s pitch is a newer, more efficient airframe with modern avionics at essentially the same hourly cost.
The two aircraft also come from opposite points in the production timeline. Hawker 800XP production ran from roughly 1995 to 2006, and the type has been out of production for two decades, with parts and service support now under Textron Aviation, which acquired Beechcraft in 2014. The Phenom 300, by contrast, entered service in 2009 and remains in active production as the Phenom 300E, with Embraer delivering 72 more aircraft in 2025 alone and more than 900 now in service worldwide.
Cabin: The Core of the Decision
This is where the two aircraft diverge most sharply. The Hawker 800XP has a genuine stand-up cabin, roughly 5 feet 9 inches tall, about 6 feet wide, and roughly 21 feet long, seating eight in a double-club layout and occasionally nine with a belted lavatory seat. The Phenom 300 cabin is 4 feet 11 inches tall, meaning nobody stands up in it; passengers move down the aisle bent over, a tradeoff of the entire light-jet class rather than a flaw specific to this aircraft.
Divide charter rate by typical seat count and the case for the Hawker sharpens. Our own Hawker 800XP cost breakdown puts it at roughly $440 per seat-hour against roughly $560 for the Phenom 300E, using each aircraft’s typical rate and typical seat count. For a full group of six to eight people who want to stand, stretch, and move around the cabin on a multi-hour leg, the Hawker’s extra headroom and seat count are worth real money.
Range and Speed Compared
The Hawker 800XP is published at 2,540 nautical miles against the Phenom 300E’s 2,010 nm with NBAA IFR reserves and five occupants, a gap of 530 nm in the Hawker’s favor. Cruise speed favors the Phenom instead: 464 knots against the Hawker’s roughly 447 ktas, though the difference is small enough that it rarely changes which aircraft arrives meaningfully sooner on a typical leg.
The Phenom 300E operates to a published 45,000-foot ceiling; the Hawker 800XP’s manuals do not carry a directly comparable published figure on this site’s sourcing. In practice, the Hawker’s extra range matters only on the longer end of domestic trips; the Phenom’s published 2,010 nm already covers the large majority of the light-and-midsize charter market’s actual routes.
What Each Costs
Charter. The Hawker 800XP runs roughly $3,300 to $3,900 per flight hour on US market rates. The Phenom 300 runs a close $3,200 to $4,000 per hour on broker rate cards. The two overlap almost completely, so the deciding factor is rarely the sticker rate; it is what each aircraft actually seats comfortably and how far it needs to fly.
Purchase. There is no new price for the Hawker 800XP, out of production for two decades, and pre-owned values on the type spread widely depending almost entirely on engine maintenance program status rather than airframe age. The Phenom 300E has no published list price either, but market reporting puts a new example at roughly $11 million to $12 million, since Embraer continues building it new. A used Phenom 300 (the earlier, pre-300E variant) sits well below that figure, but the two aircraft are rarely bought as direct substitutes for each other; most buyers choosing between this pair are chartering, not purchasing.
Operating economics. The Phenom 300’s newer PW535E1 engines and 2009-and-later design are meaningfully more fuel-efficient than the Hawker’s 1990s-era Honeywell TFE731-5BR powerplants. That efficiency shows up more in owner-operator direct operating cost than in charter rate, since charter rates are set by market demand rather than an operator’s exact fuel burn.
Who Should Book Which
Book the Hawker 800XP if your group is six to eight people and you want stand-up cabin space, in-flight movement, and the lowest cost per seat in this price tier. It remains a charter staple specifically because no light jet, including the Phenom, matches its combination of cabin volume and price.
Book the Phenom 300 if your group is four to six people, you want the newest available avionics and engine technology, and short-field performance to smaller general-aviation airports matters. Its 3,209-foot takeoff distance opens fields a Hawker’s longer roll cannot use. It is also the safer long-term charter bet purely on fleet depth, since it remains in production while the Hawker fleet only shrinks with time.
Who This Comparison Does Not Fit
Neither aircraft suits a transcontinental or intercontinental trip; both fall well short of a reliable Atlantic crossing, and even the Hawker’s longer published range only comfortably covers domestic US routes. A group of nine or more outgrows both cabins and needs a super-midsize jet like the Challenger 350 instead. And if in-flight baggage access matters to your trip, neither the Hawker nor the Phenom offers it standard.
If the per-hour economics of either type appeal but you fly enough to want a locked rate across a fleet rather than one aging tail or a single new airframe, compare a jet card program before booking either type by the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Hawker 800XP bigger than the Phenom 300?
Yes, in cabin volume. The Hawker 800XP has a genuine stand-up cabin at roughly 5 feet 9 inches tall against the Phenom 300's 4 feet 11 inches, and it seats eight in charter configuration against the Phenom's typical six to seven. The Phenom is newer and more efficient, but the Hawker offers meaningfully more cabin space.
Is the Phenom 300 cheaper to charter than the Hawker 800XP?
They run close to the same hourly rate. Broker rate cards put the Hawker 800XP at roughly $3,300 to $3,900 per hour and the Phenom 300 at roughly $3,200 to $4,000 per hour, so neither aircraft has a clear pricing edge. The real cost difference shows up per seat, where the Hawker's larger typical passenger count lowers the effective cost per person.
Which has more range, the Hawker 800XP or the Phenom 300?
The Hawker 800XP, by about 530 nautical miles. It is published at 2,540 nm against the Phenom 300E's 2,010 nm with NBAA IFR reserves. Neither aircraft is built for intercontinental routes; both are domestic-range aircraft, and the gap mainly affects how far each can fly on the longer end of a US transcontinental trip.
Is the Hawker 800XP still available to charter in 2026?
Yes, though the fleet has been shrinking since production ended around 2006. Every Hawker 800XP flying today is a pre-owned aircraft on a charter certificate, and availability depends on regional operator coverage. The Phenom 300, still in production as the 300E, has a growing fleet of more than 900 aircraft worldwide.
How many passengers does each aircraft seat?
The Hawker 800XP seats eight in a standard double-club charter layout, occasionally nine with a belted lavatory seat. The Phenom 300E is certified for up to 10 occupants, but most charter operators configure it for six or seven passengers to leave room for luggage and comfortable club seating.
Match the aircraft to your group size and trip length before booking either one. The Hawker wins on cabin space and seat count, and the Phenom wins on efficiency and access to shorter runways.
We update this guide as aircraft, program, and route pricing changes. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it.