Quick answer
Midsize jet charter cost is typically £3,000–£4,400 per flying hour for aircraft such as the Citation XLS, Hawker 900XP and Learjet 60, with the Learjet 75 around £3,000–£3,200. London–Ibiza in a midsize typically runs £16,000–£24,000 one way on full charter, positioning included, or £6,000–£11,000 one way as an empty leg. Indicative only — the live figure is confirmed on enquiry.
Key takeaways
- Midsize jets charter at roughly £3,000–£4,400 per flying hour, before fuel, fees and repositioning.
- The Citation XLS family is the default midsize; the Learjet 75 prices where the light and midsize bands meet.
- Midsize makes sense for six to eight people with luggage on two- to three-hour European sectors.
- The Learjet 75 is out of production, so a specific-type request can cost more than asking for an equivalent.
- Midsize empty legs on summer corridors typically list 50–60% below the equivalent charter.
What does midsize jet charter cost?
A midsize jet is the step up from a light jet: seven or eight passengers in comfort, more headroom, a proper enclosed washroom on most types, a bigger baggage hold, and enough range with a full cabin to reach anywhere in Europe without a fuel stop. It is the class most groups of seven or eight end up in, and the one most often quoted for summer Mediterranean trips from the UK.
Indicative midsize jet charter rates run at roughly £3,000–£4,400 per flying hour for the aircraft and crew — the same benchmark used in our private jet charter cost guide. As with every class, fuel surcharges, landing and handling fees, and repositioning sit outside that figure.
Put to real routes, the indicative full-charter prices for a midsize jet, one way and including positioning and typical fees, look like this (a same-day or short-stay return on the same aircraft costs about the same):
- London–Nice: roughly £14,000–£22,000, depending on where the aircraft starts.
- London–Ibiza: roughly £16,000–£24,000.
- London–Olbia: roughly £15,000–£22,000.
A useful definition: the midsize jet hourly rate is the cost of the aircraft and crew for one hour of flight. Treat it as the yardstick for comparing quotes, not as the cost of the trip.
Midsize jet charter cost by aircraft
The midsize class is broad. At one end sit aircraft that overlap with the top of the light-jet class; at the other, types with range approaching super-midsize. The table shows the midsize jets most often quoted from UK airports, with published specifications and where each usually sits in the class rate.
| Aircraft | Passenger seats | Max range | Charter / hr | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learjet 75 | Up to 9 | about 2,040 nm | Around £3,000–£3,200 · where light and midsize bands meet | Fast trips for six to eight across Western Europe |
| Citation XLS / XLS+ / XLS Gen2 | Up to 9 | 2,100 nm | £3,000–£4,400 · lower to middle of band | London to the Riviera, Balearics, Alps |
| Learjet 60 / 60XR | Up to 8 | about 2,400 nm | £3,000–£4,400 · lower part of band | Longer European sectors on a budget |
| Hawker 900XP | Up to 8 | 2,930 nm | £3,000–£4,400 · middle of band | Groups with luggage; longer Mediterranean legs |
| Citation Latitude | Up to 9 | 2,700 nm | £3,000–£4,400 · upper part of band | Eight in comfort; eastern Mediterranean |
Ranges are published maximums and assume a light load; with a full cabin, plan on less. Rates are indicative GBP benchmarks; the live figure is confirmed on enquiry.
Specification sources: Learjet 75, Citation XLS Gen2, Learjet 60, Hawker 900XP and Citation Latitude.
Citation XLS charter price
The Citation XLS family — XLS, XLS+ and the current XLS Gen2 — is the most familiar midsize jet on European charter certificates. Its published maximum is nine passengers and 2,100 nm of range, which is ample for London to the Mediterranean with a full cabin. A Citation XLS charter price typically sits in the lower to middle part of the £3,000–£4,400 hourly band, which makes it the default "first midsize" on many quotes. The cabin is a step up from a light jet in height and luggage space, and the type's wide availability means one is often positioned near London, keeping repositioning charges down.
Learjet 75 cost per hour, and how to hire a Learjet 75
The Learjet 75 is a boundary case. Some operators list it as a light jet, others as midsize, and its price reflects that: a Learjet 75 cost per hour usually lands where the two bands meet, around £3,000–£3,200. It is known for speed and a nine-seat, double-club cabin, with roughly 2,040 nm of published range.
If you want to hire a Learjet 75 specifically, two points matter. First, Bombardier has ended Learjet production, so the fleet is finite; availability on a given date is narrower than for a Citation XLS, and a specific-type request can mean paying to reposition one from further away. Second, cabin condition varies more across an out-of-production fleet. Ask for the year of the last interior refurbishment. If you are flexible on type, asking for "a Learjet 75 or equivalent midsize" usually produces a cheaper quote than insisting on the type. We also cover the Learjet 75 in our light jet charter cost guide.
Hawker 900XP and Learjet 60
Both are older designs that remain common on charter. The Hawker 900XP has a notably roomy cabin for its class and a published maximum range of 2,930 nm; it tends to sit mid-band. The Learjet 60 is narrower inside but quick, and older airframes often price in the lower part of the band. Neither is a reason for concern if the operator is sound — but both are a reason to ask about cabin age.
Citation Latitude
The Latitude sits at the top of the midsize class, with up to nine passengers and 2,700 nm of published range. Expect it in the upper part of the band. For eight people on a longer Mediterranean sector, it is often the most comfortable midsize option before you pay super-midsize rates.
Midsize jet charter cost by route: the hourly sum
You can check any midsize quote with one multiplication: realistic flight time times the hourly band. LunaJets' route planner gives these typical times for a Citation XLS from London: about 1h40 to Nice, 2h15 to Olbia and 2h25 to Ibiza. Rounded up for taxi and routing, they give the figures below.
| Route (midsize) | Planning flight time | Flying-time cost, outbound sector | Flying out and back: the base of a one-way quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| London – Nice | about 2h | £6,000–£8,800 | £12,000–£17,600 |
| London – Olbia | about 2h20 | £7,000–£10,300 | £14,000–£20,500 |
| London – Ibiza | about 2h30 | £7,500–£11,000 | £15,000–£22,000 |
Flying-time cost = planning flight time × the £3,000–£4,400 midsize hourly band, rounded. Landing, handling, fuel surcharge and taxes are added on top. Indicative only; the live figure is confirmed on enquiry.
The outbound column is only the flying-time part. Unless the operator can sell the flight home, a one-way quote is built on the out-and-back column; add fees and you reach the one-way route ranges at the top of this guide. A same-day or short-stay return on the same aircraft costs about the same, while a return only roughly doubles if the jet goes home between legs. That empty flight home is exactly what turns up as an empty leg, which is why midsize legs on these corridors list at roughly half the charter price.
Use the table as a sense check rather than a quote. A one-way figure well below the out-and-back column suggests something is missing from the price; one well above it usually means peak dates or a long positioning flight, and it is fair to ask which.
Midsize vs light jet: is the extra cost worth it?
Compare the bands: light jets at roughly £2,000–£3,200 an hour, midsize at £3,000–£4,400. On a two-hour sector, that difference is a few thousand pounds on the whole aircraft. Whether it is worth it depends almost entirely on the group.
- Four people, weekend bags, under two hours: a light jet. The midsize adds cost and space you won't use.
- Six people with hold luggage: get both quotes. A light jet may struggle with the bags; split six ways, the midsize premium is often modest.
- Seven or eight people: a midsize. Squeezing eight into a high-density light jet is uncomfortable on anything but a short hop.
- Longer sectors with a full cabin: a midsize, to avoid a fuel stop that adds time and fees.
The per-person view usually settles it. Eight people splitting a £16,000–£24,000 one-way London–Ibiza midsize charter pay roughly £2,000–£3,000 each. Our private jet cost per person guide works through the same maths for every class.
Pricing a midsize for a group? Check a live price for your route and divide by your head count.
Check a price →When to step up to a super-midsize
Above midsize sits the super-midsize class — the Challenger 350 and Praetor 600 are typical — at roughly £4,400–£6,200 an hour. The extra money buys a wider, taller cabin, eight to ten seats, and transcontinental range.
For a European trip of two or three hours, a midsize does the job and the super-midsize is a comfort choice. The cases for stepping up are a group of nine or ten, a lot of luggage, or a long sector to the eastern Mediterranean or North Africa where the midsize would need to stop. Our super midsize jet charter cost guide prices that step in detail. For anything transatlantic or larger groups again, see our heavy jet charter cost guide.
And in the other direction: if your trip is a short hop to an island or regional airfield, a turboprop may do it for considerably less per hour. Our turboprop charter cost guide explains when.
From midsize jet hourly rate to the price of your trip
A midsize charter quote is built the same way as any other: flight hours at the class rate, plus fuel surcharges, landing and handling, repositioning, crew overnight costs where they apply, and taxes. On the busy summer corridors, the airport end matters more than usual — premium Mediterranean fields carry higher handling charges in July and August, and slots can be tight around events.
Peak dates also move the rate itself. Quotes around Christmas, Easter, August and major events routinely run 15–30% above the benchmark. For a midsize jet going to Ibiza or Olbia in high summer (see private jet hire Ibiza and private jet hire Olbia), assume you will be near the top of the indicative range unless the aircraft happens to be well positioned.
Two questions catch most of the variance between quotes:
- Where is the aircraft coming from? A midsize already at Farnborough or Luton prices very differently from one flying in from the continent.
- Is the return positioning included? On a one-way trip, the cost of flying the aircraft home may be built into your price.
For UK operators, you can check that the company holds an air operator certificate on the UK Civil Aviation Authority's list of AOC holders.
A worked example: London to Nice for six
Numbers make the comparison concrete. Take a group of six flying London to Nice on a flexible summer weekend in a midsize jet seating up to eight.
| Line | Full charter | Empty leg |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-aircraft price, one way | ~£14,000 | ~£5,500 |
| Per person (6 travelling) | ~£2,330 | ~£915 |
| Saving vs charter | — | ~60% |
Why is a one-way charter priced like this? Because if nobody needs the jet in Nice, the operator prices in the flight home empty, so the one-way price already includes positioning, and a short-stay return on the same aircraft costs about the same. The full-charter figure here is at the bottom of the £14,000–£22,000 range, which assumes a well-positioned aircraft. Bring one in from the continent, or fly on a peak Saturday in August, and the top of the range is more realistic. The empty-leg figure assumes the leg matches your dates, which is the trade-off: you take the flight the aircraft is already making.
Notice too that six people in an eight-seat cabin leaves two seats paid for and unused. If two more friends can come, the per-head figures fall by a quarter. That is the simplest lever on midsize jet charter cost there is.
Which London airports suit a midsize jet
Most midsize charters from the capital leave from Farnborough, Luton, Biggin Hill or Stansted. Farnborough is a dedicated business-aviation airport and carries a lot of midsize and larger traffic; Biggin Hill is also dedicated business aviation and handles light and midsize jets; Luton and Stansted mix commercial and private traffic, which tends to mean more volume and good short-notice availability. London City suits some midsize types but its steep approach limits which aircraft can use it.
The airport affects the price in two ways: handling fees, which are at the higher end of the UK range around London, and positioning — the airport where a suitable aircraft is already sitting will usually give the lowest quote. If you can be flexible between two or three of these, say so when you ask for a price.
Midsize empty legs
Midsize jets reposition constantly through the summer, because so many one-way Mediterranean charters leave aircraft at the wrong end of the route. That makes midsize one of the better classes for empty legs. A UK-originating midsize empty leg typically lists at around £4,500–£8,000, roughly 50–60% below the equivalent charter. On London–Ibiza, legs commonly sit at £6,000–£11,000; on London–Olbia, £6,500–£12,000.
The pattern to watch is directional. Midsize legs head south empty at the start of the season and north empty at the end of it, and they cluster around the weekends either side of big events. Our guide to empty legs by season sets out when each corridor produces the most.
Split across eight people, a midsize empty leg is where private flying gets close to premium commercial fares on a per-head basis — at roughly £750–£1,375 each on the Ibiza corridor.
Midsize legs on the summer corridors go quickly. Set an alert and we'll tell you as soon as one lists.
Set up a route alert →When a midsize jet isn't worth it
We don't sell jets, so here is the honest list. Midsize is the wrong choice when there are four or fewer of you on a short sector — a light jet does the same job for less. It is also hard to justify for a solo traveller on fixed dates, where a business-class fare will almost always be cheaper. And it is the wrong class for a transatlantic trip: published ranges top out well short of a full-cabin ocean crossing.
Where midsize shines is the group of six to eight, with real luggage, on a two- to three-hour European sector. For that trip, midsize jet charter cost is usually the best balance of price, comfort and range on the market.
Frequently asked questions
What is the hourly rate for a midsize jet?
Indicative midsize jet charter rates run at roughly £3,000–£4,400 per flying hour for the aircraft and crew. Fuel surcharges, landing and handling fees and any repositioning usually sit on top. The live figure is confirmed on enquiry.
What does a Learjet 75 cost per hour?
A Learjet 75 usually prices where the light and midsize bands meet, at around £3,000–£3,200 per flying hour. Because the type is out of production and the fleet is finite, a specific request can add repositioning cost. Asking for a Learjet 75 or equivalent usually produces a cheaper quote.
What is the Citation XLS charter price?
A Citation XLS typically sits in the lower to middle part of the £3,000–£4,400 hourly band. On a one-way London–Ibiza trip, that usually means a full-charter price of roughly £16,000–£24,000, depending on positioning and dates.
How many passengers does a midsize jet carry?
Most midsize jets are laid out for seven or eight passengers, with published maximums of eight or nine on common types. For eight people with luggage, check the specific aircraft's layout and baggage space before you book.
Is a midsize jet worth it over a light jet?
For six to eight people with hold luggage, usually yes — the extra space and range cost relatively little once split across the group. For four people with light bags on a short hop, a light jet is the better value.
Can a midsize jet fly across the Atlantic?
Not with a practical load on a nonstop crossing. Published midsize ranges top out at roughly 2,000–2,900 nm with light loads, which is short of a full-cabin transatlantic trip. Heavy and ultra-long-range jets are the class for that.
Are midsize empty legs common?
Yes, especially on summer Mediterranean corridors where one-way charters leave aircraft at the wrong end of the route. UK-originating midsize empty legs typically list at around £4,500–£8,000, roughly 50–60% below charter.
How much is a midsize jet from London to Nice?
London to Nice takes about two hours in a midsize jet. At £3,000–£4,400 per hour, the flying alone is roughly £6,000–£8,800 each way; because the jet also flies home, a one-way quote with typical fees comes to about £14,000–£22,000, and a short-stay return on the same aircraft costs about the same. The live figure is confirmed on enquiry.
Is a one-way midsize charter cheaper than a return?
Not by much. The one-way price already includes the aircraft's flight home, so a same-day or short-stay return on the same aircraft costs roughly the same. A return only roughly doubles if the jet goes home between legs. A one-way empty leg is the way to pay for only one direction.
How can I hire a Learjet 75 for a specific trip?
Request a quote naming the type and your route, and ask where the nearest available aircraft is based, since repositioning is the main cost variable. Ask for the cabin refurbishment date too. If you can accept an equivalent midsize, say so — it widens the choice and usually lowers the price.
